It has been 2 days since the Zarks invaded the village. Without the Casimir Trio, against the huge Zark contingent, the Casimir Defence Force suffered considerable losses, in terms of lives and infrastructure.

However, the most noteworthy loss was the death of the Village Chief Hiruka, who, despite his old age, insisted on leading his men out of Casimir to repel the intruders. Unfortunately, in spite of the quality of the Casimir Defence Force that accompanied him, the Zarks were able to stand their ground, albeit with heavy losses on their side as well.

Even though the Village Chief had perished in battle, much to the grief of all the villagers and especially his successor, Izaki, he was hailed as a hero for laying down his life to inflict massive damage upon the Zarks. Everyone in Casimir had believed that this hard-fought victory would be sufficient to discourage the Zarks from further aggression.

Unfortunately, that was not the case, as on this very day, the Zarks launched their final assault, easily breaching through the gates of Casimir as a result of lax defence. Fortunately, before the Zarks could do further damage to the village, Izaki rallied the remaining soldiers of Casimir to stop the crazed berserkers, who seem to be rushing to their deaths.

After killing all of the Zarks save one who surrendered even before participating in the assault, Izaki prioritised the treatment of his men, many who were heavily wounded from 3 days of constant battle. Assisting the treatment was Irina, wife of Ikari, who served as a nurse to clean and dress the wounds of her fellow people.

When Irina was finally done with the last of her patients under her charge, she overheard a heated exchange from within the hut where the Zark prisoner was held. Curious, she decided to enter to listen to what excuses the scum had to say for their unprovoked assault on Casimir, knowing very well that Izaki would permit it.

"Hmph. I don't blame you guys for not believing me, but it's the truth. Isn't it too much of a coincidence for the village's strongest warriors to leave before our main assault commenced? I'm telling you, this Ikari made a deal with our Master.

In return for our help in killing both present and future Village Chief so that he might take that position for himself, Ikari promised us more territory and a firm hand of friendship, to come to our aid when we invade the other villages in the North for our mutual benefit.

It's just unfortunate that my leader couldn't wait any longer before launching our final assault, which was doomed to fail without the aid of the Casimir Trio. If you don't believe me, you'll see that Ikari would arrive latest by tomorrow, because he never left far in the first place!" the Zark prisoner confessed.

Izaki questioned, "Why are you telling me all this? You know that even with your surrender, we still reserve every right to put you to death." The prisoner answered calmly, "Well, if I'm going to die anyway, I'll drag that traitor together with us. If only he was around, we would have achieved an easy victory-"

Before he could continue, Irina grabbed a sword from a nearby guard and slit the throat of the detestable Zark, killing him instantly. Irina exclaimed, "Surely you don't believe the words of a barbarian right, Izaki? You know your brother isn't that sort of person!"

Izaki contemplated deeply for a moment before speaking slowly, "Irina, I'm sorry…so many things had happened over the past 3 days, with the death of my father and many fellow villagers. As the new Village Chief, I have to put the interests of the villagers before my own personal emotions.

Men, escort Lady Irina back to her home and make sure she doesn't leave without my explicit permission. You'll be free to go once I've completed my investigations about my brother. Please understand where I'm coming from, Irina."

Irina was about to rebut before she kept silent, understanding that there's nothing she could do at the moment. Irina complied with Izaki's request as she was led away by Izaki's guards back to her own home atop the hill.

Back in her own home, Irina started racking her brain furiously for a way out of this mess. After all, she couldn't just sit tight at home and pray that her husband would be clear of all suspicions regarding the recent incursion.

On the off-chance that the Zark's words turned true and her husband returned tomorrow, Irina needed to warn him about the conspiracy that awaited him on his untimely return. Packing the bare necessities and a small knife for self-defence, Irina swiftly rummaged through her cupboard before she found what she was looking for.

As a herbalist, another reason why Irina wanted to live on top of this hill was because it was adjacent to a forest filled with several varieties of herbs. Among these herbs, there was one named Sleepyweed which extract, when mixed with water, produces an odourless vapour that can put even the mightiest of beasts to sleep for a few hours.

Upon adding water to the Sleepyweed extract, Irina quickly covered her nose before rolling the tiny glass bottle containing the mixture under the main door of her home. Within minutes, Irina heard the sound of collapsing bodies, as the guards stationed outside her home fell into a deep slumber.

Covering her nose and mouth with robes so that she wouldn't inhale any of the remaining vapour, Irina gingerly opened her main door and exited swiftly, careful not to draw any suspicion to herself. However, before she could even take 20 steps away from her house, a hooded boy with red hair stood in her path.

Irina, who was rudely shocked by the boy's sudden appearance, asked, "Who're you? I'm sorry, I'm in a rush so if you don't mind, I'll be on my way."

However, before Irina could take another step, the boy grabbed her arm tightly, preventing her from leaving. To Irina's surprise, the boy was pretty strong despite his small stature, as she struggled to break free from his grip.

