CHAPTER 5

The knights hesitated in their advance upon Axis’s transformation. His disheveled hair from before was standing up straight and clean, his dead grey eyes suddenly shining silver vibrantly, and the surge of energy that was not previously apparent taking the form of black electricity; these were all signs that proved Axis Demkil was not Human. The Dark Elf, who was all but forgotten about by the squad, did not believe what the Slayers said about the young boy, initially suspecting the child may have simply been a victim of misunderstanding. However, she could not deny what had occurred before her eyes, and as she also witnessed Axis’s transformation, one specific thought instinctively crossed her mind…

That’s not the aura of a Human child.

Though the knights hesitated, and the Elf was paralyzed, the Slayers continued forward cautiously, awaiting Axis’s next move. They have dealt with Monsters having ridiculous powers before, so in spite of their emotions, they knew not to recklessly attack something so dangerous. Instead, they slowly moved to surround Axis, while he was standing still. Before they could fully position themselves around him, he took a step forward. Perhaps it was too menacing, or maybe it was seen as an opportunity, as it triggered one of the Slayers into rushing in for an attack. As if that was the sign to engage, the others rushed in as well, hoping to blitz Axis to where even if he was able to retaliate against one or two of them, one of the five Slayers attacking him would be able to deal damage, granting another opportunity for the knights that had stayed back.

Of course, such a thing was not possible; each Slayer was struck by the black lightning just as they were about to attack, so their coordination meant nothing.

Axis took another step, as thunder roared and the Slayers that attacked ceased to be. After witnessing the spectacle once more, there was no longer any doubt: Nexus had “awakened.” The Captain, who had also stayed back as the other Slayers attacked, shuddered in both fear and rage, speaking through clenched teeth.

“It’s no good… This Monster should be considered a Fourth-Tier threat! Only Slayers from the top three squads could handle something like this!”

Upon that realization, the Captain called out to the remaining knights, issuing orders for a tactical retreat.

“Fall back, everyone! We must call for reinforcements! We are not equipped to handle this one right now!”

Nexus took another step. The knights couldn’t hear their Captain’s orders over the thunder. Faced with something so fearsome and ridiculous, they panicked and desperately rushed at Nexus in hopes of dealing the damage that the ones before them could not. One by one, they were gone as the black lightning struck. Their task was proven to be too Herculean for any of them to accomplish.

In mere seconds, without even raising a finger, he had eliminated all but the Captain. The Captain was indeed smart enough to realize that she would be rushing towards her death if she attacked, but that was not the reason why she was spared.

“You’re going to answer my questions. How am I supposed to know what anything means if it’s not clearly defined? What is a Human? How can someone be a Human? How can you tell what’s Human and what isn’t? Well?! Answer me!”

One last step, and he stood directly before the Captain, rendering her unable to move as well. Witnessing the annihilation of her entire squad, the Captain had all but lost her will to fight anyway, so even if she could have acted, there was no point. Above that, however, though the Captain was looking down at a child, the pressure coming from the child seemed large enough to engulf the entire land, let alone herself.

I see… So, this is why Nexus is also called the ‘Storm of Destruction…’

The Captain couldn’t help but have that thought; the title was a perfect description for a Monster that could devastate everything in its path, just like a natural disaster.

“Hello? What, do you need to buy a vowel? Say something, damn it!”

Yet, the child that could easily send his surroundings to oblivion, was demanding an answer from her as if pouting. It was almost too surreal, and it almost seemed ridiculous to call such a child a Monster. Regardless, the Captain responded with enmity.

“It doesn’t matter. You would never understand, even if someone bothered to explain it to you. Monsters aren’t meant to understand how Humans feel or think. They aren’t even meant to exist. And that is all you are: something that never should have existed.”

With that, there was the sound of rain, but during the tense silence between them, lightning struck through the sky, producing thunder that made the air itself tremble. After the rumbling faded, he spoke once again, his tone still displeased.

“Is that all you have to say?”

The Captain answered, knowing very well that it could be her last words.

“There’s nothing else to say.”

Nexus clicked his tongue in disappointment. Of course, he wasn’t really expecting an answer that he would be satisfied with. Still, he was vexed by the response that he deemed empty.

“How useless…”

After saying that, though the Captain expected her own demise, Axis just walked past her, as if no longer interested. The effect of paralysis wore off as well, since the Captain found that she was able to move again. The atmosphere was relieved as the abnormally dark clouds covering the sky parted, and Axis’s aura slowly dissipated, his physical appearance returning to default. Turning to him in confusion, the Captain wanted to ask Axis what he was plotting, but he answered before she could even speak the question.

“You’re going to get reinforcements, right? I still need answers for my questions, so go right ahead. Make sure they know what a Human is before they bother me, though. If they waste my time, I’ll just kill them.”

However, though the external changes were reset, what changed within Axis was permanent. The child that allowed himself to be beaten and tortured was no more; Axis Demkil would fight back from that day onwards.

Begrudgingly and wordlessly, the Captain looked to cast one final glare before fleeing. With that, Axis and the Dark Elf were left alone in the yard of Swinger’s establishment. They looked at each other, and Axis couldn’t help but realize that she was looking at him differently. Previously, she saw him as a helpless child that needed to be rescued, but within her violet eyes was now a sense of apprehension. Once she was able to move again, she quietly walked over to her swords that were knocked away from her, recovered them, and then turned to Axis while pointing one of those blades at his neck.

“What are you, really?”

Axis faced her, seeming annoyed by the question.

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out! People keep saying that I’ll destroy this country, Humanity, or even the world as a whole. So, maybe I’m not Human. At the same time, I can’t just call myself a Monster without knowing for sure whether I am or not! That would be really misleading! What a conundrum…”

Needless to say, the Elf wasn’t convinced. She couldn’t be blamed for her skepticism. After all, if Axis Demkil had such power all along, why was he captured to begin with? Why did he pretend to be powerless, unless it was part of some plot? More importantly, she felt deceived; she was sure she hadn’t been properly informed upon accepting the task of rescuing prisoners from the Swinger Company. Yet, Axis’s response would cast it off as mundane.

“Well, none of it really matters anymore. We’re free to leave now, if you still want to go together.”

“What…?”

The Dark Elf was stunned, like his words were an unexpected power move. Though she had a blade to Axis’s neck, not only was he unbothered, but he didn’t even consider her act as hostile, and saw her as a companion because she attempted to save his life, even going against his own warnings. Well, she instinctively knew that if he wanted to, he could destroy her as easily as he did that squad. Since he had such power, it didn’t seem necessary for her to protect him any longer either; in fact, she ended up being the one saved by him.

Upon recognizing that, she was compelled to lower her sword. Axis must have taken it as a sign of resignation, as he nodded in approval. Perhaps he sincerely didn’t want to treat the Elf as an enemy, as he seemed more relieved after the blade’s descent. Then, his expression suddenly became difficult to read, as if he was trying to translate a complicated thought into coherent words.

“Hey,” he finally asked after a while, “it’s been bothering me for a while, but what is your name? It’s unfair that you knew mine beforehand, and I don’t know what to call you besides ‘Elf.’”

The Dark Elf tried her best to stifle her laughter. It was more directed at herself than Axis, but she still found it humorous. It didn’t matter what powers he had; Axis Demkil was still a child.

“You can just call me Vilda,” she said with a warm smile, as if her previous trepidation was just an illusion.