Chapter 112: The chess pieces
In the dark empty space, a small ember floating around in the air as two individuals sat silently opposite one another.
「How does she taste like?」The dark purple hair hybrid asked, his dark eyes reflected the flickering light. His chin leaned onto his palm. A broad, devilish smile could be seen as he enjoyed the scene in front of him
「Like shit!」HaoS, Kibadios, or rather, Zaeryn's Primordial Spirit of Fire answered. On the usual featureless face of the fire spirit, a strangely large mouth appeared to chew on something, loudly crushing the bones before mixing it with the blood red flesh.「Bleehhhh!!!」The Spirit quickly spit out whatever food he was eating, vomiting it all over the dark ground.
「... Ple… assee… Stop…. Thiss… Zae…rynnnn… I… BEEEGGGG…. YOUUUUU!!!」The pile of vomit slowly came together, its flesh reglued to its bones. Slowly, a familiar face reemerged from the pile of her own chewed out body. The once mighty Astral, crawling toward Kibadios, bloody tears oozed out from her barely recognizable face.
「Shut up, Adela!」The hybrid cold stomped his feet, crushing the Astral's skull.「I told you, didn't I? That you will experience a fate worse than death. Still waiting for your daddy to come here to save you, huh?」
「I… was wrong… pleaseeeee!!!」The Astral became frantic the moment she realized HaoS' claws had again grabbed onto her leg and pulled her to him again.「Pleaseee Zaeryn… Zaeryn samaaaa!!! I WAS WRONG!!! PLEASEEEEE, DON'T…」
Her plea was stopped short again, for the soul of the former princess was again being gnawed on by the Primordial Spirit.
「AHHHHHHH!!!!」
「Ahhh, music to my ears!」Kibadios whistled coldly.
「Heh, good thing you have pushed Reuk's soul out of here or else you will probably be hearing his complaint right now, Zae… Kibadios.」
「Yeah… You miss his presence, don't you?」
「As if!!!」
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「...Sorry about last night, Gyo. We might have been too loud.」
「Don't worry about it, Young Lord!」Gyo shyly looked away, trying to hide his blushing red face.「You two are both incubus hybrids and on top of that, you're a fated pair… It seems natural that you two would… get together.」The Yves glanced at the snoring redhead his Young Lord was carrying on his back.「... Ehto, shouldn't we wake him up? We're still taking the Trial, it'd be hard on you if you have to carry him like this.」
「I was rough with him last night… and early this morning, just let him sleep.」
「If you want, I can carry him for you, Young Lord.」
「That's fine. I'm his alpha, I gotta take some responsibility.」Kibadios smirked.
「But you won't be able to fight at your full strength if you have to carry him like that.」
「Don't worry, Gyo chan! I'm stronger than this incubus body looks.」assured Kibadios, though the use of "chan" certainly had caught Gyo off guard.
「Young Lord.」Gyo studied the hybrid from top to bottom, his usual gentle expression quickly turned solemn「You shouldn't underestimate this trial… or my brother. I love my brother but I know that once he had set his goal for something, he would not hesitate to use any dirty tricks to achieve it. For a long time, ever since the first Yinese attack on our territories, he had aimed for this "King" position because he believed only he could lead our people to victory. He would stop at nothing in order to become our King. If you're not careful, you may fall into his plot, just like how Ectharen dono did.」
「I see… that explains why he was eager to bring up this trial. But you're forgetting one thing…」
「... that you're Kibadios, a powerful incubus overlord?」Gyo smiled. He had been with his Young Lord long enough to know how arrogance the hybrid might appear sometimes.
「No, that I have you with me.」Kibadios shot the mutant Yves with a trusting look.
「It's true that when I'm with you, Wylan would not try to set some dangerous trap since he'd be afraid it'd hurt me, but still」
「No, I meant that you're capable enough to protect me from any danger, regardless whether it's your brother's trap or not.」Kibadios explained.
