Chapter 431: Day 1

Chapter 431: Day 1

'HAHAHAHAHAHAH I KNEW IT!! IT WAS ALL JUST A NIGHTMARE!! LIKE ANY OF THAT WOULD EVER HAPPEN!! A demon lord randomly showing up to question me!? Adam losing to a fraud like Moby Kane and Kai Fatebringer!? In what world!?"

"HAHAHAHA!!" His laughter continued, youthful and filled with life. It reached to all ends of his estate and had almost made the ground shake from where he stood from the pure emotions emanating from him.

"Supreme General sir! Is— Is there a problem!?" A man burst through the door unannounced. He wore an all-black suit, his jet black hair was slicked back and shined brightly under the golden light, and his face of worry was covered in subtle sweat.

"HHAHAHAA— Oh! Joey!" The supreme general halted his laugh acknowledging his faithful butler. "Don't mind me boy, I was just having a good time! The big tournament is today after all!" He continued.

"Ah— That's great sir! I'm delighted to see you so happy!" He wiped the sweat along with the concern from his face. I will get everything ready for you! If you need any assistance please don't hesitate to call!"

Joey deeply bowed before his master and gracefully exited the room, leaving the supreme general all alone once more with an even greater grin on his face.

The joy and relief from the deepest depths of his heart made him want to burst into laughter once more, yet he managed to control himself from doing so.

With a spring in his step, he hopped out of bed and immediately went to the washroom, showered and brushed his teeth before dawning his special military attire for the day using his storage ring.

And before he left, he made sure to inspect himself in his grand mirror, ensuring all looked appropriate, smiling in various poses, something he could not remember doing in years— He almost felt like a new man.

Upon leaving his room, he was met with an all too familiar long corridor, yet he wasted no time walking, instead, he teleported to the dining hall where his breakfast had already been prepared, along with a special guest who came to visit for this special day.

"Ho-ho! Adam! It seems like my grandson has come to visit me today!" He laughed upon his arrival, quickly taking a seat in front of his plate, his grandson on the other side of the table.

"Greetings grandfather." Adam swiftly raised himself and bowed. "It is only natural I would come to see you on such a day."

"Hahaha! No need for formalities boy! We're family!" He laughed zealously.

"As you wish," Adam slowly nodded and took his seat once more.

"It's been a while since we last met! How is training?"

"Excellent grandfather, I have all but perfected what you have taught me." His voice was almost gray and monotone as he spoke eating his food.

"I'm glad to hear!" He smiled brightly.

"Grandfather… Excuse my words but… You seem… Odd today…"

"Oh me? hm hm! I'm just happy! Why shouldn't I be! My grandson will take first place and bring honour to the family! Why don't you seem happy?"

"Yes… Indeed I will win… Quiet easily at that… No one in this school could hold a candle to my power… That is fact... Maybe even law..."

"Indeed!" He proudly nodded.

"But that's the problem… Apologies grandfather… But I truly want a challenge…" He lowered his head and gritted his teeth.

The supreme general halted and gazed intently.

'In my dream, this never happened… … But, I always knew this boy wanted a challenge… Huh, I guess that's the difference between dream and reality,' He inwardly snickered.

"Don't worry boy! Once you graduate, in the real world you will face much hardship! That I can guarantee!"

"... … …"

There was no response, and the room grew awkward before he once again tried to restart the conversation.

"So, who in this tournament are you keeping your eyes on?"

"... Normally, I would say no one… But from rumour, and my gut instinct… I'd really like to face this Moby Kane fellow…"

"M— Moby Kane…" The supreme general's voice shifted, and Adam clearly took notice as he looked up with brighter eyes.

"You know him?"

"Oh— Well of course! That boy is kinda famous you know? He is a top student at this school, but beyond that, he's nothing to worry about!"

"Oh… That's a shame… Last night, I had a dream… A dream of a good fight with an equal, I don't remember who had won… His face was obscured in my memory, but I believed it to be Moby Kane… *Sigh* I've never been a person to believe superstition, but here I am…"

Upon hearing those words, the general's heart skipped a beat, and the thump that came after rattled his entire chest. However, he could not let a stupid dream sway his heart, so he disregarded it.

"I feel your pain boy! I truly do! But don't fret! Don't fall for such superstition! Here is advice from an old sage-like me…. You understand reality, you know what is real and what is fake! If something seems too unreal to occur, then that is most definitely the case! That's how it's been all my life!"

"Th— Thank you, grandfather… I truly do not deserve such kindness, I am truly grateful for everything, and I will surely pay you back in the future."

♦️ ♦️ ♦️

Breakfast had ended, and Adam once again left to prepare at his own dorm. From the moment he had entered his very own grandfather's house, he had spoken no words to anyone but the supreme general, such was how he normally was, so he paid it no heed.

There was little more to be done, and preparations ensued as usual, all handled by the young butler Joey before the supreme general finally made it to his own special VR room where he would attend the tournament.

