It was noon the next day when Ryu drowsily woke up. As he stood up absentmindedly, rays of shine perforated through the wooden fixed blinds on windows of the tower. Ryu could hear the shouts and commanding of the troops outside.

Collecting and readying himself to step out, Ryu also notices that he is wearing sweatpants and an undershirt. He cannot recall ever having changed or removed anything on him with his spent condition last night. Disregarding the thought, Ryu moves towards the door to leave the room.

As he opens, seated in seiza before him are Tolle and Kuroz in the hallway. Though startled from the unexpected appearance, Ryu tries to greet them.

[Good morning both of you!]

However, instead of a reply, both of bow deeply to Ryu as the spoke in unison.

[Commander, our deepest apologies. We have failed you miserably]

In a dogeza stance, both of them bow and apologized to Ryu.

Ryu looks at them dumfounded, as he could not comprehend their behavior. As he stood there in silence, Tolle continued.

[Commander, I cannot offer the appropriate words for my defeat. As the captain of the first combat group, I was to be your sword and shield in battle. Yet I was taken out so easily and allowed you to fall into harm’s way. Furthermore, the soldiers meant to protect you failed and deserted you and you were left alone to battle against two of the enemy. With your great skills, you had killed one of them and made it to safety from the other afterwards. However, the ordeal has left you unnecessarily fatigued and injured. I truly cannot express my regret and abhorrence with myself]

Tolle’s voice had been very shaken and incoherent throughout. Anyone who listened could tell the gravity of the feelings that emotions and depression he had bottled-up within him as he tried to speak collectively.

However.

[Enough of this! Tolle, Kuroz, stand up this instance]

Ryu spoke aloud and sternly, startling both Tolle and Kuroz who lay down in dogeza.

[I do not know what misconception you are having, but first and foremost, keep in mind, none of you have failed me. It is rather, I who has. My inexperience had led to the situation and its result. Furthermore, we are at a complete disadvantage in terms of knowledge and common sense in this world.

What I know is limited and incomplete and where information is incomplete it can lead to undesirable situations. Neither of you could change these facts and conditions. Therefore, I will say it again, none of you have failed me.

You have performed above and beyond my expectations. Tolle, you alone defeated the demon Zesta in direct combat which should have been impossible for any normal human regardless of summon or not. And Kuroz, you had successfully organized a counter offensive with decimated forces, to finish off the monsters. Both are achievements that cannot be denied.

Now, let this topic end here. There are other things that need be done and talked about. Specifically, what we do next]

The first and second portions of Ryu’s speech carried a sense of anger, which was from self-hatred at seeing the two men before him apologizing for his mistakes. At first, he had been startled by the abrupt apology. However, recovering himself, a sense of loathing had assaulted him.

The third portion, carried with it the sense of pride he had for these men and the soldiers. Where Ryu mentions Tolle and Kuroz battle achievements, it carried the sense of passion and awe carried for heroes. And last of his words, carried with it the dignity of a leader and a person not shrugging his responsibilities.

With Ryu’s words, both men got up from their dogeza stance to look at Ryu with streams of tear. Their eyes also carried a new flame of determination and passion. Nodding at the words Ryu spoke, they stood up and walked with him into the meeting room.

There. Ryu, Tolle and Kuroz sat around the conference table that was littered with minimal breakfast and heaps of reports.

There all three quickly finish off the breakfast made of bacons strips, dry bread and morning coffee and tea.

Tolle, finishing first, starts to give a summarized report on the status of the troops.

[As at present, 313 survivors and another 120 newly summon make up for a total of 433 total troops at base. During the night, the injured troops had made a full recovery. It was reported that the medical staff had no clue regarding the reason for such a speedy recovery, however this can be counted as a blessing]

A repulsive thought formed in Ryu’s head as Kuroz took over reporting after Tolle. He summarized the report on the fortifications and scavenge.

[During the night, engineers and personnel available had re-secured the gates and recovered 10% of previously lost supplies. Also, as per instructions of the commander, the monsters have been looted and they have been sorted into the classes of #Strength, #Speed, #Giants, and #Demons. It was reported that all corpses had been successfully looted of any material items or special horns or features, however, the meat extraction was not as successful. Second, there is a special mention that loots from the demons include some unknown, mysterious objects. It is recommended that the commander review them]

Saying that, Kuroz steps near the base of the main door and pulls over a small chest and places it on the table. He then wordlessly pushes it to Ryu to open and verify.

Nodding slightly, Ryu accepts and opened the lid carefully. As he does he finds several unusual items inside. They are a set of horns, a dagger, some sort of parceled meat and 02 glowing orbs. Skeptical at what he is seeing, Ryu does not touch anything direct, but quietly ponders. It is at this moment again that AI interjects.

[Master: Most of the loot in the chest comes from the 2 demons you had killed. The demon crow and the young humanoid demon. This loot is likely the product of skill ❖Disassemble❖. It is passively active and offers more loot from any direct kills my master]

AI briefly explains. That said, it only answers half of Ryu’s questions.

[Master: It is not possible without master touching and claiming them as master’s property. The process to do this is by adding a form of presence into the item. An effective method is currently unknown. However, AI can assist master in preliminary process. Success rate maybe 40% – 70%. Please pick an item and concentrate on it]

When AI says as much, Ryu first grabs on to the dagger in the chest. He picks it up and firm holds it in his hands. He then closes his eyes to concentrate on it. After a full minutes of time, a little trickle is felt though his fingers as the status for the dagger pop-up in his head.