「Young Lord!」Gyo was moved to tear after listening to Kibadios.「Seriously, you're really our Lord's son. The both of you can effortlessly command the respects and hearts of so many of those working for you.」
「I don't know if I deserve your compliment, Gyo chan… but truly, you may be right about my father. The way he's leading the House of the Horns, fighting in the frontline, jumping head first into dangers, it's really inspiring.」The hybrid paused.「Though, I never had a chance to ask him… Though, from what I was told, he only came back to take charge at the Main House when my grandfather and uncle passed away. Why wasn't he leading the House at Alsen from the beginning?」
「... I actually don't know, Young Lord.」Gyo shook his head.「When Kailos sama turned 14, he said he wanted to leave the Main House and travel around Monas Kye in an adventure. He renounced all his titles and bid his father, your grandfather goodbye. I was surprised when he left. I remember asking him why he could easily reject position of power like that, he simply smiled and told me that power and responsibility would only bring misery and regrets and he would not waste this life for such role again.」
「Again?... Was my father a reincarnator?」Kibadios asked rhetorically. That would explain a lot why he wasn't so surprised when I said I was one.
「That's what I've been wondering ever since the first day I met him too! Sometimes, even when he was a kid, he spoke as if he was an old man」Gyo laughed.「He never admitted to being one, though. I feel like it was not my place to pry.」
「Yeah. If one does not want to share one's past, I doubt you can force that person to talk about it.」
「... Speaking from experience, Young Lord? Aren't you also a reincarnator?」Gyo gazed at him.
「No comment.」Kibadios grinned.「and now isn't the time to talk about it.」The hybrid stood frozen while looking straight ahead, examining the giant chess board in front of his eyes.
「This is…」Gyo quickly noticed the gate behind the chess board. The mutant Yves hesitantly took a few steps forward, only to pause defensively the moment the other set of chess pieces on the side aggressively reacted to his movement. Each of the pieces were forged in Adamantine, one of the hardest materials a person could find in the Esthar. The intricate carving and molding, down to the facial features on each of the pieces, surely reminded Kibadios of the Hadlar's Royal Guards from Dai no daiboken.
「Woohoo, Boss! You've encountered a Harry Potter inspired obstacle.」
「I thought you were asleep, my omega.」Kibadios slowly put Uri down.
「I was, until my Alpha openly flirted with another man in front of me.」The redhead stretched back and forth.
「Flirted?」
「Right, Gyo chaannnn?」Uri teased.
「Uri dono!!」Gyo was flustering.「I'm sure the Young Lord didn't mean it in that way! Beside, I'm almost 30, Kibadios sama would not be interested in me when he already has you and others with him.」
「Hmm, and what if I would?」Kibadios sensually licked his lip.
「See! The Young Lord would never…. Wait… what???」Gyo was now blushing red from head to toe. The young muscular mutant Yves waved his hands around defensively, trying to process what Kibadios had just said. Such erratic movement caused the Yves to suddenly lose balance and fall forward.
WOOOSSHHH!!! BANGGGG!
「You have to be more careful, Gyo chan!」Kibadios leapt forward to deflect a crystal arrow infused with Nen aimed at the Yves before he had the chance to stand back up.
「Sorry, Young Lord!」Gyo hurriedly assumed his defensive stance, with the large hammer by his side.
「Yo, Gyo chann!」Uri called out.「Sorry I didn't mean to tease you. In fact, I have no problem sharing your Young Lord with you. After the ravaging session last night, I doubt that I can satisfy him by myself even if I want to monopolize him.」Uri laughed.
「Uri dono… please stop teasing me!!」The innocent and clearly virgin Gyo begged.
「Yeah, you're distracting him, Uri chan」reminded Kibadios.
「Fine, fine.」Uri whistled nonchalantly. 「Though what are you going to do? Play chess?」
「You have to play chess and win in order to move forward?」Gyo was surprised that Uri was able to assess and understand what had to be done with just a glance, not knowing that he only knew because he was a reincarnator.
「Ha! You think I'd be doing a Harry Potter? Don't be silly, Uri chan!」Kibadios summoned his scythe, which was now covered in black flame.「If anything, i'd do a Mash Burnedead!」
「The fuck is a Mash Burnedead?」Uri raised his eyebrows in confusion.
「Sorry, you're not a weeb!」Kibadios quickly remembered.「What I meant is that I'll just face all of my obstacles head on and crush them into pieces!!!」The hybrid leapt forward with a bloodlust grin.
