5

The grotesque porcine figure stood before the two men, holding a large battle axe aloft with one arm. The weapon was raised high, poised to descend upon the father and son duo. Ready to cleave through both of them.

The father wrestled atop his son with every ounce of strength, attempting to shield his precious child from the impending swing of the axe. Clinging to his son tightly, his grip firm and unyielding, as the boy fought back with all his might. The air was thick with the smell of sweat and fear, the palpable tension hanging heavy in the air like a shroud.

"Incinerate." A calm voice echoed behind the duo, hesitant to turn around due to the intimidating presence of the demi-human's large axe. They watched in shock and awe as the hideous beast suddenly burst into flames, starting from a small spark and quickly growing until it was completely engulfed within a mere second.

The scent of burning flesh filled the air, However, as the smoke thickened and began to choke them, both of them struggled to catch their breath and cough out the noxious fumes.

The smoke dissipated just as quickly as it had appeared, seemingly vanishing into thin air as if it had never existed. The only evidence of its presence remained in the form of burnt ash that lay next to the fallen battle axe.

"It's surprisingly weak. I expected it be able to resist the spell. Benjiro go ahead and finished the rest of them near the caravan." the mysterious voice commanded. However, before the duo could turn around, a deafening sonic boom echoed next to their ears, they squeezed their eyes shut and clutched their ears in pain and bleeding from their ruptured eardrums.

"$%@$@$@@" ???

"@%@$@%@$$" ???

As the father opened their eyes, he saw the most captivating man he had ever laid eyes on. He stood upon blood soaked ground left by the demi-humans corpses, cleaning his Katana with meticulous care. His medium-length black hair and striking purple eyes gave him an air of mystery, while a dark black and gold earring glowed dimly purple on his right ear. The sight of him was enough to take any women's breath away.

He was dressed in long, flowing robes that the father had never seen before. The material appeared to be made of linen, silk, or some other luxurious fabric. After he had finished cleaning his sword, he carefully placed it back into its sheath, which he had two of. The way he moved and carried himself exuded an air of grace and confidence that was impossible to ignore.

"#%$$@%@$!"

A shadowy figure emerged from behind the father and son duo, thankfully this time without any pain. It made its way to the distance where the sword-wielding man had been, and dissolved into the corpse that lay there. The corpse then transformed into a dark, twisted form, growing into a towering, 2-meter-tall undead creature. Equipped with a flamberge sword and a tower shield, it was covered in armor made of black metal.

The father felt a gentle tap on his shoulder and turned his head slowly, still dazed, confused, and in pain. Before him stood another man, this one with the same piercing purple eyes, but his hair was as white as snow. This one too was beautiful as if out of this world.

This one was dressed in dark black majestic robes that seemed to absorb the light around it, radiating an uncomfortable and suffocating aura. It was difficult to breathe in his vicinity, and the robes rippled and waved as if they were alive.

A floating book with a single, living-looking eye on its cover accompanied this mysterious man. Dark miasma swirled around the book, giving it an ominous aura. The book seemed to be attached to the man, following him wherever he went. Its presence unsettling.

In his hand, the mysterious man held two small vials filled with a red substance that the father had never seen before.

Behind the man stood a woman, and the two shared a striking resemblance. Both were incredibly beautiful, with snow-white hair that shimmered in the sunlight. The woman, however, had light blue eyes that sparkled like the azure sky. Their beauty was breathtaking, and they stood out in any crowd.

The mysterious man opened the vials and held one to the father's lips. The father couldn't resist and drank the unknown liquid. To his amazement, his wounds began to heal before his eyes, and the pain in his ears subsided as his ruptured eardrums repaired themselves. The bleeding stopped, and he felt as good as new. He looked at the mysterious man in gratitude and accepted the second vial that was offered to him.

"Can you understand me?" The mysterious man said, as the father took the vial and opened it quickly feeding it to his son that had passed out from pain. The man nodded to affirm that he could indeed understand the mysterious man.

"Good, then you can address me as Ashurbanipal."

—///

Ashurbanipal pov (residential rooms) 11th floor

Two days have passed and I'm currently experimenting with the mirror of remote viewing, an item that enables the user to see any known or unknown location. While it's useful for scouting destinations, it's not suitable for any serious purposes. It would be more beneficial to have someone with experience in divination for such tasks.

After performing some embarrassing hand gestures, I managed to understand how it functions. Now, I'm currently trying to determine if any humanoid or at least intelligent life forms exist. After a lengthy period, I finally managed to locate both!

"Hey, Nyx, look at this." I looked to my side, seeing my companion messing around with her own mirror. I managed to get her attention, and she crawled over to me, as we both shared the same bed.

Gesturing for her to look into the mirror, we witnessed orcs attacking a caravan. The caravan guards didn't stand a chance. It seemed as if the people were weak, and it didn't appear that the orcs were using any skills. Chaos ensued among the caravan passengers and travelers, as many tried to flee and others attempted to fight back, but to no avail.

Interestingly enough, it seemed as if the orcs were trying to keep the people alive for some unknown purpose. As the fight raged on, me and Nyx watched as if it were a show made for entertainment. Eventually, only a few people remained alive. The camels were either taken by the orcs or slaughtered on the spot, while many others fled.

"Should we get involved?" Nyx asked me, her face still neutral. As if she felt nothing, maybe she did? I was disgusted and shook at first, however the emotion faded as we kept watching. Was that normal?

"I think we should, it'll allow us to test our capabilities." Most of the orcs were too busy, rounding up the captured people or slaughtering them. Our entrance shouldn't be predicted.

Nyx cast the message spell and told Sephiroth that we would be heading out. However, Sephiroth refused to allow us to leave without having a few guards. We denied her request, but in the end, we agreed to have Shogun Benjiro, the second-floor guardian, accompany us.

Benjiro was an immortal human, making him the only non-heteromorphic character in Veles. As a result, he should fit in perfectly. Additionally, in pure swordsmanship, he was the strongest character in the entire pyramid. Since the human race does not have racial classes, Tsurugi was able to specialize Benjiro in pure swordsmanship. It's also worth noting that Benjiro was likely the fastest character in the guild, other than possibly Ansatsusha, although it's not fair to compare an NPC to a player character.

He should make the perfect guard, as I am a powerful mage, and Nyx is a necromancer, as a good support and Benjiro as damage dealer. I quickly glanced over to Nyx and changed my appearance to match hers. As a djinn, I have the ability to change my appearance slightly, but not to the extent of a doppelganger.

Eventually, Benjiro visits us in our room, and I create a gate, its time to test our capabilities.