Name: Glazing Claw

Class: Army Class

Element: Wind & Heat

Powers:

Scarring Slash – A blade of heated wind is released from the blade in the direct the dagger is swung. The level of heat is controlled by the amount of magic used. Skill is developed with use and practice.

Stats:

Durability 500 pts

Magic 200 pts (Offense only)

Dual Wieldable (Passive).

Ryu immediately opens his eye and exclaimed at the easy nature of claiming the dagger. It was unknown from which demon this was looted but it was a treasured find.

Furthermore, comparing to his sword, the dagger is weaker but can be immediately used by him without needing any skills. A smile loses on his face.

Noticing Ryu’s smile. Tolle inquired on the findings from the blade. Ryu immediately informs Tolle and Kuroz on the dagger’s status and process involved. He also decides to pass the dagger to Tolle. The reason emphasized is that Tolle is more likely to have close combat with demons and monsters more frequently in the future.

This said, Ryu only passed it with caution as Tolle may not be able to claim it like he did. However, to his surprise, Tolle was easily able to use it. AI reasoned that all of Ryu summon are considered part of himself and therefore would be able to use items he claims. Also, after passing the dagger to Tolle, Ryu highlights that facts that he still has the sword ❖Ryuzen❖ that he can training for future use. He also added;

[You will be protecting me ever more from now, right?]

Leaving no room for a counter and emitting a slightly unintentional glaring vibe at Tolle, who completely blanks out.

Leaving aside the blanked out Tolle, the discovery was much to the surprise and comfort of Ryu who was thinking up future plans and considerations.

Moving on, next Ryu grabbed on to one of the orbs in the chest. It was slightly larger than a baseball and had a light tint of cerulean blue. As he lifted it out from the chest, the orb suddenly jolted out of his hands in if floated into his forehead. Completely taken by surprise, Ryu tried to step back and get away. However, it all happened faster than anyone in the room could actually respond to.

After the orb had entered Ryu’s forehead, his eye dilated as his conscience drifted. He quickly finds himself in a dark space. As he Ryu quickly tires to figure out where he is;

[Master: you have entered your inner minds. A flood of information is about to impact you. Will begin automatic sorting process]

A short message by AI resolves his immediate query.

Just as he gets one answer, another arose, but before he could ask, pain jolts his mind. Several screens of projection start appearing before him.

Ryu is greatly startled. Several images of gale winds, unknown buildings, etcetera all appear before him. Just as quickly as they appear they also disappear before him.

[Master: All information has now been controlled and sorted. Information from surge has been filed as Magic, History of the demon called Kadal. New information shows the person as the younger of two demons who master faced off against].

After what had felt like a roller coaster ride through memories, it all abruptly ended and Ryu releases a sigh of relief.

[Master: Information has been sorted and categorically filed. Additionally, AI has segregated Master memories as well for optimal efficiency settings. Master’s productivity should now increase]

AI neutrally gives the message, Ryu is left feeling quite forlorn. AI had independently catalogued his memories. After it had mentioned so, Ryu tried to call up a directory of his memories. Immediately folders pop-up infront of him. There he finds that his memories had been allocated appropriately as his childhood. Additionally, he also notices memories of Death 01 for the time with the white being called God. Last of the folders was the folders called, Demon City Burkine and Demon Magic Initial - 01 of 15.

Ryu goes through the new folders and discovers that the first of the memories only include small facts of a city from within demon territory. Exact location, names and places are unspecified. The bits and pieces were like a broken film. The next folder had various symbols that seemed like incantations, notes and memories of basic magic. However, Ryu could not understand it.

Ryu hypothesized. AI quickly affirmed for Ryu, highlighting that the probability of it being of demon language or ancient language can prevent Ryu from learning until appropriate knowledge and skills are acquired. These memories may only be useful after.

Slightly dejected, Ryu returns to material conscious to find two worried Tolle and Kuroz staring at him. Startled from the proximity of their faces, Ryu backs off and lightly calms both of down explaining his experience in details.

Ryu next picks up the second orb as it also floats into his forehead. There in the information also is sorted out and analyzed by AI. This time, it does not take Ryu into the depth of this mind. The information from the Orb included information on topography from a birds-eye view. Also some information on the crow demon are also known.

The crow demons are called Black Storm Crows. The demon killed was only of level 6 rank. It had yet initiate its bloodline and thus did not have actual skills and powers to utilize. Ryu was able to learn from the memories that the Black Storm Crows were among several of the crow family of demons and are classified as demonic beats. They sometimes have a case where one of their own transcends as a half-demonic being and gain humanly form. In the recent case, Zesta was one such demon. Other that these, nothing further was learnt.

Sharing this information, Ryu sits to take a few moments to ponder and arrange his thoughts.

Ryu trying to work out his thoughts, turns his attention to the standing Tolle and Kuroz who are waiting on him. Putting aside rest of the chest ,he asks if there is anything further to be reported on.

To this, Kuroz adds to his report that the wagon and unconscious elf like person are safe and again in their custody. The wagon, as it was in a storage shed in the southern portion of the base, had remained hidden and undamaged. Also the elf was also in a medial tent in the southern half and managed to avoid the chaos of battle. However, since the elf had not woken up even in the disturbance, there is concern that it may be already dead or beyond help.

Receiving this, Ryu orders that the wagon be moved closer to the command room and its contents transfer to a nearby room for him to inspect and review. He also asks that regular patrols should be arranged on the walls and to continue monitoring. Ryu also make a direct order to create a list of the deceased and present it to him later and to have the remains of the dead cremated and buried under a massive grave. He then dismisses the two and asks to meet them after an hours’ time.

After both Tolle and Kuroz, left, Ryu slumps back into his seat and starts to arrange his thoughts to his next course of action.