3rd Adversary: Miko

A few hours after Tia had come to the mortal realm.

"Hahahaha!"

Joyful laughs were coming from her room. Inside, she and Momo both had red faces while they talked in an intoxicated tone.

"Did King Arthur really trick Alexander the Great out of half of his wealth?"

Tia nodded with a flushed face.

"He did. Alex refuses to talk about it, but I heard Arthur sold him a fake treasure and told him it would grant his army invincible strength."

She laughed while chugging down the wine.

"Well, he eventually gave it back and they made up, but it's still funny every time I remember Alex's embarrassed face."

"I'm surprised though. I thought Arthur Pendragon was a noble person. Who would expect him to actually deceive someone."

Momo's eyes were spinning in her head.

"Arthur indeed is an honorable man, but he also had to change from his naïve self to survive back then."

"I see. It must've been rough."

"It was. A lot of senseless fighting and killing and we still couldn't decide a winner."

Tia sighed.

"Gods, Demons, beasts, and heroes huh? Basically, anything that had ties to a myth or was widely believed in was in that war. Time even flows differently on Earth and this world, so more and more mythical figures kept popping up over the years. It was a complete mess."

"Earth is the name of the world that mirrors ours, right? I heard about it from Gramps."

"Yeah. You can say it's the birthplace of us Higher Beings. Well, we can't interfere with it any longer. The most troublesome of those who came near the end of the war was the Cthulhu Mythos. They were honestly disgusting and hard to deal with."

Tia showed clear disgust.

"Anyway, the war was horrible and the Proxy war isn't much better. In fact, I've never liked this system."

"Why?"

"Because it will only prolong the war. If we, Higher Beings couldn't decide a winner, how can mortals?"

She took another chug of wine and shrugged.

"Anyway, what's done is done. There's no use crying over it. I'm more concerned with when will Miko stop being stubborn and accept my offer."

"I don't think he will ever accept your offer."

"No, he will."

Tia responded.

"As someone close to him you should know what his goal is."

"To be a koala?"

Tia laughed.

"No, I mean his real goal."

Momo looked confused.

"Oh? You didn't know? I guess only that Nina girl would know."

Tia was a bit surprised, but still smiled.

"You see, his goal is…."

Elsewhere.

After leaving the ceremony room, Miko was walking around aimlessly. After a while, he decided to leave the city and return to where Momo had come to get him. Like before, he sat on a tree branch and had his back braced against the trunk.

"Become her Proxy? Hmph, she's gotta be out of her mind. Why would I do something like that?"

He spoke while keeping his eyes closed.

"I have no desires, no ambition, this war has nothing to do with me."

(You're lying.)

A silhouette of himself appeared in front of him.

"Tsk."

Miko clicked his tongue when he opened his eyes and saw the silhouette.

"What do you want?"

(You know what.)

The silhouette brought its face closer to Miko's.

(Take Tiamat's offer and become a Proxy. If you do, our dreams might come true.)

"Dreams? I've discarded them a long time ago."

(Really?)

A creepy smile appeared on the silhouette's face.

(Then would you like to revisit the past to refreshen your memory?)

Miko's consciousness faded to black and images flashed before him like a film.

It was15 years ago, a child was born to the Primus branch of the Dragna Clan. This child had caused nightmarish events to occur one after the other. This child went on to receive various terrifying nicknames and was treated like a plague by everyone around him.

This child was Gamiko Dragna the Third, aka Miko.

At the age of 6, a young Miko started showing traits of a rare genius. He had easily grasped things that were supposed to be hard for children his age. He also possessed superior physical abilities to match his mental superiority. Miko was an once in a century talent. This became common knowledge in no time. Seeing his talents, the young Miko was expectedly overjoyed.

"If I'm a genius won't that mean people will finally accept me?"

That's what he thought.

"I guess a monster really is a monster."

"Huh?"

However, life wasn't that easy. Instead of praises, the only thing Miko heard was the hateful comments of those around him.

"Damn, the monster looks like he's going to be strong."

"Isn't this bad? Won't he become a danger to the empire?"