Now, Irina could see the boy's face clearly as he stared straight at her. The boy had a rather ordinary, clean-shaven face, but it was his eyes that frightened her most. It had an ominous, purple glow, very much like the Zarks who had attacked the village. However, this boy's eyes were much darker, and filled with much more contempt.

The boy spoke with a childish tone, which did little to disguise the evil within his voice, "I'm sorry, you're an important pawn to my plans. Now, have a good rest and enjoy your time in hell, hehehe…"

Irina swore that she saw the boy's eyes glow even brighter before darkness rapidly enveloped her, completely consuming her last hope of rescuing her husband…

When Aran and Kazehito awoke, they realised that Ikari was missing from their camping site. Aran cursed, "That fool, he must have travelled through the night to return to Casimir even though we've already been travelling at breakneck pace! Come on, we've got to catch up to him!"

Kazehito nodded as the pair got up onto their horses, hurrying their mounts along as they sought to narrow the distance between them and their leader.

When Casimir was within view, Ikari was devastated. During his absence, the village had been subjected to much destruction. Ikari gritted his teeth in frustration when the dying words of the Zark leader had turned out to be true; he had fallen right into their ploy.

Upon reaching the gates, Ikari quickly dismounted from his weary mount, which had travelled through the night to reach their destination. Ikari stroked the face of his mount in appreciation of its work before entering the village.

As Ikari walked through the village, he experienced firsthand the gloom and despair that lingered in the air. There were so many corpses, heavily injured villagers and wailing children who have lost parents. To think that 4 days was all it took to transform his peaceful, happy village into the distraught, hopeless wreck that was before him.

Ikari clenched his fists in fury as he bellowed, "Who did this?" To his surprise, a few voices spat in unison, "You did!" before Ikari felt a sharp pain through his back. Shocked, Ikari turned around only to discover that his fellow Casimir soldiers had stabbed his back with their spears.

Ikari, who was stumped for words, gasped, "What's the meaning of this, brothers? Why do you attack me for no good reason?" One of the soldiers exclaimed with intense vitriol, "No good reason? The Chief had ordered us to kill you if you had appeared anytime today, for your appearance today proves that you didn't leave far from the village and are thus a traitor!"

Ikari placed his hands up to surrender as he attempted to explain, "Listen to me, brothers, I heard from the enemy leader that our village might be in trouble, thus I rushed back as fast as I could-" Before Ikari could finish his explanation, the soldiers had stabbed him again with their spears, but this time round, they failed to scratch him due to his [Evolution Armour].

Suddenly, a stern voice rang, "Out of my way, you guys! You can't break through his [Evolution Armour] with such pathetic attacks!" It was Izaki, who had coated his sabre with black mana armament before aiming a vicious downward slash towards Ikari's left shoulder.

Blood spattered as Ikari grimaced in pain, clutching his wound. Izaki was no pushover when it came to combat prowess and if Ikari hadn't used a little mana armament, his brother would have taken his left arm cleanly.

However, what hurt Ikari more wasn't his physical wounds, but rather his heart as he was still confused about the irrational behaviour of his brother and fellow villagers. Ikari panted, "B-Brother? Why? What have I done wrong?"

Izaki glared at him fiercely as he hissed, "Stop pretending already, brother. I always knew you were jealous of me. You were the stronger out of the 2 of us and yet I was named Father's successor. In your jealousy, you colluded with the Zarks to finish both Father and me. To think that you nearly succeeded pains me greatly, and I pity Father for falling prey to your evil scheme!"

Ikari was dumbfounded as he stammered, "F-Father is dead? That's impossible…this is Casimir, the warrior village that has stood its ground for decades even against the likes of Nirvania. How could Father be dead?"

Izaki shook his head as he sighed, "Even at death's door, you can lie through your teeth. I have had enough of this nonsense already. Men, get him! Spare no effort in killing this traitor! For our fallen Chief Hiruka!"

Ikari, who now understood that he no longer had a place in Casimir, immediately fought his way out of his encirclement before rushing towards his home. Even if his brother and fellow villagers didn't believe his innocence, Ikari knew that his beloved wife Irina would. They would escape from Casimir together and begin a new life afresh. That's right, all Ikari needed was his wife and no one else.

When Ikari had finally given his pursuers the slip, he quickly rushed towards his home atop the hill. Upon arriving at his home, Ikari knocked on the door urgently, hoping that his wife was in. The door soon creaked open gently, and out stepped Irina, who wore an emotionless expression.

Ikari quickly embraced his wife tightly as he choked, "Irina…so much has happened in the village in mere days, and now I'm accused of being a traitor who caused the death of my father and many more. However, I really didn't do it! You believe me, right?"

Just as Ikari felt comforted by the warmth of his wife's body, a sharp pain suddenly jolted through his left rib. Ikari slowly looked down towards his abdomen, refusing to accept reality. There, a knife lay buried between his ribs, as blood seeped out gradually.

