"How about this one?" Therick asked as we were looking around the quest board for a mission that might be fun and valuable.

"Goblins," I said as read over the details. A horde had gotten way too big and was now threatening nearby settlements. "They're not the most pleasant of enemies to fight."

"I think we should take it. Because, well, you know."

This outbreak was at least very partially my fault. The two idiot countries were now waging bio-terrorism just because I did it first.

"Fine," I agreed. The mission was on the harder side, but truthfully, that was only a point in its favor. It would just be a boring chore otherwise. "It's got my vote."

The rest of our friends quickly agreed on this quest too, either happy and obligated to help, or just content to stick around with the group.

The adventurers then made way for us as we went to the receptionists to have our quests processed. That was weird, but not unwelcome. I so hated waiting in lines. It was good of them to be so considerate of their 'hero.'

~~~

"Pour the poison mana here," Moonwash commanded as our wagons trudged along, but the baby lizekto only continued to hiss and spit at her. My girlfriend had bought all the books and the knowledge on how to train wild and monstrous wildlife, but it was another thing entirely to put any of those into practice, if it would even work at all. No one had any material on how to train a lizekto specifically, and for all we knew, it was impossible to begin with.

"Bad. Be a good boy," she deadpanned and I laughed. Fuck, this was so not going to work. Certainly not with either of us at the head of the project. I might have to find some deserted area to release the creature. It'd be quite fucked up to kill the monster that we'd raised from a baby.

That, or we'd resort to using mind magic. Upon reflection, I had decided that I could live with that. The lizekto was not sapient, and it wasn't all that much more fucked up than the other methods used to get wild animals to behave. Hell, I'd used my fair share of mental effects on people in live and active combat.

I had to draw the line somewhere, and using mind magic to train a monster was… still safe.

Not that Moonwash needed my permission, but, well, it was good to have the conversation. It could be fatal to the relationship, moral disagreements were naturally like that, but so would the attempt to never talk about it.

~~~

We made it to the horde. After journeying through the rainforest and having to deal with the constant ambushes, I finally came face to face once more with the deranged nests of these fuckers. So many twitching carcasses were piled high in the massive clearing they'd made, thankfully of mostly wildlife for they had not managed to take over an entire settlement yet. The trees were sagging, the atmosphere bleak, for their auras had combined to make the very environment hostile.

A bungeepider dropped down on us and desperately tried to keep on trying to kill me instead of retreating back into the canopy. The insanity of this place had spread even to them.

"GAAAAAARRRR!"

"KIYAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

I heard the screams of the goblins. They were charging right at us, madness in their eyes. We had gotten way too close, and they responded to the malice of their fellows.

Very well then. Let me show you that your insanity is but vanity in the face of true wrath!

I let loose. These were enemies who deserved my hatred. I didn't care that they were sapient. It didn't matter that they were never given a choice. My curse shall be a curse upon their own. I would rip the faces off their skulls and rid the world of this menace!

I swung, and their small and flimsy bodies folded like paper against the sheer momentum of my sword. They kept coming, undeterred by the demise of their friends. One corpse fell over the other, until suddenly, their bodies had become piled high like walls and mounds, clogging up the space in between the trees. That served as kindling for the hellfire to devour, setting this entire part of the rainforest alight. Ashes smothered the air, but this did nothing to quell the violence. The screams of our enemies grated upon our ears, but they did not have the decency to even slow down. So I screamed even louder than my opponents as I pierced through them through the mountains of their own dead companions.

And yet, the tide continued. The dying screams of their brethren only summoned more. Already, the bodies left behind were beginning to twitch as they twisted back to life once more. I burned it all, but the mounds acted like wombs, allowing those inside who were more insulated from the flames to have a chance at being born again. That was the fate that awaited us if we lost, but I would never allow them to claim victory, and neither would my friends.

They stood like rock against a river. Our tactics had been honed for literal decades now, and everyone here but Therick was able to present a thick wall of shields and bodies. And he still had an important role to fill in plugging up any gaps with a storm of blades meant to kill.

The goblins had a hard time piercing through their defenses, while our counterattack never stopped coming. The trees began to fall, and the battlefield became even more cluttered, as great workings of magic crashed upon our foes. From great and sharp winds, to the very ground under their feet betraying them, we had an impressive arsenal of elements on our side.

Meanwhile, I watched and listened for potential instructions from Granuel. He identified the greatest individual threats, and I slammed through the other goblins in my way to quickly kill them, usually with just one powerful strike. This tactic continued, even when a goblin lord showed her ugly face. Wielding a dirty but well-made sword, she swung straight for my throat with glee. But that twisted happiness quickly disappeared when she felt the confluence of my wrath and found herself pushed back. A thousand cuts blossomed upon her body by the residual energy, and the mythril of my greatsword swung again before she could put her guard up, thereby finally ending her life.

"There's more of them coming!" Granuel shouted. "Retreat!"

I growled. I had still more to give. My prey was right there and they were not yet dead. I would not rest until they had all burned alive!

But, that could all come later. There were a bunch more gold-rank goblins coming. And the thick aura of this place was certainly weighing more on my companions than it did to me. I agreed to run, so I pushed my body even harder to deal as much damage as I could while presenting myself as the juiciest target for the goblins' malicious little minds.

