FIGHT BACK

Using his clairvoyance, Clay immediately found the remaining soldiers who tried to split up. Just as they were about to go, he arrived above them, just a few kilometers away from their hide out, were the demons that pursued them. He saw them and he couldn't help but ask, what was the difference between demons and the ferocious beasts? Ferocious Beasts were somewhat the same to these demons after all.

However, Clay put that thought at the back of his mind as currently, he was here to rescue the soldiers. Seeing their numbers, his heart ached so much for them.

"Dammit! This is my fault. If only, I wasn't so arrogant then! My recklessness cost them their lives uselessly!"

With regret filling up his bones, Clay descended on the trackers and killed each and everyone of them without making so much fuss. He was used to taking lives now, of beasts and even humanoid demons. After experiencing the kill or be killed environment in the Forest of Death, he developed a certain immunity to the revulsion of killing. As Clay finished up, he gathered the men immediately and told them to stay where they were and wait for his good news. He wanted to apologize to the soldiers and their friends and best friends that already became sacrifices for his baseless ambition back then. However, the soldiers just looked at him like he was unreliable. Although he did appear, as he promised, however, they couldn't help but think that he was too late. They were alive, but their friends and fellow soldiers that weren't so lucky couldn't be revived with his arrival, after all.

"I… I can only ask that you trust me again. I will bring victory over the empire as a farewell gift to your fellow soldiers and friends who died in this operation. This is my penance as well as my resolve. Please, listen to me and find a place to hide more securely. I shall announce my challenge to the empire in an hour. By then, this empire will be ours!"

The soldiers couldn't help but utter in their minds, "Lies."

However, none of them voiced this out. After all, this person was the hero they staked their hopes on for their survival right now.

To boost his confidence again, Clay opened his Status Window and reassured himself of his victory over the empire.

[Clay]

[Profession: Hero Lv.1 > Lv.999]

[Sub-Profession: Alchemy Master Lv.1 > Lv.999]

[Class: Dimensional Traveler]

[Title: Hero | Summoned One | Natural Enemy – Ferocious Beastsnew | Slaughterernew | Blood-soaked Onenew]

[Attributes – STR: 999 | DEX: 999 | INT: 999]

[Blessing(s) – Status Lv.MAX]

[Condition: Optimal]

His Status Window still couldn't display his soul-bound abilities, but as he used them, skills and talents were created to reflect it. The upper limit of the attributes still stopped at 999 and couldn't go past that. His level stopped climbing at capped at 999 as well, for his main profession and sub-profession. However, the skills he obtained truly reflected his activities within the Forest of Death.

Overpower evolved into a skill called Domain.

[Domain Lv.MAX – spread energy into the surroundings to influence the area within 1000 kilometers. Everything within the Domain is put under spiritual pressure. Those who are strong willed can resist to an extent, those who cannot resist the pressure are either knocked out or instantly killed if they are enemies. Allies inside the Domain will gain a 100% boost in all attributes and 1000% in morale.]

[Unarmed Combat Mastery Lv.MAX – fighting without weapons or shields grant 500% boosts in DEX and STR attributes.]

[Blunt Weapon Mastery Lv.MAX – fighting with blunt weapons in hand grant 75% boost in STR attribute. Unlocked skills: Skull Crusher Lv.MAX | Meteor Strike Lv.MAX | Spiraling Demon Lv.MAX | Stars Above Lv.MAX, when blunt weapons are equipped.]

[Spear Mastery Lv.MAX – fighting with spears in hand grants 100% boost in DEX attribute. Unlocked skills: Piercing Thrust Lv.MAX | Dragon Tongue Lv.MAX | Dragon Return Lv.MAX | Soaring Eagle Lv.MAX, when spears are equipped.]

[Hyper Regeneration Lv.MAX – sustained physical injuries are healed rapidly: Shallow Cuts – 0.3 seconds | Deep Cuts – 2 seconds | Gashing Wounds – 15 seconds | Severed Parts – 60 seconds. Regeneration may be enhanced by injecting energy into the wounds to stimulate the healing process.]

[Energy Blast Lv.MAX – shoot blasts of energy from the body. Types of Energy Blasts unlocked: Energy Ball | Energy Beam.]

[Erratic Movement Lv.MAX – through random leg movement, confuse the enemies. Produce 100 afterimages to confuse enemies.]

As for the talents, some of them were intimately connected to the skills he acquired.

[Clear Mind Lv.MAX – maintain a clear mind at all times, in whatever situation. Boosts INT attribute by 1000%]

[Quintessence Energy Generation Lv.MAX – generate recognizable types of energy for control. This talent requires the user to first have initial contact with the recognizable energy to generate it. Types of energy that can be generated: Potential | Kinetic | Supernatural | Psionicno prior contact | Cosmicno prior contact |Divineno prior contact]

[Fighting Instinct Lv.MAX – instantly and innately react in battle. Adapt to attacks and form counters instantaneously. Fight without techniques and disciplines.]

[Alchemic Recipe Archive Lv.MAX – remember all alchemical recipes ever formulated and utilized in existence.]

Looking at his skills and talents to enhance his fighting prowess, Clay felt his confidence growing exponentially as well. Although there was fear of Agamemkeru that lingers within his heart, he was able to think clearly regarding his responsibility and his conscience. He needed to rescue the soldiers he sent to their deaths, or he will be unable to live with himself. Even though the legion was reduced to merely a company now, he was still thankful that some of them were alive. He did not care that they'd blame him or that he'd be cursed by the families of the fallen soldiers. What he cared about was his own sanity. It was selfish, but Clay knew that if he did nothing, he would also hate himself.

