“I’ve seen it before?” Davey asked.
[It’s where I inject my power and transform the subject into something like myself. Normally, it happens when I can’t contain my energy and it ends up leaking out, affecting the surroundings. But if you want, it’s possible to do it intentionally.]
Davey paused in thought, recalling the appearances of the demons he had encountered in the past within the Demon World—excluding, of course, the terrifying muscle rabbits.
He remembered the demons wearing pure white tights and stripped down to the waist, with rabbit ears protruding from their heads. They had indeed been a lot larger than the usual petite rabbitfolk. Also, they had evoked a strong sense of discomfort when observing their actions.
The thought made Davey nauseous, yet elicited a smirk.
“Sounds good.”
[Are you sure? You won't regret it?]
“Yeah, I'm sure. Let’s do it.”
Having gotten his agreement, one of the muscular Killer Rabbits flexed its enormous physique and grinned mischievously.
[Then, Davey, can we do three sets of squats together in celebration…?]“I’m going to take your dumbbells away for three weeks.”
[You know, we’re not a charity—]
“Bench press for four weeks.”
[No! Anything but that!]
Its small bead-like eyes narrowed in despair.
But then, the Killer Rabbit’s enormous muscular form began to flicker, turning semi-transparent as sparks appeared across its body.
“What’s happening?” Davey asked.
[Oh… oh?!]
Just as it was about to say something, half of its body suddenly began to dissipate as its presence began to weaken. Its true form could only be described as a massive collective entity, existing everywhere and yet nowhere simultaneously.[1]
Yet—
[The stars… they’re pulling my power?!]
Its voice crackled with distortion, and its form twisted unnaturally. Davey reflexively reached out to stabilize it with mana, but before he could act, the Killer Rabbit tightly grabbed his arm, its beady eyes locking onto his.
In an instant, his perspective had shifted. Before he knew it, he was rushing through a forest and crossing the continent at an incredible speed. Unfortunately, before the journey could finish, the memory feed was abruptly cut off as though a film had been stopped just before the ending.
Whatever the cause, it was clear that something had gone wrong—especially since it had been trying so hard to show Davey a specific scene.
“I don't think there’s a being that can subdue an Ancient Beast this easily?” Davey mused aloud.
Ssss…
The Killer Rabbit who looked at him with hollow eyes silently vanished into thin air, disappearing in an instant. Though he could tell that it wasn’t dead, it was clear that some unknown power had drastically weakened its influence.
“...”
[What just happened?!]
Indra exclaimed, looking around in shock. However, Davey didn’t have an answer to give her. Instead, he stepped to the window, opened it, and snapped his fingers.
Crack! Zzzzttt!
A massive purple magic circle appeared midair. As it grew larger, its glow intensified and a giant black dragon soon appeared.
[Why have you called me?]
“Can I get a ride? I’ll explain on the way.”
In the memory Killer Rabbit had given him, the sky had been torn apart into a massive circular shape.
And beyond it, for the briefest moment, he had seen a vast sea of stars.
* * *
“What am I even looking at?”
“Master Davey, Rinne detects a massive energy signature.”
Using the final memory Killer Rabbit had shared before disappearing, locating the site hadn’t been too difficult. After riding for a little bit, he witnessed a terrifying colossal spectacle in the central continent.
“Who’s there? No unauthorized individuals are allowed beyond this point— Wait! Y-Your Highness, the Princess?!”
“It’s been a while, Sir Deb,” Illyna said with a calm smile.
“Princess! What brings Your Highness here… of all places?”
“I’m here on personal business. But more importantly, what’s going on?”
“That’s…”
The location turned out to be the outskirts of the Pallan Empire. Those within the empire had also taken notice of the impact; there was already a Knight Order investigating. But out of all available Knight Orders, they happened to be the White Bird Order led by Illyna herself.
“May I enter?” she asked.
“Well… technically, it’s not allowed…”
“Sir Deb.”
“Ah… As if I’d refuse your command. But please, don’t stay too long. The mana currents inside are unstable. If anything were to happen to Your Highness, the commander would have my head.”
“Thank you,” she replied, her soft smile making Deb sigh in resignation.
Turning to Davey, Deb then narrowed his eyes.
“You must be very proud of yourself, Saint Davey,” he muttered.
“I suppose I am.”
“Sigh… To think you managed to charm the princess, whom our entire Order holds in such high regard…”
“Sir Deb!” Illyna snapped.
“Ahem! Please, take care of Her Highness, Saint.”
