Riven.

4:30 a.m. 10 th Maha, 1092.

The Throne Room.

The most important room in all of Rosendun , where the fate of thousands w as dictated daily, was awash in strained silence. The currently politically most powerful man in the country faced off against an unlikely but equally powerful opponent. To say it was the most crucial debate held in the hallowed halls in decades would be the worst of understatements. This was a battle that would undoubtedly shape the future of the country, and it only fitted that a fight of this magnitude ha d an equally magnificent audience.

The first to the throne room were the drakul s. Having instinctively felt their king’s end, they poured in through the door behind Absalon. B ut if t he commander felt in any way threatened , it did not show on his stoic face.

The drakuls that entered paused when they sensed t he atmosphere between the leader of the Hopeful Maggots and the ruler of Kert a . None dared intrude on them, a feeling reinforced by the tattoo on the daeben's forearm.

Close behind the drakuls were Kashi's lieutenants.

The veterans from Kerta elbowed their way past the drakul, also pausing at the sight of the two leaders. Iason blocked Hektor's charge, shaking his head at the confused youth. His experience on the battlefield let him know when a battle should be one-on-one regardless of who had the advantage.

This was a battle of pride, not a battle to live. It wasn't their place to interfere. The lieutenants took positions by the west wall next to Yuna and the rest of the Maggots , most of whom had all but fully recovered.

The final group to arrive was the blood-soaked Kertan soldiers led by Asha and Nyte. Their initial shock at being ignored by the drakul was increased when they saw who their general faced. As they took up positions by the right wall, their suspicions were confirmed.

"Isn't that?" whispered Asha.

"The merchant we exiled. The name was Cashy I think," Nyte finished. "To think he'd challenge the boss. We should have killed him back then."

"Nothing's changed. No one's ever defeated Absalon in a one-on-one. That weakling is as good as dead."

"Yeah," murmured Nyte as he recalled the hellish training Absalon forced on him. "This won't take very long."

And so it was, that in the bloodiest night of the city's history, the three factions paused to bear witness to a glorious finale beneath the branches of Yggdrassil . Just a few meters away, the prized Thorn Throne awaited its next occupant.

"Seems we've got ourselves quite the gallery," murmured Kashi as he adjusted his gloves . A half-smile spread on his lips as his fingers clenched in anticipation. "Forgive my impertinence, but I will be going all-out from the start."

Ferulic Spirit Activated!

Absalon slammed his staff against the floor. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Spirit of the Conqueror Activated!

"Come!"

Crash!

In the blink of an eye, Kashi's unseen charge was blocked by a magic circle right in front of Absalon's face.

"Heh," Kashi chuckled as his left fist struggled to break past the mandala. "Impressive."

Collective gasps echoed across the room at the daeben's blinding speed. But one man was not so impressed.

Absalon looked down at the daeben. "Speed isn't everything , amateur. [Repel] ."

The mandala blasted Kashi away, but the daeben deftly regained his balance. He looked up to see missiles of debris speeding at him. He tracked their trajectory and then wove his way through them. Once out, Kashi once more charged at the Kertan mayor.

Bam!

Kashi’s fi rst punch fell on a mandala, but he retracted his blow before Absalon could cast [Repel] . Kashi then spun around and kicked at Absalon's head . Bam! Once again, another mandala barred his strike . Gritting his teeth, Kashi hopped over the immobile general and then attempted several more blows, but each was blocked by mandala s .

"Weak," Absalon muttered. “ [Gravity] .”

Kashi doubled over under pressure. Absalon slammed the daeben's chin with his staff, then tapped him on his abdomen. A mandala appeared on the daeben's midriff, then exploded.

Kashi coughed blood as he was sent flying across the room, but h e caught his bearings and righted himself right before he hit the throne. He clutched his stomach and winced. Thanks to his decision to wear light armor, his body took close to the full brunt of most attacks. To make matters worse, he had not been hit with enough magic attacks to form a good enough resistance. He could not afford to take any more clean hits.

"What's the matter?" mocked Absalon. "Already done?"

Kashi wiped the blood dripping down his forehead. "My apologies. I seem to have underestimated you. I had hoped to hide these, but you leave me no choice."

Absalon’s brows furrowed. "Hide what?"

