Artigan’s strength and resourcefulness was well beyond even Kraxxksken’s expectations. The leader of the Unwanted monsters had thought he would win, even until the end. While at first he had been planning to die to Artigan after killing all of his own kin, his fury had overwhelmed him to the point that he truly did try to kill Artigan for real.

  All of his greatest creations–and those were creations, failed to kill him. He had not taken out some of the more powerful artifacts to try to kill Artigan.

  Kraxxksken clicked his tongue and shook his head. Too much pride as a crafter when he was just a monster. If he was being honest, Artigan would probably still have beaten him. The insult rang in his head.

  He calmed himself down.

  He would be satisfied with this. Burying Artigan in the city would be enough to delay them until he was done. Xxsharesshvil was with him, she would help Artigan dig through into one of the tunnels.

  The fact that he relished in that thought proved he was a monster too.

  Kraxxsken chuckled at that thought as he twirled a spear in his hands. It was not quite as good as the one his personal golem used but it was more than enough to slaughter a few monsters. He patiently waited as a smaller golem in front continued to dig upwards and into one of the main tunnels.

  He had not made his personal escape tunnel connect with anything else and he was having to wait until it had finished digging through.

  The golem front of him was a smaller little ball, digging through the front with its hands. Moving earth out of the way as if it were a fully mature bullipede. A marvel of creation. Speedy, powerful and efficient.

  A few seconds later the golem finally broke through.

  They broke into one of the main tunnels right behind a group of Unwanted. They were so surprised, so confused at his sudden appearance. It looked like none of them had been told the truth because they hadn’t expected him to start stabbing with his spear.

  They started screaming. Holes appeared everywhere he stabbed. All of the hideous monsters stopped supporting the tunnel and tried to flee. Understanding full well that all of them together couldn’t kill him.

  When Kraxxsken was finished slaughtering the monsters he felt something trigger one of his wards. He frowned. That was the ward to his escape tunnel. He pushed his mind back to see two figures sprinting their way through it.

  He flicked his spear, the blood splattering all the walls.

  “Ah smart. Maybe I am a little too predictable after all.”

  He attempted to collapse the tunnel in front of them and Xxshareshvil grabbed the sides to counteract the collapse.

  Still, she would be able to dig through it. Now, he was left with a decision. He could flee or…

  He decided to be a monster in the end. Kraxxsken sprinted along the tunnels, winding his way back up. Ignoring all of the other groups of Unwanted in the tunnels around him. He was making his way directly for the children first.

  Even he would not enjoy this act. This was an act of mercy.

  They wouldn’t understand, but they didn’t need to. That elf’s death, Tar’el, at least he would enjoy killing that one and parade it in front of Artigan. The final task of the Witch Tyrant. He would teach her disciple the more important lesson of all.

  .

  Another trick by Artigan? Kraxxsken stopped and focused. Whoever had taken control over the surroundings of the children had quite a bit of power behind their skill. To even take away his own sight of the territory he knew well.

  Though it was amateurish work. When he focused he could see a slow moving block of dulled zone in the active caves around him. It was quite easy to focus on the center.

  Someone else had left the zone of dullness and sprinted ahead to intercept him.

  . A simple [Swordsman] in a tunic with a singular sword at hand, another on his back.

  Kraxxsken hissed and stabbed. His body might not have been as tough as his personal golem but it was more than enough for a pathetic fourth realm adventurer–

  The [Swordsman’s] blade tapped his spear by the tip–parried downwards in an effortless motion, spun–and cut his arm off.

  Kraxxsken was so surprised that he hadn’t overwhelmed the parry that he couldn’t react in time to his other arm being cut. When he turned around to run, the blade pierced straight through his thigh. Pinning him in place

  The [Swordsman] frowned, his phone coming alive as a feminine voice rang through it.

  “Yeah, I got the Unwanted that went crazy. Stronger than average, I think.”

  Kraxxsken recognized the name and started laughing. He finally went mad.

  “The world mocks me once more! Oh cruel world, taking away hope from every corner.”

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  He started forming runes around his manacore. Calling on the forward gol–

  Another blade smashed down in front of his face. The [Swordsman’s] eyes shining and seeing through his magic.

