"If you suddenly leave or eat the Orcs, I will make sure to hunt every one of your kind and make you all extinct. Remember, this is not a warning. It's a promise."

Their eyes glimmered with an understanding light. Warnings don't work, but threats do. They know I could do it, erase their rase from the face of the continent. I've done it in the past. I can do it again.

"Do you not need one of us to carry you to your destination… your Lordship?"

"No, I want to take my time. Just point me in the direction, and I'll go there on my own."

[Art: Crossing the Cosmos Footwork]

There was no need to dally, for my target's been determined. With a step, I crossed dozens of meters. A leisure pace must be kept when going to raze the enemy. One cannot be too fast because one will waste too much energy. Too slow because it would be a waste.

Moving two dozen meters in a single step was the perfect distance. Thus, my "journey" resumed with a goal behind every action taken. I know not what I was about to encounter, but I could feel my heart thumping wildly. Anticipation returned.

'A Necromancer, huh.' There were undead creatures even back in my world. One of them was called Jiangshis. A reanimated corpse through the use of Sorcery and vile Blood Martial Arts. But, in this world, the undead is varied; there are soldiers and mages, and heavenly essence, or should I call it mana was abundant, making the world even more susceptible to manipulation.

Nekron's ability to raise the dead was just a taste of the possibilities.

After hundreds of steps and seeing more and more beasts disappear the deeper, I head North. Less and less of them were around, and the trees were gradually replaced by rotten trees. A land of desolation from what looked to be paradise.

'This place feels rather ominous.'

The green was scarce to the eyes, and the earth was gray and lifeless. The sky was perpetually overcast, the clouds never moving, only growing. I stood at its entrance, and I could already smell the stench of rotting flesh.

[Warning: The land has been contaminated by corrupting Death Mana. Any and every Undead in this Zone has increased mana regulation, speed, health, and strength.]

The world also increases its strength heavily, I see. That's good; that means this Necromancer will last longer than the rest, 'Do not disappoint, m-huh?'

I took one step forward into the land of the dead, and hands grabbed my foot and dragged me underground.

Skeletons reached out from underground. Two skeletons approached me while another just scuttled out of the dirt beside me.

"Gehahahaha! What an idiot, walking into enemy territory so carelessly without applying defensive art or even a spell. Like what the Captain said, we'd be able to gather more soldiers this way." a skeleton holding a sword laughed.

'Oh? That's a shock.' I did not expect to hear them speak, 'They could speak?'

[The stronger the one who cast the spell to create Skeleton Soldiers, the more intelligence they could get from the soul used as the catalyst.]

"But, this doofus doesn't look like he's much. He looked weak and stupid. He wasn't even wearing clothes. He's not showing any reaction either… could it be that he's possessed?" The spear skeleton questioned.

"Who cares? Stop asking questions and get out of the way." a halberd carrying skeleton pushed the other skeletons and raised its weapon high, "Are you afraid, little fool? The day you wandered into this land without any protection was the epitome of your stupidity. DIE!"

SLASH!

The air was cut with considerable strength, and it reached my neck unimpeded, and it shattered.

The skeleton had no eyes nor skin, but the way it backed away and its hands shook in disbelief almost made me see its eyes widen in shock and terror. They fell into silence.

"He-hehehe, that's right! The halberd of yours has taken so much head of the previous fools that they have rusted it appears." the spear skeleton shouted and stepped forward, "Let me show you how it's done."

Slash!

It broke as well. The sword skeleton laughed at both of them, did its turn, and got the same result.

His weapon also broke. What a bunch of idiots.

"Hey! What are you three doing slacking off? Why haven't you finished "recruiting" the new guy?" Another skeleton arrived wearing a long robe while carrying a book. They explained what was happening, and it somehow clicked its tongue in annoyance, "Useless things. Do I have to do everything myself?"

A fire appeared atop its bony hands, and my hand held its head, "Fire is a bit inconvenient, and I want that robe."

"CAPT–"

Fwu!

How disappointing. In the end, they were nothing but talking puppets, acting with arrogance in the face of the unknown.

They wasted my time, but I got a robe in compensation. I have regained my clothing.

I continued my walk to the house that I was promised.

***

When I was 10 years old, my mana awakened. I was blessed with immense power. I was gifted; everyone knew that! Everyone around me kissed the ground I walked on.

My future was secured. My family celebrated me as their treasure, and I was given everything and anything I ever wanted. The King showered me with flowery words and even offered me his only daughter to keep my attention!

No one would refuse me. Whoever it was that I wanted, they would kiss my foot. Whoever it was who offended me would be hanged.

Every week balls would be held to sing praises to my name. Oh, how beautiful they were. How exquisite!

I am a God, given flesh!

That is who I am!

I sit on the throne that far supersedes the mortals that crawl this world.

But it came to an end when my younger brother was born. When the dragons cried, the tigers danced to celebrate his birth. Those who showered me with praises refused to look at me.

The fiancee I was promised abhorred my very presence.

