Staring at the black-suited, gorgeous lady before him, Dante furrowed his eyebrows as a trace of exasperation, disappointment, and resentment stirred within his heart. Memories flooded his mind of a past that felt like a dream. But it was all shattered when their hope betrayed them.
"Francine, you brat!" He roared, unsheathing his blade. Its metallic surface gleamed with killing intent as though ready for an execution. On the other hand, Francine merely raised an eyebrow in the face of her former master's wrath.
Their coinciding last names weren't a mere coincidence. The Espada Clan was a sect of swordmasters intending to reach the pinnacle of their swordsmanship. Within the clan was the strongest swordsman, Dante Espada. He was the master of Espada, their esteemed leader.
Alongside the master of Espada was his personal apprentice and heir, Dante's granddaughter, Francine Espada. She was the second-coming of the clan, destined to hold the mantle of swordmaster after the retirement of the aging swordmaster.
Unfortunately, destiny had different plans for the two sword wielders. Half a decade ago, for unknown reasons, Francine went on a rampage within the Espada Clan. Her former clan members were beaten to disablement, bringing about Espada's inevitable decline.
On that day, the entirety of the Espada Clan became a battlefield. The battle between the rogue heir and the master was tantamount to fantasy. Mountains were cleaved in half, grasslands were severed, becoming wastelands, and rivers shrank, drying into sediments.
According to old reports, Francine should have died that day. But later on, she emerged from the shadows and cemented her identity as the secretary and second-in-command of the seventh Paragon's Block 7.
It was an intriguing sample of history. The divisions between Block 7 and Block 6 weren't solely due to ideologies; it was prompted by individuals whose lives were entangled in a series of connections and severances.
"Touching my junior without my permission..." Francine's gaze narrowed as a cold glint escaped her sapphire-like irises. She wasn't particularly pleased by the actions of her old master.
Regardless of Damien's identity as an Aberrant, his safety was entrusted to her by Miss Alastair. She promised to protect him until her boss returned. She will do so no matter what.
As strands of her jet-black hair swayed with the wind, an arrogant voice left her plump velvet lips. It echoed through the ruined city of Manhattan, resembling a command from a goddess of the heavens.
"You will pay, Old Man. For daring to execute my junior under my presence." Francine wielded her zweihander with grace, a giant blade whose shape almost rivalled her size. Standing opposite her, old Dante sneered.
"It looks like I'll have to remind you of your master's swordsmanship."
The two promptly activated their Brands, both unwilling to hesitate in this confrontation. For the second time, Francine saw the Brand of her old master. "Damien... You wanted to know how those with Brands fight, right? I shall guide you!"
A lone giant eagle soared through the skies, circling the area of confrontation between two Jaeger experts. Through its eye, Damien observed the escalating situation with an exasperated sigh.
'This isn't about me anymore. The two are settling complex histories with this fight. I merely provided them an adequate reason to do so.' He shook his head, intending to back out. In an all-out fight, he didn't stand a chance against any one of them.
Once they activated their Brands, the conflict had risen beyond his pay grade. He could only observe and provide support when necessary. With this in mind, a couple of commands entered the minds of his summoned monsters.
"Besides, I need to turn my attention towards something else." Utilizing the eyes of his eagle, Damien could feel the growing pressure of an aetheric signature. It didn't come from the two swordmasters.
Instead, it originated in the center of the devastated mercenary camp. The spike in the aetheric background signified one thing. "It seems that another Aberrant is about to be born." He frowned and decided to destroy it before the abomination could grow.
Although he was considered to be an Aberrant by the humanity of the New World, Damien has always been a human at heart. His memories shaped him, his experiences built his foundations, and his dreams were the fire that kept his heart beating.
Aberrants were too dangerous. They were much stronger than the strongest of aetheric beasts. Ordinary human weapons couldn't harm them as they were built upon an exotic matter that shaped the New World.
As long as an Aberrant bides its time, it wouldn't be long until it reached the level of a Paragon. It would then truly be capable of ushering in devastation, bringing about damnation to cities near it.
'There's no need to hesitate. I must kill it!' Atop a decrepit rooftop near the devastated mercenary camp, a blurry figure took shape, becoming none other than Damien. He glanced at the center of the desolate park, noticing corpses slowly melding into one another.
"It seems that the Aberrant used the corpses as the foundation of its newly developed body. Quite smart. It could probably grow into a considerable size, further augmenting its base strength.
'Eclipse, it's time for you to shine.' The edges of Damien's lips curved into a smile as he commanded his first summoned monster to crush the awakening Aberrant before him. And it wasn't alone.
The air above the devastated mercenary camp fractured into pieces as a gargantuan black hand descended from the fissure of reality. Its palm plunged with intensity, creating bellowing winds which shrieked with the breeze.
The amalgamation of corpses noticed the descending giant black hand and immediately dissolved its body into tiny pieces, intending to escape and reform in the future. Sadly for the Aberrant, it was surrounded by the summoned monsters of Damien.
Wyvern roared, its flame surging from its jaw as it flooded the surrounding ruins of the mercenary camp with an ignition of fire. Hellhound growled, its body heating as an inferno encapsulated it. Several pieces burned into ashes, more dashing for an escape.
Alas, the entire divided pieces of the Aberrant were observed and scrutinized from above by the Freedom Eagle. Nothing could escape its sight as it relayed information to its master.
Scorpion Tank also joined in, its electromagnetic miniguns shredding the leftovers of the Aberrant, leaving nothing but the plastered crimson of blood behind. The one final piece was below Eclipse, who descended like a meteor. Crushing everything beneath it.
The amalgamation of corpses was thoroughly executed before it could even rise in infamy and become a powerful Aberrant. It was Damien's first actual victory through the utilization of his summoned monsters.
Before Damien could even react to his victory, however, a notification chimed within his head as a digital window materialized before him. His eyebrows rose as he read the notification window with scrutiny.
| Congratulations, you have killed an Aberrant! |
| Eclipse has reached the required level for ranking evolution... |
Meanwhile, in the distance, old Dante and Francine were confronting one another with their respective blades, prepared to cleave the heads of their supposed adversary. The activation of their Brands brought a whirlwind of chaos, provoking the aetheric background signature to spike.