  “If you understand me, then I would recommend that you stop. Realmer or not, I will not hesitate to cut you down.”

  –

  Ryan was sprinting as fast as he could possibly go with Shara on his back. He had thrown away the enchanted golem when he came across the group of slaughtered Unwanted.

  He was far, far too slow for his own liking. It had been awhile since he had been this exhausted. [Resource Overdrive] was not a skill he could just use and continue to keep going at max strength. In fact, if Rax was half as tough as his own construct, it was going to be nearly impossible to win.

  It had been in his pouch as a last resort. He just wasn’t sure what would happen if he used [Volatile Antimagic Throw] with it.

  But Ryan’s eyes still burned. Refusing to give up.

  Shara had seen her slaughtered kin too, and she was silent on his back, as if she believed the death of her people was just an inevitable outcome in the end.

  Ryan ran and ran until he saw Rax on the ground. His leg pierced through with a sword by his neck, Zedart holding the blade down and focusing on Rax’s torso.

  Ryan unceremoniously dumped Shara on the ground and just collapsed onto the ground. He breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I have never been so glad to see your stupid face.”

  Apparently he was even more exhausted than he first thought because that was the best line he could come up with right now.

  Zedart frowned, like the idiot he was, then he stared back at the pinned down Rax.

  “Is this the one we were supposed to be protecting them from? You let it get away from you?”

  “ I will kick your stupid ass.”

  Zedart looked down at Ryan’s completely exhausted state.

  “I don’t think it’s possible in your current state.”

  “Why don’t you come here and–wait no that’s what you want.”

  “No, I would rather fight you when–”

  Both of them stopped bickering as Shara started stalking towards the downed leader of the Unwanted. It almost seemed like she couldn’t believe that Rax was lying there, pitifully taken down by some stupid random [Swordsman].

  Then she lunged.

  “Zedart!”

  Ryan had let his guard down, but not Zedart. The [Swordsman] grabbed her as she hissed. Shara didn’t care that Zedart was touching her, she looked like she just wanted to tear Rax’s heart out, and Zedart was struggling to physically contain her.

  “Shara stop!”

  Shara started screaming in her language. “Why! Why are you a deceiver!? Look! All these people see us as people. Why can’t you?”

  For a moment there was a different expression on Rax’s face, it was similar to the one Shara had right now. Anguish? It was quickly replaced with rage. That one Ryan could tell. Rax turned to Ryan as he shouted in return. Spit flying everywhere.

  “See how cruel you are?! There is nothing worse than giving hope and then taking it away.”

  Ryan stood up on shaky legs, his own eyes blazing. He remembered the butchered Unwanted.

  “You’re a fucking [Enchanter]. You study runes from ancient civilizations and create some of the most fucked up golems I’ve ever seen. How do you do all of that and still declare yourselves monster? HOW DO YOU DO THAT AND STILL SLAUGHTER FLEEING PEOPLE LIKE THEY WERE NOTHING?”

  Rax hissed, his eyes burning with magical power. “I was trying to protect them! You–you! You don’t see! Oh yes but you will.”

  Ryan had a bad feeling about this.

  “Zedart!”

  Zedart let go of Shara, all three of them were sprinting for the Unwanted leader.

  It was too late. Kraxxsksken the leader of the Unwanted used the blade by his head–to cut his own head off.

  All three of them froze at the sudden mad action of the leader. A hundred things went flying by Ryan’s mind. A deadman’s switch to collapse the tunnels? A bomb with his own manacore? Another enchanted golem?

  Then he got a notification.

  Before Ryan could process those words, a pillar of multicolored light exploded from the corpse of Kraxxsksen. It expanded in size until the whole of Rax’s corpse was enveloped. It continued to grow as Ryan and Zedart drew back. He grabbing Shara who was suddenly mesmerized by it.

  Both Zedart and Ryan had seen this before. When Ryan had tried to lay claim on Lazhen’s system portal.

  It meant one thing:

  Rax was a system enhanced monster.

  It explained everything. Why he was so insistent that his own people were monsters, why Rax believed Ryan was giving them hope that would eventually be taken away.