“Don’t worry. Now, what exactly is the situation here?” Davey asked.
“Well, the thing is…”
Deb’s expression darkened as he led them inside.
“A meteorite fell from the sky.”
“A meteorite?”
“Yes. And according to the farmers who witnessed its fall, it wasn’t just any ordinary meteorite.”
Meteorites that carried remnants of dying stars were not unheard of. Yet, Davey couldn’t help but wonder if the strange mana lingering in the area was simply from the aftermath of a meteorite’s strike. Or rather, he couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that such a significant event could happen because of a simple meteorite strike.
The crater stretched for tens of meters, with no visible fragments of the meteorite. Instead, the crater was embedded with countless shards of glowing, multicolored light—as if a shining meteorite had shattered. It almost seemed more fitting to say they were glass fragments, instead of rock.
The problem was that it had caused Killer Rabbit’s form to vanish.
At the center of the crater was the wreckage of a shattered carriage. Even without taking a closer look, Davey already knew who the owner of the carriage was.
Duke Sharen of Shan Kingdom.
A meteorite had precisely struck the carriage carrying him.
He couldn’t help but wonder at the literal astronomical odds, pondering whether it could be considered fortune or misfortune—given the extent of the devastation, it was almost impossible to imagine that the Duke had survived.
“What happened to the person driving the carriage?”
“Unfortunately, we found fragments of the coachman’s remains, but we still found no trace of the individual riding inside,” Deb reported. “However… based on this brooch found at the scene, we suspect the carriage belonged to Duke Sharen of the Shan Kingdom.”
Davey clicked his tongue as he looked at the brooch.
“Lucky, or unlucky,” Davey mused, dismissing any lingering grudge he held toward the Duke. He knew the incident he caused wasn’t of much significance, certainly not enough for Davey to bring him back from the dead just to punish him.
At that moment, a nervous farmer approached, looking pale.
“Sir… What should I do now?”
“Ah, you’ve come at just the right time.”
Deb ushered the farmer forward, presenting him to Illyna and Davey. Meanwhile, Aeria, Perserque, and Rinne were scouring the wreckage for more clues.
“May I ask what happened here?” Illyna asked. “It certainly doesn’t seem like an ordinary meteorite impact.”
“Oh! There is no need to talk to me so politely, Your Highness! A commoner like me doesn’t deserve to be addressed so formally!”
"Feel free to speak openly. Her Highness the Princess doesn’t bother with unnecessary formalities,” Davey said.
“It’s fine. Please, just tell us what you saw.”
“If you insist… I was returning from gathering medicinal herbs in the mountains,” the farmer explained nervously. “My son had a terrible fever, so I had gone to fetch some fevergrass.”
“Did you see its fall?”
The farmer nodded frantically.
“Yes, Your Highness. While resting on the mountainside, I saw it! The sky suddenly tore open, and this— this gigantic, sparkling stone fell out! I’ve never seen anything that big or sparkly in my life.”
“Sparkly?”
“Yes, yes! It was like a rainbow, shining with all sorts of colors… After the impact, there was a huge quake, and pieces of the meteorite were scattered everywhere, flying through the air like a swarm of bugs.”
“Like that?” Davey interjected, pointing toward the crater, where multicolored fragments were floating and clustering together.
“Exactly like that!” the farmer exclaimed, clapping his hands in recognition. “Just like… huh?”
Crack…!
It happened in an instant.
Apart from the death of Duke Sharen, the floating motes of light had converged, creating bizarre rifts in the air. From these rifts, a long, cylindrical object suddenly shot out, hurtling straight toward the terrified farmer.
Clang!
Reacting instinctively, Davey deflected the attack. However, the impact was far heavier than he expected.
“...”
“Gaaah!”
The farmer collapsed to the ground. The knights who saw the massive object that had attacked him quickly drew their swords.
“Something’s emerging! Form a perimeter! Your Highness, step back immediately!” Deb barked, his tone urgent.
The knights from the White Bird Order locked their gazes on the multicolored rifts hanging ominously in the air. The colossal pillar-like object, which had just attacked the farmer, slowly began retracting back into the rift.
Beyond the rift lay a dark void that resembled outer space, studded with countless gleams of light resembling stars. Davey wondered if tearing the sky open and directly connecting the view to outer space would resemble something like this.
Then, dozens of rifts, each roughly two meters in diameter, appeared in the area. The tension thickened as everyone braced for whatever could possibly come next.