The daeben clenched and unclenched his fists as bright green aura burst out from his palms. The jagged light smoothed out as it spread around his body, adopting a silky glow about him. "Earth-Shattering Technique, Second Form: [ Gaia ] .”

Absalon frowned at the sight. "What skill is that?"

Vwoosh!

Kashi's burst of speed caught the mage by surprise, but a fraction of a second before the hit connected, a mandala appeared before him.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough this time.

Crash!

The mandala shattered from the daeben's blow . The fist connected with the mage’s chin, sending Abslaon flying into the watching drakuls.

Kashi smiled while he watched Absalon shirk off the drakul as he got to his feet.

O ddly enough, rather than rage or contempt, Absalon seemed immensely pleased, denoted by his huge grin.

"Impressive," hailed Absalon. "I haven't met any adventurer capable of breaking my shield. I was beginning to think I'd have to travel to Serisis if I wanted to get a challenge."

"You're not too bad yourself," Kashi admitted. "I don't know how, but you're pulling off moves which should empty most mana pools in seconds. You've got to tell me how when I win."

"'When' you win? Ha! You've got some mighty confidence if nothing else. ” Absalon snorted and then brandished his staff. “ Fine then . W hen I win, you will tell me about your skills. I haven't seen those used by a pugilist ever."

Kashi refrained from correcting him. No need to reveal he was actually a painter. That would only raise questions he did not want to answer. "Agreed. Now come. Let's end this."

"Very well." Absalon released his staff, and it floated horizontally in front of him. Spreading his arms over the weapon, he chanted. “ [Assimilate]" Instantly, the staff’s bark peeled off as if sliced by an invisible knife, leaving a glowing light in its place. The red mage grabbed this light, and it enveloped his body .

BOOM!

A terrible aura burst out from Absalon’s body as his mana and strength considerably swelled. [Assimilate] broke down and then absorbed pure mana extracted from magic equipment into the caster. The skill boosted mana, and power in proportion to the weapon is consumed. Its downside, however, was that it not only destroyed whatever equipment it assimilated but also weakened the caster when the boost cycle was over.

Undaunted by Absalon’s surge in power , Kashi charged forward. Bam! His first attack landed on a mandala that instantaneously blasted his arm backward . Tap. Tap. Kashi cycled his feet, taking advantage of the momentum to spin around. Bam! The daeben’s elbow struck the base of Absalon’s neck.

The mage lurched forward under the sudden blow, whirled around and cast [Gravity] . For the brief moment that Kashi was rendered immobile, Absalon released a flurry of punches at the daeben, leaving several mandalas wherever he touched.

Boom!

Absalon jumped back as the bombs exploded and then raised his arm. Clumps of debris rose from the ground to hover over the daeben, their jagged edges trained at the airborne daeben .

“Die!” Absalon ordered and then closed his palm . Boom! The debris crashed into the daeben with crazy velocity before he could right himself. The Summoned present witnessed the daeben's HP fall to zero just before dust shrouded the impact zone. Absalon, especially wore a triumphant smile as he proclaimed, "It's over."

“Uoooh!”

The Kertan soldiers erupted in cries of victory at their general's declaration. Nyte released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, relief apparent on his face.

"Of course," Asha said, toying with her blade. "He never stood a chance against the boss." She looked across the room at Leila. "Now I can mess up that bi-"

The look in Leila's eyes gave her pause. Those were not eyes of the defeated, nor were they eyes of desperation. No, Leila’s gaze held absolute confidence fixated on something... o r someone! "Absalon watch out!"

"Too late," declared an ominous voice as five arrows zipped out the dust clouds.

A giant mandala blocked the spinning arrows, but the spinning missiles lost none of their momenta. Sparks flew as the drilling arrows fought against the obstruction.

Crick!

Absalon blanched as slowly, but surely, cracks began to form on his absolute shield. They spread from the arrowheads, angling their way towards the center. The red mage watched, helpless as his shield crumbled before him. The ensuing explosion shattered three arrows. One was sent off course, while the last only grazed his cheek.

"Hahaha! You missed!" roared Absalon as he prepared a new spell. "I won't be so careless again. This time I'll make sure you're dead."

A gust of wind blew off the dust cloud to reveal Kashi, bloodied but well alive. A green hue around him died off as he bent over, gasping for air, his HP somehow increased to 400. Once he'd caught his breath, he glanced up at his adversary. "Do you really believe I missed? I only needed one arrow to hit you, and..." he pointed at the injury on the mage's cheek. "That's exactly what happened."

