A Higher Being

|Gary|

"Listen up, everyone," I said, drawing their attention to me. "This won't be easy. I'll take on the boss while the rest of you defend and wait for me to take it down."

As I spoke, I placed my left thumb on the silver hilt of Dusk's Shadowfang, unsheathing my blade and preparing for battle. The Sky Griffin loomed in the distance, flanked by three Aural Eagles and two Wind Wyverns.

But I wasn't deterred. With a deep breath, I activated the Third movement of the Keiki Style: Void Step, my body blurring and accelerating to extreme speeds.

I appeared in front of the beast, ready to strike, but the Sky Griffin was quick to react. It thrust out its beak surrounded by a whirlpool of wind, meeting my surprise attack with equal force.

The beast wasn't holding back, launching wind blades straight at me. I quickly activated my lightning armor, destroying the blades before they could hit me.

Using my Eyes of Chronos, I glanced behind me to see my comrades keeping the AA-class beasts distracted while I focused on taking down the Sky Griffin. I knew I had to finish this quickly.

The griffin's massive body hurtled towards me, moving at hypersonic speed. But I was prepared.

[Third Movement of the Keiki Style: Void Step]

I disappeared from the griffin's sight, leaving only a faint blur behind as I sliced through its attack. A spray of crimson blood spilled from its wound as I made contact.

I swiftly infused my sword with lightning, charging the midnight steel with powerful electrons.

[Second Movement of the Keiki Style: Horizon Splitting Slash]

The griffin tried to evade my attack by flapping its wings and moving upwards, but it wasn't fast enough. My spell connected with one of its brown feet, severing it from its body.

Enraged, the griffin roared and charged towards me again, its body surrounded by sound and wind magic. It moved with incredible speed, but I was ready for it.

[Third Movement of the Keiki Style: Void Step]

My secondary core depleted with each use, but I refused to falter. I activated Void Step for the third time and infused my sword with Eternal Flames, causing it to shimmer with white light.

With a single strike, I sliced the beast in half. But my victory was short-lived. I quickly turned around and headed back to help my allies.

As I observed the battlefield, Arthur, Luke, and Jasmine were using a hit-and-run tactic to engage the eagles and wyverns while Evelyn and Oliad provided support with their offensive and defensive spells. Suddenly, Arthur killed a Wind Wyvern, but his victory seemed to have been a trap. Three Aural Eagles appeared from a weak point and charged at the party with full force.

I cursed my lack of strength and foresight, but there was no choice. I had to reveal my strongest card.

[Fourth Movement of the Keiki Style: World Splitter]

I activated my spell, and my body disappeared into thin air. The next moment, I reappeared in front of the Aural Eagles just as they were about to smash through the translucent barrier created by Evelyn. My blade, Dusk's Shadowfang, glimmered as if it had a life of its own.

The space around me distorted as the power of the attack surged through my body. Waves of mana guided my sword, sweeping through the beasts with ease. They were dissected into pieces without a chance to defend themselves.

|Arthur|

My mind raced as I realized our oversight in reinforcing that side due to the Wind Wyvern's distraction. I couldn't fathom how the beasts had planned such an attack so effectively.

Suddenly, Gary appeared before the AA-class beasts, and a sense of foreboding overtook me. He took a deep breath, shifting his left foot back and adopting a powerful stance. As he unsheathed his sword, the very space around him distorted, and the ground below him shattered into equal pieces.

The beasts, unable to withstand Gary's onslaught, fell one by one to the merciless lacerations of his curved black blade. Shocked, I fell onto my backside, gaping at the spectacle before me. Blood covered the floor, and Gary's purple eyes dimmed and brightened in rapid succession.

Evelyn let out a haggard breath and slumped to the ground, her eyes filled with a look of fervent admiration. It was as though she saw not a man but a god.

In one fell swoop, Gary had single-handedly slain nearly all of the beasts in the area, including the boss.

As we all stood there, stunned and awestruck, Gary tilted his head to where the boss beast had been and squinted his eyes in a look of intense concentration.

"So the scouts missed this," he murmured, his voice low but clear enough for all to hear. He pointed to a door that had been overlooked in their initial sweep of the area.