“Please step back!!”
Creeeak…
The tension doubled soon after when the pillar fully retreated into the rift.
Davey had heard of these kinds of things before. The power and presence seemed familiar, yet unfamiliar as well.
“What in the world…? Was that a sword?” Illyna muttered, voice trembling as realization dawned on her.
Indeed, the massive pillar was an enormous sword. The air grew heavy, almost suffocating, as the blade vanished completely into the rift.
Then, figures began to emerge from the other rifts. Eight figures clad in pitch-black armor stepped forward.
“This air is so primitive,” one of them muttered in a cold, disdainful voice.
It was easy to tell that each figure possessed immense power. However, their power felt foreign and alien, as if they didn’t truly belong to this world.
“Who are you?! Do you realize that you've just invaded the territory of the Pallan Empire? Identify yourself immediately!” Sir Deb demanded.
The leading figure among the black-armored entities lifted his head. Through the slits of its helm, his glowing red eyes flickered. Deb tensed up at the sight.
“You possess decent strength. Still, it’s not enough to even touch me. But fine, I guess I’ll take this opportunity to show lesser beings their place.”
The figure pulled out a small dagger from his neck sheath with the sound of scraping metal.
“This should suffice against someone of your level. Come at me.”
Their race seemed different from any the observers had seen before. But still, they didn’t feel like mere aliens from space. Davey found them amusing, so he decided to sit back and watch the situation unfold. Sir Deb, on the other hand, ground his teeth in fury and pointed his sword at the figure.
“Don’t underestimate me! I won’t stand for this disrespect!”
The armored knight had mocked Sir Deb by discarding his own sword and instead drawing a dagger that almost felt toy-like. For a proud knight like Deb, it was the ultimate insult.
Blade energy befitting an expert swordsman ignited around his blade. Without hesitation, he lunged at the armored figure with relentless aggression.
Clang!! Clank! Clash!!
In mere moments, their blades collided three, then four times. They exchanged clashes so smoothly it was as if they knew both of their next moves. They slid past each other, switching positions seamlessly, with each thrust and parry aimed for a lethal blow.
While the blade energy Deb let out was that of an expert swordsman, his real combat experience far surpassed most knights of his rank.
“Hm… Interesting,” the black-armored knight murmured, parrying the attacks. He even managed to counter with precise and forceful strikes.
Strictly speaking, the black-armored knight was superior; in fact, he was holding back, so Deb was clearly no match for him.
“I regret to inform you,” the knight said, his crimson eyes glowing faintly, “that you lack experience and skill. There is no swordsmanship that can compare to the techniques of the Sword Lord. Your efforts are commendable, however, and I think highly of your courage to challenge me with your inferior skills.”
With that, the knight twisted his dagger slightly.
Cling!!
A peculiar ripple of energy pulsed from the dagger, sending Deb’s sword flying.
“Gaaa?!”
As Deb lost his balance, the black knight advanced without hesitation, spinning the dagger in his hand like a drumstick in the middle of a bombastic drum solo. He swiftly kicked Deb’s body to the ground, his foot pressing firmly against him as he prepared to drive the dagger into his shoulder.
Davey could’ve stayed back and kept watching, but letting someone die in front of him wasn’t something he wanted haunting his dreams later.
[Blink]
In a single stride, he could flash to wherever he wanted. He appeared in between the two, striking the flat of the black knight’s blade with his palm and diverting its trajectory.
“...”
The knight immediately retreated and put a distance between them.
“Hmm…” His voice carried a tinge of intrigue. “You were able to read the path of my blade. To think someone in this land could perceive and deflect my strikes.”
Davey thought about what he said and wondered where they had come from. Most dimensions were already under his control, yet none had held any records of beings like this. Their sudden appearance wasn’t just improbable—it was impossible.
He knew nothing truly appeared out of thin air. In other words, this meant they had existed outside his domain. They were both present and somewhere beyond his control.
Davey looked at his palm, where a sinister black energy lingered briefly before dispersing.
He then turned back to the figure and asked—
1. Friendly reminder that Killer Rabbit is an Ancient Beast more akin to a hive mind or broodmother than a singular monster. Davey here has been speaking to the hive mind Killer Rabbit whose consciousness descended for their conversation, while the muscular rabbits are still called Killer Rabbits despite not exhibiting the same intelligence at any given moment. ☜
ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook's Thoughts
Editorb’s Thoughts
At least this arrogant enemy isn’t necessarily a young master
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