No Return

The similar sound of birds echoed through the leafy forest. The warm rays of the sun filtered through the elongated branches of the trees, and the cool breeze blew lightly.

The crunch of dry leaves on the ground marked the footsteps of a group of people.

"How much longer?" Kaiser asked, sticking out his tongue in a sign of exhaustion. Sweat trickled down his body as if he'd just taken a shower.

Blake pushed aside the leaves in front of him. "A couple of minutes..." he replied calmly.

Void, who was walking at the end of the group, was thoughtful. 'If things go well, I can kill two birds with one stone...' he thought, focused on his objective in this war.

His goal was to return to Earth after taking revenge now that he knew Cypher's leader was here, but if that wasn't possible, he had to at least return to his own world. To that end, Void began planning all kinds of strategies.

'If he's a unique ability user, it will be impossible for me to defeat him.' That thought was the reason for his careful preparation, as he had no information about the man's abilities.

Even so, Void didn't want to give up, as there was still the possibility that he wasn't a unique user.

"We've arrived..." the leader's words brought Void out of his thoughts. The young man focused his gaze ahead. The enormous fortress he had always observed in the distance now lay a few hundred meters away.

The fortress was immense; its height seemed to exceed fifty meters, and its length extended beyond what a human could see. The walls looked like marble, and the sun's rays hit them, giving them an intense glow.

On the other hand, in front of them was a huge wooden door with metal trim along its length. It was slightly open, protected by a pair of soldiers on either side.

After observing for a few seconds, the leader dropped the branches that allowed the group to observe the fortress and turned his attention back to them. "Okay, it'll be simple," he said confidently.

Then the group formed a circle. "Blake will throw a rock with all his might, and once he's inside, Void will use his switch..." the leader explained.

'How am I supposed to see the rock...' Void thought, confused.

"Then we'll do the same process, but with Kaiser," the leader said confidently. "Void, we trust you," he added with a smile.

Void sighed, hoping this would be over quickly. On the other hand, Blake grabbed a stone. "Are you ready?" he asked, gathering strength to throw it.

"Are you going to make it?" Void replied hesitantly with another question. The distance was too great for the stone to enter, let alone the precision required.

However, as Void asked the question, the stone had been thrown with force. The force of the throw made the air resonate with the stone's travel.

'He is a monster?' he wondered in surprise. Still, he couldn't dwell on it too much; it had to be successful. 'Not yet... Not yet...' he thought as he watched the stone travel with concentration.

The stone finally flashed past the door. "Exchange." In the span of a second, the previously thrown stone slowly fell where Void had once stood.

Void was now inside the empire. He cautiously put on a worn hood.

After putting on his hood, he began to observe the place with curiosity. It was impressive; it seemed as if Void had been transported back to the Middle Ages.

The streets were made of smooth stone, giving the road a beautiful appearance. The houses also seemed to be made of marble, the windows were rectangular, protected by wooden shutters. The chimneys high above emitted a peculiar smoke.

The smell of freshly baked bread wafted through the streets, whetted the appetite of anyone who smelled it. On the other hand, there were the people, who generated a loud murmur in the surroundings, adding to the good atmosphere.

Void was mesmerized by the beauty of the place, simple and beautiful. Unlike Earth, where everything was industrialized and mechanical, this place seemed to be free. However, he wasn't here to observe the place, but to carry out a mission.

Calmly, he turned around, heading for the door. He focused his gaze, but what he found was a rock hurtling toward him at high speed.

"Shit..." he stammered, taking a step back. Nervously, he focused on both targets, the rock and Kaiser. And just as the rock was about to hit his face... "Exchange."

Void gulped. Slowly, he began to open his eyes, watching Kaiser in front of him pull up his hood.

He snorted. 'If that hits me, I'll die.' he thought, grateful that he had succeeded in the exchange.

"Let's go to the palace." Kaiser said in an unusual tone for his attitude.

Void, with a puzzled look, watched him walk. Even so, he eliminated all thoughts and followed him. He didn't care how Kaiser behaved; he just had to do his job.

