Kai suffered in silence under Amon's weight as the detestable Chaos General rattled, "It wasn't easy finding a suitable host for myself, one who was not only compatible with my soul, but also possessed remarkable individual ability.

However, after toiling for more than a year, I finally found the ideal host in Ikari of Casimir. This was only the first, and the easiest of steps to come. To possess an individual, compatibility wasn't the only thing required.

For me to possess Ikari, I needed to synchronise the frequency of his soul to mine. In layman terms, I needed him to reach an immense state of anger, to lose all control over himself so that I may enter and occupy his psyche.

Despite my success in possessing him, I must say that perhaps I've done too good of a job in my selection process, for Ikari was the first human able to resist my control. Not that it matters in the long run, as our souls are merging together as one, even at this moment.

Enough of the boring introduction, let me start on the narration of this tragedy proper, which took place a few months ago…"

The delectable aroma of warm bacon and the radiant beams of sunlight was sufficient to encourage Ikari out of bed, as he slowly got up and gave himself a good stretch. "Today's going to be a great day, with such a good start", Ikari thought as he ambled towards the toilet.

"You're up already? Breakfast's ready anytime, dear. Eat your fill before you leave!" a gentle voice rang. It was Ikari's wife, Irina. Ikari nodded gently with a bright smile as he swiftly washed up before joining her at the dining table.

Irina asked worryingly, "I heard you're going out of the village to subjugate the Zark Clan, who has been disturbing the peace among all the villages out here in the North. Tales of their atrocities are well known, with rape and arson never more common before their arrival.

However, must it really be you who goes out to deal with those outlaws? Despite their irrational, bestial behaviour, I heard they're formidable warriors, easily ripping through the defences of any village that dared to resist them. I'm worried for your safety, considering that you're only setting out with 2 more people to handle them."

Ikari continued munching on his food without any visible signs of anxiety and after swallowing his meal down in one gulp, he spoke gently, "Not to worry, my precious. This is the best arrangement for our village. Even though our enemies are strong, we cannot afford to mobilise a huge contingent to deal with them, as some security is needed within our village as well.

Sending the 3 strongest warriors of Casimir, the Casimir Trio, should be more than enough to neutralise this threat. I, as leader of the Casimir Trio and son of the Village Chief, have the responsibility to safeguard our village from all intruders, to protect everyone I love, especially you."

Placing a warm hand on his wife's cheek followed by a gentle peck to her lips, Ikari effectively silenced any more disapproval Irina held regarding his tasking. Irina sighed as she could only go along with her husband's wishes, before muttering shyly, "Promise me you'll come home safely."

Ikari was slightly stumped by his wife's sudden statement, before smiling warmly and replying confidently, "Yeah, I promise. When have I ever broken my promise? Just sit tight at home and await my good news."

After packing all his necessities and wishing his wife goodbye, Ikari left his house, which was situated on a gentle hill away from the other houses in the village. It was Irina who insisted on building their love nest here, as the view from the top of this hill was extremely beautiful.

Ikari's stray thoughts were broken by a voice, "Can't bear to leave your wife huh? So romantic hahaha!" Ikari turned quickly towards the direction of the voice, ready to rebuke. It was Aran, who rested his huge pole arm against his left shoulder.

Aran was accompanied by Kazehito, who was covered in dark robes from head to toe, apart from his eyes. Kazehito, contrary to his appearance which made him appear like someone quiet, chirped excitedly, "Don't worry too much, Boss. The faster we kill those scumbags, the faster we'll return for you to see your darling again hahaha!"

Ikari was about to wallop his 2 subordinates when Irina called out, "Aran, Kazehito! Please help me look out for Ikari! When all of this is done, I'll prepare a scrumptious feast for you all!"

Aran and Kazehito cried in unison, "Yes, Ma'am! Looking forward to your cooking!" Aran teased further, "You heard the lady, boss. We won't let 'em Zark folks touch even a single strand of your hair, because you're so precious hahaha!"

Ignoring Aran's teasing, Ikari said, "Let's go, you guys. We've got a mission to accomplish." Irina's eyes watered slightly as she watched the 3 men walk down the hill, praying that the Goddess would protect them from all harm.

