The sky ripped open and sent a bright light into the middle of the plains.
The green grass quickly turned into dirt, and once the light evaporated, it revealed Akira, his suit torn with broken chains dangling all over him.
He stared at nothing, his emotions all over the place as he tried to make sense of what had just happened.
He blinked and looked at his hands, coarse and covered in spots and burn marks. One grunt later, he stood up, removed the disintegrating chains and dusted himself off..
He clicked his tongue in distaste. "This isn't ideal at all... More importantly, why did she help me?"
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Opening them once more, he said, "Pains me to say this... In fact, I die a little inside whenever I come to a conclusion that isn't pleasing to me, but it appears that I am too... weak to defeat my siblings."
Now what was he supposed to do?
Akira knew he was powerless against all 7 of them, and if he stormed back to the demon continent, he would surely lose his life this time around.
"I might stay in purgatory for eternity this time," he mumbled to himself. "I suppose I have to find another way to get stronger, but how?
"Mh. Every great ruler has a kingdom. I suppose I'll start by gathering forces to fight for me," he concluded.
Then he checked the greenery around him.
The plants were extremely lush and healthy, filled to the brim with flowers of distinct varieties. Plants that wouldn't thrive in human, elven or dwarven territory.
With that small piece of information, he knew exactly where Fuyu teleported him to. He smiled brightly and chuckled.
"Looks like I'll be collecting my payments sooner rather than later," he said as he began walking. "I can't just stand here. A kingdom won't build itself."
[South Kinoko: Beast Continent _ Hana Province]
Akira was in the Beast Continent known as Kinoko.
Kinoko was divided into two: North Kinoko and South Kinoko.
Northern Kinoko residents were mostly known for their overall flair and the excessive amount of money they had.
The education system is better, the fruits are more plentiful and rich, and the citizens are more than welcoming to their visitors.
Southern Kinoko residents were slightly on the opposite end of their Northern counterparts. It was more subtle in the South.
There wasn't as much money or educational opportunities, but they still found a way to make a living.
The citizens weren't hostile towards visitors, but preferred to be left in peace, free from the clutches of foreign affairs.
The only reason why North Kinoko was richer than the South was that the main royal family was located there.
This meant that South Kinoko residents were given special privileges and were less likely to be put in dangerous situations.
Akira knew this very well and decided to take advantage of that fact.
He licked his finger and lifted kg in the air, trying to feel the direction of the wind.
Afterwards, he closed his eyes and cupped both his ears once at a time. "A few hours of walking, but a village is relatively close by..."
With the location traced, Akira journeyed towards the nearest civilisation to get started.
After a few moments of walking, he came across a humble town of goblins, which was out of the ordinary since this was the continent of the Beast people.
The roads were made of gravel, while the housing was primitive at best.
The streets were lit with torches, and the entrance wasn't even guarded.
A group of children were playing, their glee being heard by their parents, slowly began to fade as Akira stepped into town.
They stared at the man with horrid expressions on their faces. Alienating him immediately, the kids screamed and ran away.
They didn't run away for no reason. They knew exactly who he was.
News about Akira reached the entire town after all, so it wasn't abnormal for the kids to run away.
Additionally, his golden gaze wasn't short of menacing that afternoon. And so, they ran.
Without saying any words, the goblins that were walking on the streets grabbed their children and hid themselves inside their homes.
Akira found that to be pointless. If he wanted to kill them, he would've done so without even stepping inside the village, even in his current state of power.
First on the list is finding someone who can fix my suit. You can't find good material like this anymore,' he spoke to himself as he felt his collar and looked at it curiously.
After searching for what felt like forever, he finally found it.
"A tailor... Let's see what this is all about," he said as he slid the door to the side and stepped into the store.
The tailor was rather small as it displayed different cloths on the walls alongside linen sheets that looked too authentic for a shop located in the sticks.
As he stepped inside, he spooked the young female goblin.
She stared at his golden eyes and felt her heart was about to fall out of her chest.
She began breathing heavily, her voice slightly strained, and her eyes began watering.