"Maybe we should kill him while we can?"

"I agree. There's no telling what he'll do. It's better to kill the abomination now."

These comments shocked the young Miko, who just thought his life would change for the better.

"...…."

Before he knew it, he was standing in front of a black swamp. He slowly lifted his foot to step into it, but two hands held him back.

"Don't worry, Miko."

These hands belonged to his parents. His father patted his head tenderly while his mother smiled at him gently.

"No matter what they say, don't let it get to you. Mama and Papa will always be on your side. So keep doing your best."

His mother said to him. These words were a lifeboat to Miko and prevented him from sinking into the swamp.

"Yes! I'll keep doing my best!"

He turned his back to the swamp. However, no matter how much he pressed forward, he never escaped it.

As he promised, Miko worked hard to make his parents happy and gain the recognition of those around him.

"It's that damn monster again."

Yet, the result was the same.

"Every time he takes first place, it is pissing me off."

"Don't you think it's unfair we're competing with something like that?"

"Why don't they put him somewhere by himself?"

"Why do I have to console my children every time he shatters their dreams?"

"Did you hear? He broke a child's arm in a sparing match yesterday. He even had the nerve to say it was an accident."

"It was definitely intentional."

"Such a heartless brute."

Instead of improving their views of him, Miko just kept looking more and more like an abomination in their eyes.

"...."

Cold gray hands emerged from the swamp and held on to him.

"Not yet!"

Even after being weighed down, he continued to move forward.

"I'll become stronger than anyone else! So strong that the world will have no choice but to acknowledge me!"

He would shout with tears flowing down his cheeks, as he struggled with every step he took. He kept working and working, ignoring the negative comments, and continued pushing forward with his head high. However, oblivious to it, he was destroying himself. The stress from the treatment he got from everyone around him slowly but surely weighed down on his heart and soul, making it impossible to escape the swamp.

The young Miko was on a path to self-destruction. His breaking point came when he was 10.

It was late at night and Miko had survived his third assassination attempt for the week. He was walking inside his home when he heard someone's crying voice.

"Why?!"

"Hm?"

Curious to see who the voice belonged to, Miko followed the voice. It came from his parents' room.

"I can't take it anymore! This is the third one this week, and the seventeenth this month! Miko came so close to dying today that my heart stopped when I was able to barely make it in time!"

He recognized the crying voice as his mother's. He stopped by the door shocked, this was the first time he can remember his mother crying.

"Why, why do people hate my son so much?! He hasn't done anything to hurt anyone, but they keep trying to hurt him!"

The pain in her voice stabbed at the young Miko's heart.

"Calm down, Sasha. I'm frustrated too, but we have to keep our heads. If we don't, how will Miko react?"

He heard his father's voice.

"Don't you get it, Leon?! That child is on the verge of collapsing! After I saved him today, do you know what he said when I asked him if he was alright?"

She stopped as her muffled cry echoed in Miko's ears.

"It was just another person trying to kill me, it's no big deal. That's not something a child is supposed to say with a smile!"

Her crying became louder.

"Miko is beginning to believe it's normal for everyone to hate him to the point of wanting to kill him! How can I stay calm after realizing my son doesn't value his life at all?!"

"…Even so, we must keep calm."

His father's voice was oddly low.

"Leon, how can you convince me to keep calm when you look like you're planning on killing everyone?"

His mother sighed between her cries.

"I'm fed up with killing everyone that harms Miko. It just won't end."

Her sobbing reached Miko's ears again. It made his body tremble.

"Sometimes I wonder if this is all my fault and if the gods are punishing me by trying to take my child away….Miko is a cute child that doesn't even get mad when people try to harm him. How can someone hate him to the point of wanting to kill him? This must be my punishment."

His mother's voice turned into sobs. It was the only thing that came from the room for a long time.

"....."

Miko stood there in silence as the cold hands pulled him towards the swamp. His feet entered the freezing slimy waters. More hands held onto him and pulled him deeper into the swamp and further away from the shore.

"Big brother."