Realization dawned on Absalon. He clutched his cheek, eyes wide in shocked rage. "You bastard! Posion?!"

Kashi nodded. He slung his bow over his shoulder and adjusted his gloves. His gaze fixated on the mage like a predator on its prey . "Ever heard of the Geruk frogs?" He asked, taking a step towards the stunned mage . "They drop this really nasty poison when you kill them. With a decent alchemy skill, one can synthesize that poison with local wildlife to create all sorts of interesting effects."

Suddenly weak in the knees, Absalon staggered as he struggled to stay on his feet. "Wh-what did you do to me?"

"Ah, that one took me a while to create .” Kashi continued to speak, unperturbed by Absalon’s question. “ Had so many failed attempts too. I almost gave up, you know ."

"What Did You Do To Me!"

"A splendid cocktail of Norcha's most deadly plants, stimulated by the Geruk poison. It forces Slow , Exhaustion , Paralysis , and on rare occasions, Blindness ."

"You coward! Wasn't this a duel?!"

Kashi stopped in his tracks. His brows rose as he gave Absalon an incredulous stare. "What the hell are you talking about? This is a fight! Who cares how I win? Or do you think I'm some cheap main character from a manga all caught up on the 'right' way to win ?"

Absalon struggled to keep his concentration as the Paralysis and Exhaustion status ailments hit him. "No one will accept a coward as their king. The Kertan soldiers have seen your cowardice. Rumors will spread. You will be dethroned in weeks."

"You're right, except I don't want to be king. ” Kashi waved his hand, and shook his head. “ I'm not one for the spotlight."

Absalon wanted to curse. "Then why are you doing this?!" His plans were ruined by someone who didn’t even want the throne? What kind of cruel joke was this?

Kashi shrugged. "Would it be so bad if I said I just wanted to fight?"

"Bastard!" Absalon spat through gritted teeth.

"You're right. That was a lie. I have my reasons, but I'm not obligated to tell you." Kashi walked within a few feet of the struggling mage. "Now come at me with your strongest magic. The one you've been preparing during your sorry excuse for a distraction."

"Damn you!" Since the daeben already knew what he was up to, there was no point pretending any further. Absalon raised his arm in righteous rag e and then roared, “ [Absolution] .”

Kashi doubled over under the weight of immense gravity as several mandalas appeared around him. They charged up with nefarious glows that signaled the battle’s end .

"Idiot ," remarked Kashi with a despondent sigh. "And here I thought I was fighting someone with experience." Black aura enveloped him, rising in volume with each passing second. "This is not a computer game. Before you perform your final move, you have to be sure your target cannot dodge it." He instructed as he walked away from the blast radius. "See?"

Kashi faced Absalon, unfazed by the massive explosion behind him.

"H-how?! You shouldn't be able to move!" Absalon questioned, face white with fear.

"How you ask? I'm level 80 with 311 Strength and 291 Agility. Your gravity never had a real effect on me. I could have walked out at any time."

Absalon stared at the daeben with an incredulous gaze. "Then why didn't you?"

Kashi rubbed his temple, brows creased in disappointment. "It should be common knowledge that you do not reveal your cards until you can read your opponent."

"Impossible..."

"Ah, you were a good case study. But I understand everything about you now. It's time to put an end to this farce."

"Son of a bi-"

Bam !

Kashi's punch landed on a mandala, which blasted his arm back and chipped away at his health. He struck again, but this time his aura formed an extra hand and struck with him. Both arms were blasted away, but he did not relent. One more punch, one extra arm. With every failed strike, his punches got stronger, and the time between them reduced. His arms picked up speed. faster, Faster, FASTER! "raaaAAAAA!" Kashi’s cries ripped fear the onlookers’ hearts as they watched more and more arms form from his explosive aura.

"You're a fool! ” Absalon roared from behind the mandalas. “ This is my strongest shield. You'll die before you can break it!"

Kashi paid no heed to the mage's words. He continued his assault, even as his health reduced steadily. He resembled a wraith shrouded in darkness, a being of iniquity dragging down his prey to hell , even at a cost to hi s life. 300.. 250..225..100...

Crick!

79

Crrick..Crick!

42

Crack..