Akira stared at the fear-stricken young lady before him and simply walked past her. He found a bell on the desk and he tapped it, making it ring.
"Coming~" The voice of a sweet, elderly lady came from the other side of the store.
She slowly entered the room and walked to her desk with her eyes closed.
She was extremely short, and her silver hair was tied neatly into a bun. With a gentle smile on her face, she raised her head, ready to greet her customer.
"Welcome, dear customer. How can we be of service today?" she queried with a sweet smile on her face.
"Grandma...!" the young lady exclaimed. "That man—!"
"Is a customer, dear. Don't be rude, please," the elderly woman interrupted her granddaughter. "Now, what can I help you with?" She turned her attention to Akira.
"My suit's damaged. I want this repaired immediately. The king of Eunoia, Saunders, gave this to me himself," replied Akira.
"Wow... Are you a noble?"
"I suppose you can say that."
"Grandma! That's Akira Mephistopheles, the Bringer of Chaos! The son of the demon king candidate! The personification of evil!" Frill, the young lady, finally shouted, feeling a slight sensation of relief wash over her.
She was about to stand beside her grandmother, but Akira shot her a death stare, which immediately made her fall back and quiver while her shoulders stiffened.
"Akira Mephistopheles? Ha! I suppose the papers were right. You truly have returned," the old lady said as she smiled gently.
Akira revealed his sharp claws and swiftly cut the air as he pointed them at the old lady, a few inches away from piercing her skin.
"Grandma!"
"... Do I not scare you, old woman?" Akira inquired as he stared at the old lady menacingly. "You do know what I did, correct? What am I? What I'm capable of, yes?"
"Unfortunately, I have little room for fear," she said as she opened her eyes, revealing her white irises.
They gleamed with a ghostly presence as if she had seen everything unfold before her very eyes, as if the truth of the universe was behind their pale colour.
"I was born blind, you see? I believe that fear is a state of mind. I can't fear what I don't see, correct?"
Akira stared at the woman for a while before retracting his claws and smiling gently. He grabbed the old woman's cheeks gently and brought his face closer to hers.
"If you were a little younger, I would've enjoyed making you my plaything," he whispered into her ears.
"Ohohoho, oh my. Aren't you the flirt?" the old lady replied as she smiled brightly, slightly reddening in the cheeks.
Akira removed his hand from the poor old woman and took off his jacket.
He placed it on the table, and she began feeling it. Delicately moving her hands on the jacket's arm, she felt its texture and could tell how authentic it was.
"This definitely came from the kingdom of Eunoia. I'm familiar with this silk. It's from the Honey Sheep, quite rare in non-human territory..." she said as she shut her eyes again.
'The suit itself is worth at least 150 gold coins. Tailors usually try to scam people who know nothing and go above the price. So, what will you do?' Akira asked the old lady in his head.
"This will take a while to repair, but I'll do it for 30 gold coins," she said as she smiled at Akira.
'Did she say 30? Is she delusional?' Akira asked himself as he raised one eyebrow.
He shrugged and snapped his fingers, summoning a small bag of gold coins.
He dropped the bag on the table, which made a sound, and caused the old woman to flinch.
She opened the bag and placed her hand inside before shaking her head.
"I'm sure you're able to tell real gold apart from fake gold. Otherwise, you wouldn't have a business," said Akira.
"This is too much! I can't—!"
"I'm buying a new suit in the meantime. Don't bother arguing with me. I will ignore you," interrupted Akira.
The old lady frowned and dropped her head. Then, she raised it and said, "Thank you..."
"You," Akira pointed at Frill, who simply watched their exchange.
"Yes?!" she quickly replied.
"Find me a damn good suit. Immediately," he ordered as he stepped into the dressing room.
"O-Of course!" she replied, gently bowing her head. 'Just who is this guy?' Suddenly, Frill felt as if she had little reason to fear him.
Until she remembered his icy glare. How his sun-kissed eyes somehow had a presence colder than a storm.
Shivering, she took the damaged clothes Akira left on the floor and handed them to her grandmother.
Lots of thoughts flooded her mind, but one thing was clear...
Do not cross the demon of chaos.