As the Casimir Trio walked through the village, they were greeted by jubilant cheers from their fellow villagers, with many wishing them luck and safety. When they reached the gates of the village heading towards the North, waiting for them there are the Village Chief Hiruka and his successor and Ikari's elder brother, Izaki.

Ikari broke the ice, "Father, Brother. Thank you both for coming down to send me off." Izaki wrapped his arm around his brother's back before grinning, "Of course we have to be here! It's my precious brother going off to war! I really wanted to join you, but Father insisted that I remain here to coordinate our defences from any potential offenders who might make use of this chaos to invade us."

Ikari nodded to show his appreciation of his brother's sentiment before Hiruka finally broke his silence, "My boy…you're equally as important to me as Izaki, so make sure to come home in one piece! If you can't win against the Zarks, it's okay, just retreat first and we can figure things out."

Ikari smiled at his father before replying, "Thank you for your kind words, Father. However, I can't comply with that wish. Even if I die, I would never risk our village's security. We'll fend off the Zark Clan where we stand. For Casimir!"

Aran and Kazehito joined Ikari in his declaration, before Hiruka placed a hand on Ikari's shoulder, "Very well. May the Goddess bless you with victory over our enemies." Ikari nodded before he swiftly got up onto his horse, Aran and Kazehito following suit as the Casimir Trio quickly disappeared into the horizon.

From a nearby forest on the outskirts of Casimir, a hooded boy with red hair gave an evil grin as he cackled, "Have a little patience, my angry old friend. The show's about to begin, hehehe." Behind him were innumerable pairs of eyes which glowed purple and had a tint of insanity to them, ready to wreck havoc on the peaceful village before them…

3 days had passed before the Casimir Trio had finally located the base camp of the Zark Clan. With haste, the Casimir Trio rushed towards their objective, eliminating all resistance along the way.

Though their enemies fell easily, Ikari noted that their enemies weren't weak at all, for even the weakest foot soldier possessed considerable strength. What caught his attention especially was the purple glow within their eyes, and their berserk behaviour which accompanied it.

It wasn't long before the Casimir Trio had successfully breached the base camp, arriving at its centre. Kazehito whispered, "Is it just me or is this place rather inadequately defended? I expected to face much more resistance to get in here, but the number of soldiers we've confronted thus far is relatively fewer than what you would expect from the defence of a base camp."

Aran offered a possible explanation, "Maybe they suffered pretty bad losses in their campaigns against the other villages? The Zarks are pretty strong, but even they have limited stamina. Their consecutive assaults on the nearby villages must have taken a toll on their forces."

Ikari demanded, "I request to see your leader! Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!" Upon Ikari's declaration, from the most grandiose looking tent, a man dressed in slightly more decorated armour stepped forth.

The presumed leader spoke in a raspy voice, "Hmph! You're already impolite when you set foot in here and killed so many of my men! I don't give any hoots about what you wish to say, for only your life would satisfy me now. Men, surround them and let's have a bloodbath hahaha!"

The Casimir Trio found themselves encircled by close to 200 men, in which all of them, including their leader, have the same purple glow in their eyes. The leader licked his rapier with undisguised ecstasy before he ordered, "Get them!"

Ikari sighed before arming himself with his gauntlets. He wanted to give them a chance to surrender peacefully to minimise further loss of lives, but that was thrown out of the window with their leader's order.

"Fools. They think they can win using their numerical superiority. I'll show them the gulf between our abilities." Ikari murmured as he increased his mana pressure instantly. The sudden release of mana intimidated several enemies who started to break out in cold sweat.

However, the Zarks who were initially cowed quickly regained their composure, as the purple glow in their eyes shone brighter. Uttering a war cry, the Zarks charged towards the Casimir Trio, weapons raised and poised to draw blood.

Unfortunately, the blood that was drawn wasn't that of their enemies, but of their own, as the front few Zarks collapsed before they could even get within striking distance. The sudden mysterious deaths of their comrades halted the Zark charge, as they immediately stopped to investigate the cause that reaped the lives of several men.