And as he fell dormant within his machine, his mind wandered off to his new reality, seated upon a grand throne looking over the waves and waves of ant-sized masses chearing below.

The arena itself looked identical to that of his memory, and the cheering was just as energetic as he imagined, filling him with much-needed strength.

His fellow judges had already arrived sat next to him, acknowledging his greatness by lowering their heads.

And now that he had finally arrived it was finally time to begin…

The students were then soon after teleported upon the stage, gazing upon all the wonders of this reality before gawking up at his greatness at the canopy.

He smiled down at them proudly, yet he grimaced for a mere instant when he noticed a familiar face, his eyes of green looking aimlessly past his messy yet oddly pleasant-looking hair of black and red.

'Kane…'

However, that grimace indeed only lasted for an instant, for in the next instant his expression completely changed…

His body quivered, his eyes trembled, and his arms clenched tightly. His expression changed into primal fear, and all that Kane did was simply lazily glance at his direction and smirk with an absolutely dwarfing aura.

And as he blinked, the smirk and the aura had suddenly disappeared like they had never even been there, which was the only logical conclusion.

'That damned nightmare is making my eyes play tricks on me!'

Luckily, it seemed like none noticed anything. He shook his head and once again wore his mask of greatness, raising his hands to address the crowd with a great speech of his own. His voice kind yet demanding respect.

♦️ ♦️ ♦️

What followed was standard. The opening ceremony was usual and was oddly similar to his nightmare, yet far from exact, which the supreme general only attributed to his impeccable memory and imagination.

The tournament then began, and the rounds randomized were familiar… They were identical to his nightmare.

That was the first sign of clear unease in his heart, yet still, he did not mind it.

Like before, Moby Kane had the very first round of the tournament, and there he sat in his special room with his great friend, Pope Rutherfurd.

The match that had transpired seemed too familiar, and the power Kane displayed gave him goosebumps.

When he looked over to his friend smoking on his couch, he could not help but feel the unease that he had been there before.

"That man! He's up to something! He might be some sort of demon! Kai Fatebringer! Inspect him too just in case!"

This time, the supreme general made certain to be even more adamant. Even he himself could not believe his nightmare was anything more, yet deep down, he felt like there may have been merit to suspicion, especially after what he had seen.

"Fatebringer? They would never…" The pope casually laughed, taking a puff of his cigar.

"Just use the cube on them! There's no harm in doing so no!? What if they are heathens!? Then we'd get a big reward!"

"Cade old friend, you need to calm down. You're stressed over nothing. After we took care of his parents, I sensed him with the cube, and nothing came up. I've had a close relationship with the Fatebringers, and the cube has never reacted, he's completely safe! And as you know, there is no conceivable way to turn a human into one of those heathens, so there should be no worry. Unless you're trying to tell me you know something I don't?"

"No! Of course, you know more than me! But—"

"I'm sorry Cade, but I've got to get going… Normally, I'd call anyone like you crazy, but since it's you, I give you more credit. You may be onto something I don't know. I'll think it over. For you Cade, I'd do anything. Don't take my playful banter too seriously. I don't know, maybe I'm just denying it because I'm too afraid to consider if it's true…" He stood up and left the room, leaving the supreme general stunned, all alone once more with a sense of unfathomable deja vu.

♦️ ♦️ ♦️

"Welcome! To the last qualifying match of the day! One that has been much anticipated! Adam Walker, grandson of our supreme general and Kai Fatebringer! The boy of flames!" The announcer yelled as the crowd roared.

"Supreme General, you look shaken, what is it on your mind? Are you worried?" Ashley Orbec, leader of the Flame Seekers asked.

"Oh, me, worried? No no!" He laughed. "My grandson will surely win, there is no doubt! If you think otherwise you're just being a bias fire user!"

"Huhu! I wouldn't be so sure! Fatebringer has shown much promise in the last few matches! This is no bias at all!" She proudly proclaimed.

"Yes yes, I know. I've watched them too as I was doing paperwork, but he still stands no chance!"

"Huh," Ashley looked rather stunned, keeping a keen gaze upon her supreme general. "Well, let's just watch and enjoy the show! Shall we?"

The supreme general took several deep breaths, blood pressure was already at an all-time high trying to keep himself under control, yet even with all his mental preparations, none could prepare him for the ensuing nightmare ready to occur…

Threw the bright flames and thick shadows, the supreme general's mind went rampant.

'This… this can't be happening… HOW IS FATEBRINGER WINNING!? AM I STILL IN THAT DAMNED NIGHTMARE!! WHAT IS THHISSS!!" He leaned in closer, my fists clenched tightly in anger and his eyes nearly bursting out their sockets.

And as soon as his hands closed, the tide of the match shifted as expected, yet it was still a back and forth of immense power almost none could keep up with or see.