Miko turned his head. His siblings were walking toward him while yawning.

"What's wrong?"

Asked his little sister.

"Is mama upset?"

His little brother asked.

"….It's nothing. Go back to bed."

Miko showed a "smile" before escorting them back to their room.

"...…"

He stood by his siblings' bedsides in silence. His mother's cries replayed in his head over and over as his vision darkened.

That same night, he snuck out of the house and went for a walk into the city with a gradually cloudy vision. The slimy waters of the swamp had already reached his chest; yet, he showed no signs of fighting it.

"I heard that monster was almost killed again today."

"Really? How many times does that make it this week?"

"I think the royal family should just get the drift and kill him."

"Yeah, I can't sleep knowing that a monster like him exists in the city."

He soon came across some people talking badly about him.

"But still, I heard his mother was able to save him in time and kill his attackers."

"Tsk! She should just let him die! Hell, she should die with him! She brought that abomination in the worl-"

The man was unable to finish what he was saying.

"Ahhh?!"

His friends screamed at the sight of a hand piercing through his neck.

"Keh! Keh!"

The man choked on his blood with agony written all over his face.

"I don't really care about what others say about me…"

Miko's head was fully submerged, he had finally been swallowed by the swamp.

"But the fact that people like you have caused my family so much suffering is unforgivable."

The moonlight shone down and revealed Miko's face. Miko's blood-smeared emotionless face caused the men to shriek. His eyes were unbelievably cold. They had lost their blue shine and were replaced by a merciless black.

"All of you will die here."

He swung his hand to the side and the man's head was severed from his body.

"That's one."

The men ran off screaming for help.

"...…."

Miko watched them and quietly mumbled.

"Who knew that the bottom of the swamp would feel so comfortable?"

He showed a beastly grin and rushed towards the men, ripping them limb from limb. Their screams echoed throughout the night. After a few minutes, Miko was seen walking down the streets leaving bloody footsteps behind him.

"I will become stronger than anyone so that everyone will acknowledge me?"

He laughed and swept his sticky hair from his face, staining it with blood.

"What a foolish person I am. Such a dream is worthless."

Dark mist seeped out of his orifices and engulfed his body. Soon, he lost his human appearance. He became a black beast with bloody red eyes.

"I have a new dream."

He leaped into the air and shouted with a beastly voice.

"I will slaughter every single person that made my mother cry in this cursed world! After that, I'll turn my attention to the heavens and slaughter them all!"

His roars shook the city.

"If my existence is a punishment to my family, then I'll punish the heavens in return!"

"...."

Miko's consciousness returned and he looked at the silhouette in front of him.

(In the end, we were stopped by our grandfather, who "convinced" us to abandon the idea of slaughtering everyone in the world. After that, we met Nina. We then gave up on everything and decided to live peacefully away from everyone else.)

The silhouette is narrated.

(However, we've never forgotten the wrath we felt back then.)

The silhouette's grin widened.

(Now we have the chance for revenge.)

"I don't care."

Miko quickly shut him down.

"Man, why did you have to remind me of something so embarrassing? Don't you know that revenge plots are so played out that it is now considered a turn-off? To be honest, I cringe just remembering I had such an edgy dream."

He crossed his arms behind his head and use them as a pillow.

"I admit I'm still angry about the whole cursed child thing, but it isn't enough of a reason for me to risk everything in a war."

"You're more stubborn than I thought."

A light flashed and Tiamat appeared in front of Miko.

"I expected for you to give into your desires but you insist on suppressing them."

She sighed.

"Sorry to disappoint."

Miko smirked and closed his eyes.

"You seem pleased, but you should know that I'm doing you a huge favor by choosing you as my Proxy."

"You can keep your favor. I'm good."

"You really are ignorant of your situation, huh? If you knew you'd gladly take my power."

Miko slowly opened his eyes.

"What do you mean by situation?"

Tia was the one smirking this time.

"In the future thousands of proxies will come for the heads of you and everyone you've ever cared about. In other words, just as how you wanted to destroy the world, the world wants to destroy you as well."