The 20 flying steel giants ravaged the entire forest with their destructive yellow light coming from a compartment at their lower part. The light they were generating was continuously surging down without any signs of stopping.

Each of them was far up to the sky, where I could not even attempt to reach. They were traveling in a very slow manner, but they were demolishing everything on their path.

These things are very dangerous!

"It's over now, you can't stop them all, even if you do, the entire town is already annihilated before you manage to destroy all of them." He said with a smile on his face. But his eyes were saying a completely different emotion. All I could see was distress.

"If we manage to destroy these things, will you take your legion home and leave us alone?"

With his enlarged eyes, he stared at me. "What are you saying? Even at this very moment, are you still negotiating with me?"

"Just answer my question, Commander. I don't care about you, or your legion, I just don't want to cause more harm to my people."

He shook his head. "Nothing can stop them anymore. Nor am I planning to stop them."

I put my hand on my right ear as if there's an earpiece in it. "To think that I genuinely thought of you as a hero of humanity. Just now, you have just made me realize that you are no hero of humanity, you are just a selfish guy who's willing to sacrifice your people's lives just to be called glorious."

His shoulders dropped upon hearing what I just said and his desperate eyes became expressionless and lifeless.

Now, let's see what we have for these destroyers.

I cleared my throat while still holding my ears. "Mic test, mic test... uhm... can anyone hear me?"

A few seconds had passed, but no one was responding.

"Oh, hello? Anyone?"

[I can hear you, Casimir.] A familiar soft voice resonated through my head, I could not mistake it, it was from Tanya.

"Ah, thank goodness, I thought it wouldn't work."

[It works really well, and I am certain that everyone can hear you now, they just don't know how to connect with you.]

"Oh, I see. How did you do it, then?"

[It's simple, all they need to do is think about your face as they talk.]

"Everyone, if you could hear me and you want to talk to me, just think about... my face as you talk."

After a few moments, a surge of voices arrived right inside my head. All at once, I heard countless voices coming in. As if there was a freaking boy band concert happening right inside my freaking head!

"On second thought, only talk to me when you have an important thing to say. I just realized that it hurts hearing all voices inside my head all at once."

[Boss!] What came next was brain-piercing laughter coming from Leo.

"Ah, cool. I am glad to know that you are fine, but please don't shout right in my head."

He chuckled. [My bad, my bad.]

"By the way, Tanya. How did you know how it works?"

[You don't want to know.]

"Ah. Okay."

[Casimir, I can clearly hear you, and so do the members of the Marionette corps.] It's Leal.

"I see. I see. That's good, but before that-"

"What is happening? Who are you talking to? And why do you also have that skill?"

As I shifted my gaze to Commander Einar, I found him looking at me with great disbelief in his eyes. But without hearing an answer, the realization occurred in his eyes as he shook his head.

"It can't be... a trigger imitator? This is unthinkable! A meruem who also happens to be an Imitator!"

Just stay there for a while, Buddy. I'm trying to fix the huge problem you have created.

"People, as you can see, we have a situation here. Commander Einar finally releases the Zeppelin bombardment force and those things are so high up in the sky for us to reach them. Could anyone do something about it?"

[Let me handle them all.] A gentle voice resonated inside my brain.

I looked up to the sky. "Mehrad? Good, what is your plan to take them- what the fuck are those!"

With my wide opened mouth, I stared at the sky, where the Zeppelin bombardment force was currently flying. Flying towards them was a flock of fucking firebirds traveling at great speed!

[I appreciate the compliment, Casimir. But please, don't shout right in my head.]

Bruh! That's a fucking flock of phoenixes!

"Ah, my bad. What can we do to help you?"

[Stay as far away as possible. I don't want to accidentally hurt anyone.]

"Oh."

As the flock consisting of around 30 massive firebirds reach the Zeppelin bombardment force, what came next was a series of gigantic fire explosions as the firebirds blasted fire attacks at the powerless Zeppelins that couldn't do anything against their flying assailants, at the same time, a massive fire tornado obliterated the entire Zeppelin bombardment force faster than I could ever imagine. In one fell swoop, the entire Zeppelin bombardment force was instantly turned into ashes leaving nothing behind.

I won't mess with his guy!

[All done.]

"Oh... thanks. You can go back to your nap now."

The next thing I heard was his gentle laugh as the firebirds in the sky slowly disappeared. And saw someone literally dropping from the sky, while his entire body was covered in fire!

Ah, he doesn't need a parachute.

I scratched my head and stared at the person looking at me with great awe on his face.

Woop, there goes the Zeppelin bombardment force. Don't worry, you are not the only one who is very surprised by the things that just happened.

I cleared my throat. "This war is over, Commander. Withdraw your army, don't make it worse for your subordinates than it already is."

He pulled the sword from the ground and stared at me with resolve in his eyes. "A meruem with an ability to imitate one's skills by just witnessing them cast. What kind of wicked curse has brought upon Ulterra?" He raised his sword. "A monster."

"Please. Don't call me that."

Monster? The last person who called me that unpleasant word had his hand rolling on the ground.

His body started to brim with light as he dauntlessly stood up. "I made another grave mistake. For coming here, I accidentally created a monster... and an invincible army at his disposal that humanity couldn't possibly be able to fight against."

I shook my head. "Retreat your army, Commander. This is my final warning."

The ground around him crumbled as he screamed while his body was covered in blinding light. "If I fail to stop you now, the entire world will perish! A true hero will never back down in front of a vile monster! Not if the fate of the entire Ulterra depends upon this very moment!"

"If you are too eager to die as one. Then, so be it."

The entire area around us lit up while generating a searing light that instantly brought pain to me. "I will die, but I will take you with me! Monster!" He rushed towards me while waving his sword.

"Monster? I really hate it when someone calls me that." I raised my hand and aimed it at him. "If you really wish to. Then, die as a failure."

I activated my Dark Light magic and aimed it at him. Instead of white light just like what he was creating, what started to materialize in front of me was a malevolent black light that possessed more dark energy than light. A massive black ball of light emerged in front of us.

His eyes widened upon seeing what was about to come. But rather than fear for his incoming end, the only thing I could see in his eyes was great concern, not for his life, but for other people. "All units, retreat!"

The roaring black light struck everything right in front of me, destroying anything in its path. The 3 meters wide black light didn't stay long and instantly disappeared upon accomplishing its purpose. To completely obliterate the person in front of me.

As the black light disappeared, a massive straight line was formed, leaving nothing in its path but the mark on the ground. Commander Einar was no longer there, there was nothing left in him, even ashes.

"I killed someone again." I raised my hands, they were shivering again. But this time it's far stronger. Though, It's not because of fear... or guilt... It was due to the overwhelming pleasure I was feeling. "Monster... am I?"

I heard my own voice as I laughed out loud while staring at what I had done.

Why? I Don't know. All I know is... killing that failure of a hero... it felt really good! If I can revive him just to do it again. I will.

Even if I tried to stop my laughter, it didn't stop, I just kept on laughing and laughing... and laughing. And as the moment passed, it became louder and louder than before.

Then, a certain memory struck my head again.

"You are not a monster... you are my big brother."

Monster?

Am I not?