"Supreme General… I thought you weren't worried! You look pretty stressed to me!" Ashley smugly proclaimed.

"Me? Stressed! No no no!" He shook his head, trying to calm the nerves that had taken control of him.

"Hmmm… Supreme general… Open that fist of yours…"

"Excuse me?"

"It's shaking like crazy… My flames have healing and soothing properties, maybe I can…" She slowly reached over to open his fists… His heart sped up, time slowed, and his survival instincts kicked in.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!!" He angrily shook his hands away, taking all beside him by surprise.

"..."

In that moment of awkward silence, within the darkness of the fading shadows, a victor appeared, Adam Walker standing proud over his fallen foe with an expression of sadness and joy indescribable.

And upon seeing the result, his hands opened in relief, and he slid his back once again towards his chair with a sigh that turned sombre.

"Apologies for that. I didn't mean to hurt or startle. Yes, I may have been slightly worried about the results, and clenching his fists is a way of stress relief. That Kai Fatebringer is much stronger than I thought, but my words still stand that he stood no chance." He smiled.

"No sir… I must be the one to apologize… I had another motive— nothing sinister of course!" She made sure to clarify. "I just thought that there may have been something else… If you don't mind, can I ask you a simple question with a lie detecto—"

"No… young miss... How dare you ask such a thing? Maybe I got too friendly... Had you forgotten who I am!? Not only do I not kneel to such tests but I've also much to do now!!" He angrily released his drowning aura of darkness.

And, with clear grandness and superiority in his step, he closed his eyes and stood up out of his seat, leaving through the teleporter without batting an eye to anyone else.

"FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!! WHAT'S GOING ON!! SHE… SHE COULDN'T HAVE!! BUT SHE HAS NO PROOF!! BUT THE SUSPICIONS ARE STILL THERE NOW!!"

"Agghhh! I'll deal with her later! Now! KAI FATEBRINGER!! HOW IS HE— HE'S A DEMON!!" He screamed in realization within the seclusion of his own room.

"I NEED TO KILL HIM NOW!! HE AND—"

And as he yelled, his voice suddenly stopped by an all too familiar aura, and a sound that had left a scar on his very soul.

"A demon? Kill him now? How did you figure that out? Hmmmm… You may be smarter than I gave you credit for supreme general…"

His spirit lurched, the air felt thin around him, and his eyes shook uncontrollably seeing that luscious hair of very bright purple, standing up to reveal her smirking, demonic face.

"AH— AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Like a little girl, he screeched. His legs gave out, landing him on his bottom.

And through the deafening scream, the girl's smile only increased, amused by what she had seen, like his face that well surpassed the worst terror was art and like his horrid voice was music to her ears.

His entire body sensed fear, and every fibre of his being screamed for an escape. And in his quick thinking, he raised his hands to his head in surrender, only to press upon his forehead, allowing him to escape this hellish space and return back to his VR pod in the real world.

*huh huh* he heavily puffed, running out of his secured room.

"Oh, supreme general, welcome back! We were—"

The sense of looming danger never escaped, it was primal fear, nothing but survival mattered in this reality. Through several servants, he ran without paying heed.

His mind was in distress, absolute chaos, yet the path he was headed to for dear life was more than clear… To his room… In the safe where he kept his most prized possession.

However, that once clear path was suddenly halted by a wall, a wall made of sand and adamantine at the same time…

In his secluded teleportation room which only he had access to, stood another, yet it was not that demon lord from before, this time, it was a man with a similar purple gaze, leaning onto a wall almost waiting for his arrival…

"Supreme General… You didn't arrive for the final round! So we were all tasked to look for you since you would not answer! I asked the guards to let me— " Moby Kane moved forward and smirked with that same spine-shivering gaze.

"You… I'll... FUCKING KILL YOU!!" At a speed untraceable to most, he lunged over to him, yet his fists did not connect…

Instead, he was met with unimaginable, burning pain that left him crying and rolling on the ground… Only the shadow of a voice addressing him from above.

"Oh… So you knew I had ulterior motives? Well, doesn't matter, only means I'm gonna have to do this the hard way… Let's just get straight into business... Supreme General… I have a few questions for you… What the hell did you do to my parents? And what ticked you off about me?"

"Aghhh— Wha— Who… Who are you…" He looked up to meet his hellish gaze.

"I am asking the questions! Do you really think you're in the position to question me!?" As he witnessed him speak, he quivered, gritting his teeth and clenching his body preparing for the pain.

"Hmph… Well, maybe you do deserve to know… Remember this well human… I, am Moby Kane… The future demon lord… You never stood a chance, so don't try... There is no escape… Satisfied?"

"D— D— D-D-Demon Lord…"

"Now… Will you answer me? Or must I torture you with the worst pain imaginable for you to speak and maybe jog your memory…"

"..."

"N— No… Please no… This can't be real… SOMEONE SAVE MEEEEEEEEE— Agh— "