As they walked, Void observed everything in awe: the warm air wafting from the forges, the aroma of the bakeries, the bustle of the street shops... Another thing that aroused Void's curiosity was the imperial knights, who wore completely white armor, with a scale logo in the center of their armor.

Another thing he could observe was how they tried to hide reality. The beautiful streets, filled with happy people, were nothing more than a cover for the reality of the empire. Among the narrow alleys, one could see the hidden poverty, the extremely thin children, and the filth that surrounded them, unlike the city.

This was something that bothered Void as someone who had lived in those conditions. However, this was a reality that apparently all worlds have in common.

"Have you killed anyone before?" Kaiser asked, with a slight tremor in his voice, which Void could notice.

He wasn't proud of it, but clearly Void had killed someone before, dozens of times... However, it didn't seem like the time to tell that truth. "No." he replied, trying to calm Kaiser down.

He sighed. "Thank goodness..." Kaiser said as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "I thought I was the only one... I'm the only slayer in the top tier who hasn't killed yet, I'm not capable of doing it..." he added with disappointment in his words.

"It's not something to be proud of." Void chimed in, his words carrying a hidden charge.

Kaiser let out a smile. "I knew we could be good friends." He answered with a cheerful smile, as if he'd never been sad before.

'No way.' he thought, frowning.

They had already walked for several minutes at a brisk pace. The avenue began to widen, and beside him, the people around him gradually disappeared. The air became dense, charged with an invisible tension.

The presence of the imperial knights began to increase, along with their dubious glances at the two of them. They seemed to have entered the rich part of the city.

The houses were much larger, each one displaying a majestic presence with its beautiful decorations. As Void surveyed the ostentatious place, a group of knights approached them.

"It's forbidden to be here. Leave." one of the knights ordered as soon as he got close enough to them.

It was strange. Void didn't understand the language the knight had spoken, yet he could clearly understand what he was saying. 'Could it be the runes?' he wondered curiously.

Kaiser's gaze, on the other hand, changed, revealing the hatred he seemed to have for orders. "I'll give the orders here." he said in a clear and concise voice. "Lead us to the palace, we're guests." he ordered, his eyes filled with rage.

The knights remained silent. Something that seemed strange to Void. "All right, follow us," the knight stammered, turning around.

Void's eyes widened in surprise. It was impossible for an empire that strictly abides by the law to ignore this attitude Kaiser had displayed. Void knew better than anyone that his commanding ability was incredible, but how could he have done that?

Void gulped, trying not to believe what his thoughts were telling him, but it seemed inevitable. Something that reinforced his idea was seeing the knights' eyes turn white after the Kaiser's words. As if they had lost their lives. "Brainwashing..." he thought, incredulous at what he had seen.

The two walked silently behind the imperial knights. Void continued to think about what had happened. 'If he has this ability, he could have taken me under his command a long time ago if he wanted...' he thought, reluctant at the possibility that Kaiser might be stronger than he had shown himself to be.

On the other hand, the imperial knights kept meeting with those who led them, asking the reason for their actions. In this empire, it doesn't matter if you're comrades; laws are laws. Doing something illegal will expose you.

However, that was easily solved. Those who seemed to accept the words left, and those who didn't were controlled by Kaiser.

Thanks to Kaiser's surprising ability, after walking for a while in silence, they quickly approached the imperial palace. The houses that had previously seemed majestic, mansions that would have been worth a fortune on Earth, now seemed simple compared to the gigantic and imposing palace.

The golden fence that separated the palace from the street rose with pointed shapes at its end. The gate, on the other hand, was heavily guarded, with dozens of knights standing before it. Some of them wore different armor, displaying their higher rank.

Void understood immediately: the previous knights had not let them pass, but went to alert the guards.

The multiple armors gleamed brightly in the reflected sunlight. Void placed his fingers on the handle of his katana, preparing for chaos. The tension of the moment was palpable, and the silence was absolute, making the metallic sound of the moving armor the only thing audible.

There were hundreds of knights surrounding them. Void gulped. 'There's no turning back...' he thought as he braced himself for the impending battle.