Before they could do so, Kazehito mumbled, "[Atmos Slash]." as he tore the throats of more enemies before they could even shriek. Aran grumbled, "Oh come on, Kaze, let me have some fun too! Can't have you taking them all on alone, right?"

Aran had his prayer answered in an instant as several Zarks leapt towards him, swinging their weapons down in an attempt to cut him down. However, despite the significant number of weapons bearing down on him, Aran easily withstood their combined assault with just one hand on his pole arm.

Aran commented, "Ararara, this is more like it. Bring it on, you heathens!" Coating his weapon with jet black mana armament, Aran gave one mighty push upwards, knocking his aggressors back before ruthlessly bisecting them all with one great circular swing of his weapon.

The battlefield plunged into chaos, and it wasn't long before it was dyed red with blood, with bodies littering almost every inch of the base camp. While Kazehito stood motionless and calmly dispatched the enemies who approached him foolishly using his [Atmos], Aran was having a rollicking good time, as he sliced through both flesh and steel while laughing maniacally.

There was a patch of calm within the sea of chaos though, as Ikari glared at his opposite number intensely. Despite being in an overwhelmingly unfavourable situation, the Zark leader remained unfazed, as he brandished his rapier in a threatening fashion.

The Zark leader was first to act, as he swiftly launched a stab towards Ikari's chest. Ikari easily redirected the tip of the rapier away with his left gauntlet before blocking or parrying every subsequent attack the leader threw at him.

Frustrated that he was making no ground, the leader quickly coated his blade with black mana armament before slashing viciously at Ikari. To his horror, Ikari easily stopped his attack with his own mana armament covering his right gauntlet.

Clenching his left fist tightly, Ikari exerted a little more mana pressure as he looked to punch the leader in the face. Intimidated by Ikari's overbearing mana pressure, the leader quickly withdrew his blade and placed it before his face.

However, it was a feint by Ikari as he performed a roundhouse kick with his right instead, crashing into the leader's left flank without resistance. The leader was sent reeling uncontrollably towards the tent he emerged from, the impact of his crash destroying the tent instantly as it collapsed onto him.

The leader quickly emerged from the wreckage, his face now clearly contorted with anger. Gripping his weapon tightly, he dived straight for Ikari, aiming a stab at his head while boosting his speed in an instant using mana .

Unfortunately for the leader, Ikari predicted his move long before he executed it, as Ikari easily sidestepped out of the way. In addition, Ikari pulled his right arm back, coating his fist with intense black mana armament before releasing his punch, which landed straight into the leader's face.

The force of Ikari's punch, in addition to his own momentum, resulted in the instantaneous fracture of most of the leader's facial bones, before Ikari mercilessly sent him hurtling back where he came from, desecrating the base camp in the process.

It wasn't long before Aran and Kazehito were done on their end, with countless bodies lying messily before them. Aran nudged Kazehito as he asked, "So, how many did you kill this time? I think I got about 112 of them."

Kazehito brushed aside Aran's question with a cynical remark, "Does it matter how many we kill? As long as the 3 of us are alive and the mission is accomplished, I couldn't ask for more. However, I must say that it was a lot easier than expected, even though these guys were stronger than your average goons."

Ikari went forward and grabbed the enemy leader by the collar. The poor man, who had lost several of his teeth from Ikari's punch and was barely conscious, gave an eerie smile despite his predicament.

"You fools…you'll experience true despair when you return to your village…everything has gone as predicted by the Master…" the leader whispered in his dying breath. Ikari shook him harder as he pressed on, "Who's your Master? Answer me!"

Before Ikari could get his answer, the light was long gone from the leader's eyes. Ikari quickly released the corpse as it slumped onto the ground like a ragdoll. Ikari ordered, "Aran, Kazehito, let us make haste back to Casimir. Even though I don't trust the words of an enemy, it never hurts to be cautious."

Ikari's subordinates nodded in agreement as the trio swiftly rode their horses back to Casimir. Ikari could only pray that the Zark was speaking baloney and that his beloved village would remain unharmed.