Break

Slayer removed the Plague mask from the body, absorbing it into his Oni mask. Then placed a glowing hand on the king's chest absorbing his chi. After that he felt dizzy. He sat on the ground with the body and began to meditate and rest. He started to cultivate absorbing the King's chi. His Soul Core was getting bigger and he assessed that soon he would be going through a break through. 'Not long till I achieve a Rank 4 soul core and body making me a Demi-god . My mind is where I need to keep working towards. More forges will help using my Mind Palace along with pain. More complex the more it will help my mind grow' he thought. He took his mask off to eat some pills made by his master. One was for his mind to give it a jolt. The other was quicker chi absorption. After an hour of cultivation it was time to rest. He ate some dried meat and drank some water. Drinking five potions from the Storks. Putting his mask back on and manifesting his soul weapon Demon's Wrath. He set the blade on his lap and closed his eyes for a bit to get some sleep. 'After I wake I'll check the ability and weapon I took from the Gravity King' he thought as he drifted into sleep.

/////////////////

In another realm away from Slayer.

Location: ????

Orbs floating about in a circular room all orbited a being cloaked in darkness and a hood with their hands up to its face in contemplation. All that was seen under the hood was glowing yellow eyes. All around shouts were heard coming from the orbs; "VOID FACTION SHOULD FINISH THE REST OFF BEFORE THE SLAYER DOES! Longer we wait the more he will grow stronger. We need to move!" One said. "No! If we move now then we break the rules set by the World when we were given these crowns! Each of us knows the cost of teaming up on a Slayer! We each have to stand alone. Our realms could be destroyed if we don't abide by the rules!" Another explained. "What rules? We've broken all of them that is why the World invested so much in this executioner, this what some call the Red Demon! We created war between ourselves creating unbalance and elevated warfare itself for the ages. We've snuffed out innocence like it was nothing. So explain to me why you think killing the Slayer as a joint effort is any different!"

The being then held up a hand as the arguing began to mold into one giant voice. The orbs all fell silent seeing this. "My fellow Kings. You have failed to see we may have a loop hole. Yes, using a joint effort to kill the Slayer makes our realms forfeit. But!" The hooded figure stood. "What if we each bring forth a warrior we deem the greatest from under our banners. Do we all have armies? One or more souls among them must stand above the rest? Do we not?" The orbs fell silent. One orb glowing blue chuckled, "fucking cowardly suggestion. If you need a minion to defend your territory what good are you as a king? No, I will not commission one of my men to defend me when I can gladly kill this boy myself!" The voice spat back with malice and grit.

Hooded figure sighed, "Yes…you would hate this notion Winter King. But if you haven't seen the chart the boy has taken three of our enemies who were by no means weak kings. And one of our own the Gravity King who was one of the best in melee combat." The hooded figured explained. Winter King's orb laughed, "Be that as it may I can say with certainty that a few among us here would agree with me. All here are next to the Celestial Step! You think a simple warrior from your army will defend you? Feel free. Me, I have enough skill and power to kill this son of a bitch myself! This suggestion alone weakens us! You weaken yourself! I'm done hearing this!'' The orb then went dim. A lot more also went dim. Leaving only five remaining orbs still lit up. "Shame. What I propose isn't a weakness, it's strategy. He's not wrong, we are close to the Celestial Step. If we let this young man roam free like he is we create a ripple in the people we rule over. This doesn't just affect us, but them as well. Those who have served with great loyalty and those who wish to oppress our rule. I prefer to embolden the former '' the hooded man sat upon his throne. The way between the two factions all started from wanting to see who could reign over the other.

"What do you all think?" One orb spoke up, "I will send my strongest to merely delay him. I do agree with the Winter King that we should handle this ourselves. Delegation can be a tool too. Giving way to preparations making our armies at the ready", "I will do the same. I have one warrior that looks like a good challenge to wet his blade with a student of Raijin who will peak his interest." One orb was still silent, "In my realm we act differently. I'll hold a tournament in my realm to see who wins and shower them with riches. This will enable the populace to regain love and get a show out of it. Yes! This could help in our image as tyrants. Who will you send sir?" The orb asked the hooded man. "I believe in being patient. I have four warriors. The best of the best. I will have our faction track his movements with familiars and time my attack accordingly" with that the meeting concluded.

The tensions were rising within the factions. Only way to subside it was to take the distraction off the board.

A being with a black mask with gold designs walked in. He was dressed in a matching skin tight outfit. He walked in and bowed. "Sire, what are your orders?" Hooded figure sighed, "Get the guard trained up. I want them ready for anything. Gather information we already have on this Slayer and incorporate that into their training. I want them working as one like a well oiled machine. Is that understood? After you have seen to that I want all knights doing the same. I want all bannermen ready to fight at any time. Slayer could come to this realm at anytime" he said standing up. He crossed his arms around his back. The dark room illuminated a window overlooking a star filled sky. Under the sky was a large city with rectangular buildings. Vehicles flying over the city with bluish clouds spanning the black sky.

"Sire, if I may speak freely?" The servant asked. "Orioles you can always speak freely with me, you know this?" The king stated. "Should we also prepare for any dimensional incursions? I very much understand preparing for the King's Test. But this civil war will not cease during that. It will only escalate" Orioles stated. He was always a man that thought about all sides of a situation. The king sighed and nodded. "Yes, you are right. Keep the factories working on ammunition, cannons, and war machines. I want us ready for anything the Dreaded Faction has in mind" he stated looking at Orioles with his golden eyes. The servant bowed and left the room. Leaving the king alone with his thoughts.

/////////////////

Location: Island Realm

Slayer walked towards the gate that was smiling at him. "Someone's walking tall? New powers? New treasures!" The gate jested, "Want to guess where you're going next?" It asked. "Not really," Slayer said, staring at the gate. "You might be the dullest Slayer I've ever served!" The gate said annoyed. "Or maybe your not as funny as you think you are?" He said walking through the gate. The gate said nothing.

He walked through the gate into a icy plane. Slayer found himself in a frozen tundra. "Welcome to the Ice Realm. But some advice stay warm and remember the tribes here hate outsiders" The Gate warned. Slayer nodded at this. Walking through the deep snow he stopped to see giant ice turtles walking through the tundra they were surrounded by a snow storm. They were white and crystal like. Their shells were producing a blizzard on their backs. After walking for hours he could see a cave through the veil of snow. He made a b-line for the cave and hunkered down in a cave making a fire.

From the distance a blue warrior watched with a hood up and minimal clothing with tribal tattoos. The land of Ice Realm was home to several tribes; the loyalists of the king were the Blue Skin. These particular warriors are adept at stealth. The spying male warrior was accompanied by two other warriors, one a woman, and another a teenage girl.