Irina, whose eyes had a purple glow, stated coldly, "You ARE a traitor. If not for Izaki's benevolence, I would have been executed together with you. I don't need a heartless man like you who kills his own kin for power."

Ikari staggered back in despair. Now, he was truly alone, hunted by the people he once loved. There was no solace to be found in returning home to his wife, only further grief. Ikari's eyes lost their light momentarily before a new feeling bubbled within him.

Rage. Ikari felt an irrepressible urge to lash out and destroy everything before him, in pure contempt of the gods who have granted him such misery. If Ikari couldn't have the life he desired, then why should others? Ikari released a primordial howl as the fury within him erupted, all restraints broken.

At a distance, the hooded boy with red hair was stacking coins atop a seal of blood before stopping momentarily when he heard Ikari's scream. The boy smiled as he remarked, "Ah, the finale of my wonderful performance. Don't go screwing things up now, you angry old twat, hehehe…"

Irina slowly came to her senses as she realised that there was someone standing before her. Upon regaining her sobriety, she realised that the man before her was her husband, Ikari. Irina suddenly remembered what she wanted to do before passing out as she exclaimed, "Ikari, we've got to go now, everyone in the village thinks you are a traitor! However, I don't, so let's escape together and live our peaceful, uninterrupted lives outside. What do you think?"

A bead of sweat trickled down Irina's forehead as she realised that her husband was exuding an unfamiliar, intimidating aura. Ikari's mana pressure was so formidable that the ground beneath him cracked just by him standing.

It was not only the earth that was torn by Ikari's power, the skies too were affected as they instantly turned dark, with lightning arcing dangerously amidst the clouds. The man standing before Irina was her husband, yet she couldn't recognise the monster who stood before her.

After a moment of awkward silence, Ikari was first to speak, as a foreign, cold voice escaped his throat, "You really are the most evil, my friend…now, what should I do with this sleazy bitch?"

Irina stammered as she struggled to remain calm, "Y-You're not Ikari. Where's my husband and what did you do to him?" The monster waved his index finger as he snickered, "No, that's wrong. It's what YOU did to him that allowed me to possess his body once and for all. Any last words, you whore?"

Irina, whose legs nearly gave way upon hearing that her husband was no more, steeled her resolve as she gave her brightest smile while stretching her arms outwards, as though to embrace the person before her.

Irina said gently, "No matter what you do, you would always be my dearest husband, Ikari. I love you."

The monster grinned before drawing his left arm backwards, concentrating all his power into his fist before releasing it all towards the frail woman. A giant shockwave erupted from his fist, desecrating everything in its path including Irina, whose body was completely disintegrated in the attack.

The shockwave decimated a substantial part of the village, killing all who were unfortunate to be caught within it. The survivors immediately took action, as Izaki and his remaining men surrounded the monster.

Izaki cursed, "So, you've finally decided to show your true form, brother. Would you spare nothing in your attempt to gain power, even if it means selling your soul to the devil?" The monster rebuked calmly, "You're wrong. I'm the devil. Or more specifically, the Chaos General of Wrath, Amon. Today is a cause for celebration. To celebrate the Destruction Day of Casimir, of course."

With shockwaves rumbling loudly in the distance, the hooded boy with red hair finally completed his stack of coins as he stood up and gave his body a good stretch. The boy, who drew back his hood and revealed himself to be the Chaos General of Greed, Jiro, muttered, "Ah, my mission is finally accomplished. Amon had better be grateful for my help. Time to return to Cameron for some unfinished business."

Jiro then slowly sank into the ground before disappearing completely, leaving Amon to his own devices…

Even though they had felt strong tremors en route to Casimir, Aran and Kazehito were horrified to see what remained of Casimir. Casimir was completely obliterated, with not a single trace of life nor intact brick remaining.

All that was left was an immense crater where Casimir once stood, the landscape completely flattened and eroded. Aran and Kazehito immediately scoured their surroundings, in hope of finding any survivors.

Their efforts were not for naught, as Aran and Kazehito soon discovered the perfectly intact body of Ikari in the centre of the aftermath, though he was unconscious. Upon some slight shaking by Aran, Ikari's eyes slowly fluttered open, as he asked drowsily, "Where am I? What happened?"

Aran replied in exasperation, "You're asking me? I thought I should be the one asking that question? Is Casimir truly gone? Where's the Chief, Izaki, and your wife?"

Ikari slowly remembered the incidents that transpired before he blacked out but chose not to reveal them to his comrades, for fear of hurting them further. Ikari said, "In any case, Casimir is really gone. All our loved ones are gone. The only thing we can do now is stick together and survive. We're the last remnants of Casimir after all."

Aran and Kazehito nodded as the Casimir Trio rode their horses into the horizon, as Casimir became nothing more than an artefact waiting to be washed away by the sands of time…