"This time, I'll face Agamemkeru with confidence!"

Soon, Clay mustered the courage to go straight to the capital without hiding the fluctuations of energy on his body. This made it obvious that he was here, and he was clearly summoning all the highest leveled fighters in the Demon Empire. Such a blatant provocation couldn't go unnoticed! Right as he flew by, Clay suddenly got attacked from below as he flew over a small village. The attack was filled with energy. It was meant to truly maim or kill.

Sensing this, Clay looked towards the village and saw the attacker.

"Come up, if you're so brave, demon! I challenge you!"

"Such a greenhorn like you wish to fight this great, I?"

"Who is this great that you are talking about? I only see a decrepit old demon!"

"I shall make you regret ever stepping foot in our great empire!"

Talk is cheap! And so, Clay readily received the old demon who attacked him earlier. He knew what this old demon was doing. He was buying time for the capital to send reinforcements. Clay entertained the old timer. He was not here to play ball. He was here to dominate! He wanted to wash away the shame brought to him by weakness!

The old demon was of the leopard bloodline. However, the energy that flowed in his body was active. Age couldn't be ascertained because of their faces, but the color of one's fur in the demon kind allows others to guess their approximate ages. Like this old demon. He was dubbed old by Clay because his fur was already showing copious amounts of grey.

When the old demon called Asheratus came up, Clay spread his domain that easily covered a thousand kilometers in diameter. The stably floating Asheratus suddenly felt his consciousness being pervaded and he was losing grip of it. In the end, the old demon, it may not have been intended by Clay, but he was one of the few unlucky ones who got affected by the instant kill probability of the Domain skill.

Clay's face was expressionless. He truly did not expect this at all.

"It seems, being caught unawares by the domain expanding like that could give me an advantage as to its usage. I must remember this."

He did not give a second glance at the falling corpse. He only intensified his energy fluctuation to provoke countless experts of the Demon Empire. After three cities and countless villages, Clay already stacked up on achievements that couldn't even be acquired within such a short period of a lifetime. However, he did.

News of his assault arrived at the capital. And instead of sighing in relief from the fact that the hero that was reported as dead came back to life, Jacqueline, the Frozen Throne, was frowning in deep thought.

"Damn. Was his blessing to exponentially become stronger when he dies, basically making him both immortal with infinite potential?"

"No, let's not get ahead of ourselves. This has to be investigated, but unfortunately, it seems that just one death was enough for him to gain the power-up to face the empire confidently even after experiencing Agamemkeru's horrors."

Jacqueline simply sighed; she was not all-powerful. Although she was empress, she was also not omniscient. Looking at the situation, she knew that everything that has a beginning also has an end. Unfortunately, it seems the end of the empire was coming with the arrival of the Hero that they planned to take advantage of initially.

"Someone! Go and call the 4 Grand Generals!"

"Hah!"

Someone behind the door to the throne room answered, it was a demon soldier. An inevitable fight was coming. And at the center of it, the Demon Empire, versus not even the human continent but merely the Hero of humanity, Clay!

Soon, the Grand Generals under Jacqueline arrived and kneeled in front of the throne where she sat.

"Rise my generals. As you certainly have heard by now, experts within our empire are being culled by a rampaging hero that's set going over our capital city. Right now, the kill count is 46, from small cities and villages on the way. To prevent his advance here, I am sending all 4 of you to encircle and fight with the intent to eliminate the hero. Agamemkuer had been successful once, and this resulted, unexpectedly, in a powerup for the hero. Now, I command you to kill the hero thoroughly or at least allow our envoys to arrive at the other races' main cities to gather the strength to fully put a stop to this threat."

What she did not say out loud was that he wanted them to kill the hero after the reinforcements from the other races arrive to assert dominance and also to get the most out of the possible rewards of land and territory at the end. Also, it gives the other races some credit to themselves by 'participating' in a united front against this banned existence.

"Yes, your majesty!"

Without further ado, the four Grand Generals went. The four Grand Generals were: Agamemkeru of the Salamander Legion; Agamemken of the Demon Sword Sect; Agamemvulf of the Crescent Moon; and Agamemsarai of the Succubus Tribe. These four were legends in the hearts of demons. They were the ones along the first emperor of the empire to work for the entire demon tribe. Since the demon tribe was not exactly distinct to the Ferocious Beasts and monsters outside, they were once hunted down by the born-sentient races. And the four Grand Generals helped the first emperor in acquiring land for themselves to the north-northeast of the entire continent. They were powerful demons that were transformed into sentient being after centuries of absorbing the essence that made them demons in the first place. Most of them were normal plants, animals, and objects. However, by being exposed to the same essence, they all underwent a transformation. This transformation was later called demonization. And when the demons reach a certain level after certain number of limited years, they become sentient. Once they become sentient, they can then be considered demi-humans just like all the sentient races that were not humans.

They were admired by the Demon Empire because they fought for all of them. And their contributions could never be erased forever. Such was the legend of the Grand Generals. And the current four Generals were still the original 4 who helped the previous emperor! One can imagine their prestige and influence, and yet they stay loyal to the crown and to the empire! With every generation of emperor or empress, they stay loyal to the throne, not whoever was sitting on it. If it was for the good of the empire, they will do anything, even if it defies the emperor or the empresses' plans and ambitions.

Jacqueline knew this, and so sent them all together. So, they can assess whether their next step would be valid or if they had to rethink their plans. She was at an impasse.

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