"Agreed, we should rest up before we move on," Gary continued, dropping down to the ground. Sweat was dripping down his face, a testament to the energy he had expended in the previous battle. The rest of the group nodded in agreement, acknowledging the need to recover their strength.

As they rested, Gary's incredible power was still the talk of the group. The way he had single-handedly taken down the boss beast left them all in awe. Though they were all seasoned adventurers, they knew they had a long way to go before they could reach Gary's level of skill and strength.

As they rested, each of them lost in their own thoughts, they knew that they couldn't stop now. The danger was ever-present, and they needed to push forward to discover what lay ahead.

Finally, they got up and approached the ancient door that Gary had discovered. Its regal appearance was in stark contrast to its surroundings, and the group couldn't help but admire its beauty. The metal was rusted, but beneath the decay, they could see the remnants of silver and gold.

Despite the intricate runes etched onto the door, none of them could decipher their meaning. After a moment of contemplation, they pushed the door, which surprisingly opened with ease, almost as if it had been waiting for them.

|Gary|

As we stepped into the dark and spacious room, I used my pyrokinesis to light up the area. However, my flame revealed an unexpected figure standing in front of me, causing me to freeze in shock.

It was Amanda, the woman I had loved deeply and lost to Jezebeth's curse. She looked exactly as she did when she passed away, with her long black hair pinned up and her piercing phoenix-like eyes gazing coldly at me. Her petite and delicate face was free of any makeup, radiating natural beauty and innocence that made her seem almost holy and untouchable.

My heart raced as memories of Amanda flooded my mind, recalling how her health gradually deteriorated until she eventually passed away. It took all my strength to suppress my emotions and keep them in check.

But then, my family appeared before me too, their faces full of fear and desperation, begging me to save them. My mother wept and pleaded for me to save her and my father, who died at the hands of demons. My little sister Nola cried out for me to protect her.

My emotions boiled over, and I felt a sudden surge of rage and sadness that threatened to overwhelm me. I clenched my fists so hard that blood began to trickle down from my palms.

But then, Monarch's Indifference kicked in, and my emotions were instantly suppressed. My heart rate slowed, and I felt my body calm down. I blinked my eyes, and the illusion before me disappeared.

It was the second time in my life that I was grateful for my ability to suppress my emotions.

Suddenly, I found myself in a different room, and I knew this wasn't an illusion.

My body lurched down, unable to stand straight in the presence of the being sitting on the throne. Barely managing to turn my head, I noticed Arthur was also there, missing his white mask.

It was only two of us, and the being in front of us.

Looking up, I found myself enthralled by whoever I was looking at. White, fluffy air that looked like it had been cut out of the clouds. A pale face that didn't carry the look of sickness but rather that of authority. Pure black eyes that resembled the void. A thin frame that nevertheless exuded power even from her relaxed posture.

Two crowns sat on her head, one a brilliant rainbow colour and one purple.

"So, you two are the only ones who passed the test," she said in a soft voice that almost caused me to sink my head to the ground.

'SS-rank?' I estimated her power according to the level of my old world.

"Since you passed the test, you two will be given appropriate awards," she said as she flicked her hand, causing both of us to lose consciousness.

|Vicht|

"So these two are the reincarnates," I asked my trustworthy friend. He nodded his head.

"That boy, how special," I muttered as I brought the white-haired noble's unconscious body towards me.

"What should I give him?" I mused, "Perhaps two gifts should be enough."

A mass of purple energy and a sphere of bright energy appeared above him before I put them into his cores.

"Two cores, that's something truly revolutionary," I said as I inspected his body.

"T-two cores?!" my friend cried out as his eyes widened in pure shock.

After I was done, I teleported the boy away.

"Now him," I muttered as I brought the auburn-haired reincarnate's body towards me.

"He already has the power of Realmheart huh. From Kezess's daughter no less. Unlocking some more of that power and giving him some information about it suffices for his reward," I said as I pointed my finger towards his core, injecting it with aether.

I then teleported his body away, albeit to a different location.

"Hmm," I sank back into my throne, "How should I help the other two reincarnates when they won't come adventuring? Should I give them that? Well, that will make sure they don't get behind these guys at least."

The pieces were in place, only time would tell whether they would be enough to go against Fate itself.