23...

Crick

20..

15..

Crash!

The mandala s hattered to pieces under Kashi’s ferociousness. Beautiful mana particles reflected Absalon’s incredulous stare as Kashi’s fist rammed into his nose.

BAM!

The punch slammed Absalon onto the ground, but the daeben wasn't done. His eyes sparked white lightning as he unleashed a flurry of blows on Absalon. Each punch smashed the ground beneath them, burying the mage deeper. The mage's health dropped to a measly one as he raised his hand for the finisher.

"Get the fuck off!" cried Asha as she charged forward, unable to watch anymore. Hails of arrows struck the ground right in front of her, stopping her advance. She glared at Leila, who notched a set of arrows and trained them at her.

“Stay your hand!” At precisely the same time, Nyte released a shockwave from his weapon directed at the daeben. An ax sailed through the air, ripping the shockwave in two, then crashed against the captain's raised sword. "Shit!" He cursed as the shockwaves smashed harmlessly on opposite sides of the intended target. He looked up at Hektor, whose glare dared him to try anything funny.

Kashi, unshaken by the attempted interruptions, revealed his technique’s name as he punched down, "Earth-Shattering Technique Fi fth Form: [ Asura ] ."

Boom!

Kashi's final strike reverberated through the entire hall. Several cracks erupted from his location and spread across the room, converging on the ceiling. Boom! The roof exploded from the strain, and its rubble crashed to the floor around the daeben.

The dust settled, revealing the daeben with his fist buried in the floor right beside Absalon's head.

Panting, Kashi retrieved his arm and then said , "You're worth more to me alive. I could use your experience" He stood up and looked at the drakul. "Order the rest of your clan to stand down."

As the drakul ran out to carry out the orders, Kashi looked up through the destroyed ceiling at the dark sky, which was slowly invaded by a red wave. “Is that dusk or twilight, again?” Kashi bathed in the red glow that seemingly wash ed away the dissipating aura. "Stage one clear," he whispered.

Kashi then raised his voice and declared, "This war is over! The rightful prince Parissius Vermillion will ascend the throne in the absence of any surviving family members. Any objections!?"

No one dared speak. The drakuls already recognized Kashi as their leader, while the kertans were too confused to object. Meanwhile, Absalon’s loyalists did not dare attack for fear of Kashi retaliating against their commander.

However, the real deciding factor was the simple fact that Kashi was not laying claim to the throne. If it was the rightful heir, then there was no problem. The throne initially belonged to the Vermillion family anyway.

With these comforting thoughts, the Kertan soldiers dropped their weapons and knelt, arm on their chest in salute.

Fully recovered, the king-candidate Paris sisu Vermillion III walked up to his benefactor, eyes moist with emotion.

"Don't cry," Kashi whispered. "You earned this."

"You have my undying gratitude..." Paris clutched his arm, where the tattoo of a howling wolf was hidden b eneath his clothes. "...and fealty."

Kashi revealed a half-smile . "Now's not the time... my Lord. Your throne... and subjects await." Kashi winced as Paris squeezed his shoulder, then walked past.

The young prince... no, King hesitated in front of his throne. Paris ran his finger along the arms of the bramble throne. As uncomfortable as it was majestic, it reminded him of his father's words.

"This throne, like the responsibilities of a ruler, may seem grand and spectacular from afar, but they are harsh and tiring. But if you carry out your responsibilities well, just as you'll get used to the throne, you will be loved by your people, and they will make your rule a peaceful and loving one."

Tears streamed down the King's cheeks, as he choked up, overwhelmed by a torrent of buried emotions and memories. "I'm back, father."

"Welcome back."

Paris whirled around, but then realized it was Kashi who had spoken.

Down on one knee, with an arm across his chest, the daeben smiled up at his companion. "Long live the King."

The Kertan soldiers, upon seeing their beloved ruler rightfully on the throne, forgot all about the controversial circumstances behind the ascension. As Paris took a seat on the thorn throne, they burst out crying. Tears of relief; tears of joy; loud cries as it finally dawned on them. They'd won! Their capital had been restored to their hands.

Restricted Sector

James Shouyou smiled as he watched the proceedings in Riven on a holographic screen. "That's good , Suzu-kun . Fight . Destroy . Bare your fangs at the world and grow stronger... stronger than anyone. We're running out of time..."