The King bowed to my brother, and my parents abandoned me.

They lauded him as their treasure, and when I clasped the hems of my father's robes, I saw the saw of disdain for the first time, and soon, they looked at me the same. The moment I stopped being their star.

My woman refused my touch, the King refused my words, and my parents refused to acknowledge me. Why wouldn't they smile at me? Why wouldn't they prostrate themselves before me!?

Why? Just why!? WHY!? WHY!? WHY!? WHY!? WHY!? WHY!? WHY!? WHY!?

Thus, I poisoned them the night my brother's mana awakened. Everyone in the hall fell to their knees, clutching their throats, and they looked up to me again with those eyes that pleaded to me. Even the brother who promised the Kingdom in place of me was nothing but a dull child who died at poison's touch.

But soon, they all died… and they stopped prostrating before me again.

Why is that?

Hey, don't stop singing praises to my name.

Move!

I TOLD YOU TO MOVE!

I demanded the dead to move… and they did.

Hahahaha! It was a fantastic night! An oh-so-wonderful ballroom dance commenced in my honor. It was so beautiful that I almost cried. I wanted everyone to see it, so I invited everyone in the Kingdom to participate!

They all sing praises to my name. When they fell, they got back up!

The balls resumed in my name.

But it was not enough; there was not enough to sing the chorus of my glory!

Thus, I invited the neighboring Kingdoms to join me.

They refused my invitation for decades, but they all fell soon enough. More and more kissed the land I tread upon. No one questioned my right!

I was happy. Everyone finally learned their places, but then a man appeared and had to stop the party that had kept on for a hundred years. He couldn't kill me, so he chose to steal me away, but I woke up as the crystal surrounding me cracked.

But, the party I had was stopped.

So, I must gather more people to again sing praises to my name.

First, they would be beasts, and the more adventurers come, the more guests I would have. So I amassed my strength in secret until the day finally arrived to conquer the entire Forest!

A week was needed, and in four days, I've already transformed a quarter of the Forest I was sealed into a beautiful hall of undead guests.

In my throne room, surrounded by admirers waiting for good news, I waited1. I was in a good mood until the doors to my throne were kicked down by a man wearing a Mage's Robe.

"I like this place. It has space. I'll take it." the human said, "You, Rotty, I already have a Necromancer, so choose, leave or die?"

I did not know where he came from, how he broke through my defenses without me noticing, and snuck into my throne room.

But, all I understood was his disrespect was worthy of death.

"No answer? Death it is then." The man said as he walked forward.

"KILL HIM!" I gave the order and my beastly admirers to kill the man, and they followed my orders, but in just two exchanges, the beasts died.

I sent out the soldiers and mages, but in five exchanges, they all perished as well.

"Is that all?" the man laughingly said.

"Don't look down on me!" I was made to get up with the deaths of such useless pawns. Wielding the wand I crafted from the bones of my parents and the heart of my brother, I resolved that only I would be able to defeat the bastard and put him in his place.

I waved my hand and summoned thirty-two magic missiles, and evaded swiftly. I concluded from how he had been fighting earlier that he was a fighter.

'He's dodging everything!'

But, his movement was absurd without any magical items. That robe he was wearing… is that a magical robe that granted him an increase in his physical capabilities?

'That must be it! That robe must be holding his secrets! Does this speed of his… does it give him a speed boost in particular? If that's the case.'

"Dark Chain Bindings!" The entire throne room was transformed into a land of darkness that chained his four limbs and neck. In the middle of the throne room, the man was suspended mid-air, and I smiled as I prepared a three-layered magic circle and summoned the fires of hell, "Hellfire Canon!"

BOOM!

The human could not even dodge nor move and took my spell head-on. That was a Level 4 Spell, the best attack spell in my entire arsenal.

"Hahahahah! That's what you get for looking down on m-"

"Why are you acting like you've won already? Are your screws loose?"

A voice echoed… but that's impossible.

From the smoke, a man walked out. His magical robes were destroyed and turned to ashes, and he summoned mere minor injuries, "That's impossible! No matter how strong the defensive capabilities of that Magic Robe were, it's impossible that you survived that such little injuries!"

That spell was my greatest creation! How!? How can this man still live after taking my attack head-on?

But the man just laughed, "Impossible? How can you all act so arrogantly? Couldn't you tell? I've been playing with you this entire time. And sadly, I've lost interest already."

Playing with me?

"I wanted to try to see the limits of someone who could push those winged worms but, it appears this is just your level. You are nothing much after all." He walked as he talked, and I should run away, but before I knew it, he was already right in front of me, "That flame is barely above the last Flame King I fought."

"Please… don't kill me." a plea escaped my mouth before I could think.

"I already have someone more entertaining who can summon those skeletons. I don't need a redundant pet."

In his eyes… I saw no disdain.

For the man had never even considered me worthy of his disdain.

And as he opened his mouth, it was then that I learned that I was never a God… I was just a fool.

"Die. "