「I really couldn't follow your conversation, Young Lord…」After regaining his composure, Gyo excitedly raised his hammer up before following right behind the hybrid.「But wait for me, Kibadios sama!!!」
At the moment Kibadios' transgression was fully on display, the chess pieces, both from his side and the opposite direction moved simultaneously. From the other side of the chess board, the rooks unsheathed their crystal swords and jumped at the hybrid, while the ones on his side sprung forward with their spears in hands, targeting Gyo. Both the master and the servant abruptly stopped, swinging their weapons around to block and parry off the incoming attacks. Before they could react, the chess pieces from the second rows, from the Tower to the Queen and King pieces, launched themselves at the two. Each pieces possessed their own fighting style: the bishops pieces could certainly be classified as
「Yo boss… Each of those rooks can be considered an A rank adventurer while the other pieces are undoubtedly lower S rank…Maybe it was better if you just played the chess game like Ron did.」Uri nervously observed the fight.「Did you just forge ahead because you don't know how to play chess?」
「Who would not …know… how to play chess!!」Kibadios shouted back while dodging the pieces' attacks「... It's just… I'm better at Go than Western chess…」The hybrid begrudgingly admitted.
「Ha…」Uri smiled. 「and here, I thought my Alpha is perfect in every aspect. Turns out chess is one of his weakness.」
The battle continued on for quite sometimes, though bit by bit, Kibadios slowly gained the upper hand. First by taking out the rooks before making his way to the King, whose power, he estimated, was probably on par with Yuusei and Ryan combined. Needless to say, Gyo was not able to match his Young Lord's prowess, but the Yves was still able to take down 10 pieces before being forced on his back foot.
「I'm sorry, Kibadios sama.」Gyo ashamedly admitted his powerlessness the moment Kibadios stepped in front of him.
「Don't worry, Gyo chan. You've done more than enough.」Kibadios assured Gyo with a smile before taking on the remaining pieces all on his own. The hybrid and the slashes of his scythe blended with one another as if they were in a dance, no wasted movement or needless strike.
「... Done!!!」Kibadios finally stomped his scythe's handle on the head of the Queen piece after a protracted battle.「Now, we can continue ahead. The only good thing out of this stupid fight is that we know we're heading the right direction… probably.」
「Woohoo! Good for you, Boss!」cheered Uri with a pair of improvised Pom Poms.
「Seems like you had fun while the two of us fight for our lives, Uri chan.」
「Yeah right Boss! It did not escape my notice that you have not even summoned your Spirits.」
「I heard from Kailos sama that you're a summoner, Young Lord.」said Gyo.「But, ever since we entered the dungeon, you only fought in close combat… and your fighting style was really elegant too. Did you learn it from someone?」
Kibadios paused his step for a moment, before responding to the Yves. 「... I had good teachers.」
「...」Both Uri and Gyo remained silent, sensing the hybrid did not want to talk about it.
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「Let's camp out here tonight!」Kibadios declared, standing on top of a gigantic red fungi, looking down at the swirling portal.「If RPGs had ever taught me something, it's that our destination is just right beyond that portal. It only makes sense that we should rest and replenish our strength for now, right before the final "trial."」
「Final trial?」Uri asked.
「Yeah. We figure if all three Candidates can reach the lowest level and there's only one "Proof of Kingship," then most likely we will have to fight one another. That's what Kibadios sama meant by the "final trial."」
「Three-ways fight huh? Fun!」
「It's only three-ways if we all reach the last level.」Reminded Kibadios.
「I wonder if my brother has reached it… I'm not looking forward to fighting Kuron nii.」Gyo scratched his head when thinking about his cousin, who was now by his brother's side, much like how he's by Kibadios' side.
「Why? He's that strong?」
「Let's just say both Wylan and I had never been able to best him even once.」Gyo confessed. 「The only reason he was caught by the Yin Empire was because they had Tina as a hostage.」
「Don't worry, Gyo chan!」Kibadios patted the Yves' broad back.「We got this!」
Little did Kibadios know, the greatest challenge he would find beyond the portal was neither Wylan or Kuron. He was about to face the greatest threat yet. A threat that would finally force him to reveal his true Ultimate Skill, something that he had not done ever since he had fallen into the Astral's hands as Zaeryn a few millennia ago.
Ever curious what's Ryan and Rowan are doing right now?
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