  It would be obvious the moment an Unwanted touched a system portal. No, when an Unwanted person went near a tunnel.

  Shara kneeled, her hand outstretched towards the portal.

  “Look,” Shara said dreamily, “Sire was right. Only monsters can evolve through System portals. The Trial System sees us as monsters. I can hear the call, yes? I am a monster.”

  “So what?”

  Ryan’s furious voice reverberated throughout the tunnels, snapping Shara out of her reverie. His activated aura keeping the other monsters at bay.

  “Look at me. You Xxshareshvil are not a monster. You Unwanted aren’t monsters just because a flawed system labeled you as such. I have witnessed it.

  Ryan felt something catch at his own throat.

  “You are a person, I declare it.”

  Ryan felt something pull at the world around him. His arm, his class as a [Aura Tyrant]–he tried to force it, declare Shara and her people as what they are.

  .

  For now, just his words would have to do.

  Valee’s voice came from Zedart’s pockets.

  “Uh guys, all of the skin sha–Unwanted are turning over there. Both children and adults. What’s going on over there?”

  That snapped Ryan out of his focus. It seemed the reminder about her people seemed to do the trick for Shara as well. She focused on the portal, though with different eyes than before.

  “It will call the others, yes? Even the other groups will come here and take it. Or another monster will.”

  Shara turned around and nodded at him. Ryan almost wanted to tell her not to do it but he bit his lip.

  Zedart turned to him, wondering if it was a good idea, but for entirely different reasons than him. System portal enhanced monsters tended to be more aggressive than normal. Though it probably had more to do with powerful monsters getting more strength.

  Ryan finally nodded at Shara.

  “It’s going to be a huge burden. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  Shara took a deep breath and closed her eyes, as if not looking at the portal would stop her from losing herself to the call for power.

  “Yes.”

  Xxshareshvil took a step forward and entered.

  Zedart still looked unsure. Probably feeling a little naked without his swords.

  “What happens if she comes out hostile?”

  Ryan rolled his eyes. “Bad form, leaving your swords on the ground, where someone can use it to decapitate themselves.”

  Zedart rolled his shoulders. “A mistake I won’t be making again. I didn’t realize that was the monster you were fending off.”

  “Wait, wasn’t he stronger than the average realm four monster?”

  “Maybe? But he had no skill and was surprised by an [Uncanny Parry]. I didn’t think much of it.”

  Ryan scoffed. He had left the enchanted golem behind when he had come across the massacred Unwanted. Otherwise he’d have thrown it at Zedart’s face. He just threw his hands up in the air.

  That was when Xxshareshvil stepped out of the portal, the light gray color disappearing in a haze behind her. Her back was just a little straighter, her eyes flaring with uncontrolled mana. She looked… a little more dense than her previous bony self. Other than that she was practically the same.

  Shara turned around, looking at her hands, then at the walls and back to them. She took a step forward then reached out with a hand towards Zedart.

  “My name is Xxshareshvil, but you can call me Shara. I have to thank you for helping save my people.”

  Zedart, to his credit, didn’t hesitate. He reached out and they shook hands.

  She smiled widely and Zedart flinched a little. They would have to work on that one. The smile of the Unwanted were still creepy, even to Ryan.

  Finally Shara turned to him. Her big gray eyes were just a little too piercing for his liking. Shara knew what the world thought of Artigan. She had also witnessed what Ryan had done to save her people. She bowed her head.

  “Will you teach me how to lie to the world?”

  Ryan laughed.

  “Naturally, oh Elven Queen of the Unwanted, I, Artigan am at your service. There is nobody better than I at making a falsehood into reality.” Ryan did a performer’s bow to the new royalty, lowering himself deeply. “Have no fear, for I have already come up with a plan, one so dastardly, that by the time they realize you cannot enter a portal, it will be too late!”

  The elven queen stared down at the savior that the world knew as a villain.

  For the first time Xxshareshvil giggled.

  And everything was okay.

  why Kraxxsken was so hell-bent on killing his own people. Good work on figuring it out!

  As always is 24 chapters ahead!