They fell for the bait, and I became locked in a deadly struggle. My combat experience showed, as though my body began to fall apart, most of that damage was self-inflicted. I allowed my own aura to escape my skin for the first time this fight, as did my evil eyes widen in their malicious intent. These abominations were too insane to respond to fear like normal fucking creatures, but they will not ignore me completely. Their bodies ceased for a second, to listen to Moonwash's beautiful voice.

"Explosive Gale."

I got behind her and the slab of rock she had drawn on just in time. The forest was already terribly on fire, and all that heat was blown back towards the goblin and their 'home' beyond. The weaker ones were swept away altogether, all crashing horribly against their fellows or the environment. Trees fell like guillotines, crushing the goblins in between without mercy. And the thousands of flaming corpses flew, to invite their living brethren into the same embrace of death.

So many of the green fuckers died today, but not nearly enough. Many yet survived, and they would be able to rebuild. But the ritual was certainly distracting, and we were able to make our exit with little chase. So that we may one day return, and slaughter all who remained.

~~~

It did not take a day.

I flew through the air and looked down upon the putrid goblins down below. I could smell them from here… and I hated how that wasn't an exaggeration. I gathered my magic, I drew my bow, their shaman noticed me, but it was too little too late.

The rain of hell had begun.

Fires that drove them into a frenzy. Wrath that tore their bodies apart. The same elements embedded into arrows, denser, more condensed, to affect them from the inside out.

I unleashed all my fury upon their population. They roared and they panicked, but they could not reach the source of their own pathetic and crazed anger. Only the shaman had a shot, but his own projectiles all missed. For I flew with the grace of the harpies, as their experience had been imparted unto me.

It was a massacre.

Before I knew it, half my enemies were dead.

A bird suddenly entered my vision, and I tried to dive to the side, but the thing was too damn fast.

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The Level 40 halbird crashed into me, and its own massive bulk sent us sprawling all the way to the other side of the clearing, and into the canopy below.

"SKREEE!!!" It screeched for my hellfire had spread through its feathers. My whole intimidation package followed, and the powerful creature shivered in fright, more so than I thought it should. I kicked the thing off of me, and delivered a slash that might be fatal. The bird flew down, and I shook myself off, but then I felt a sudden presence just before it managed to grab onto one of my wings.

"FUCK!" I yelled and exploded with magic, but the belfegor man who had grabbed on only flinched but did not let go. I tried to yank him off, but his grip proved too strong. I swung my greatsword wide and ripped a chunk out of his face that still looked like tree bark, but the angle was bad so he lived and continued to hamper my own movements.

I cut off my own wing.

That allowed me time to finally turn around and orient myself, with the help of the one wing that remained.

I saw that my adversary was already reaching out for another attempt to hold me down, and I could respect that spirit.

I had all the opening I needed, and that respect did nothing to hold back the endless tide of my wrath.

My frustration over this situation culminated into a slash that tore through his face in a jagged and expansive line that went all the way down his torso.

The curse destroyed his brain and shattered his heart, and no matter what resolve, he had no choice then but to slump over dead.

"HAELL!"

I heard Granuel's shout.

Moonwash was immediately onto me, healing with her magic. Therick arrived next and asked, "What happened?"

"A bird knocked me out of the air straight into a–" the words died in my throat, for I was interrupted by Granuel giving another shout.

"FUCK! Someone else is coming!" He concentrated. "…And she's strong!"

I snapped back unto my feet, uncaring of how my body might still hurt all over. I allowed Moonwash to continue healing me with nature magic in the waning sunlight as we waited for the few seconds it took for our adversary to make herself known.

It was a templar in shining golden armor, wielding a greatsword of her own and standing taller than I was.

There was no time to negotiate. She was immediately on me, and I retaliated with the same force. The clash of our weapons reverberated through the forest, but I knew that I would lose the endurance battle. So I immediately belted out my magic and bathed her in curse and hellfire. My opponent grunted terribly, but she did not let up one bit. My intimidation package barely caused a pause in her either. Templars were made of sterner stuff despite supposedly being much more heavily inoculated with mind magic.

I did notice one thing, however. She was holding back. She was avoiding going for the vitals. This was a fucking capture, and they had it planned!

"I knew something was fishy!" I shouted just as Granuel's own projectiles came in a bid to distract the woman. "Granuel, eyes alert! They're trying to capture me!"

More projectiles came from my allies, though they did not dare close against an opponent like this. But it was enough, especially with Moonwash's help, for she just had more firepower as the highest leveled of us here. The stranger would soon bend under the pressure of our combined might and die.

That's when she heaved and gave a great slash against myself. I was pushed back, but I immediately recovered and landed a powerful blow against her chest. My opponent coughed and staggered back, but that was enough time for her to eat something.

It was a repository of some kind, and now her wounds healed at a more rapid pace. She did not delay any longer and jumped back into battle, now with enough force to overwhelm me in strength. Moonwash managed to decode what was happening and said, "Blood magic."

"A body enhancer," I growled with a tinge of respect. Her movements had become more sloppy, so I took it that she hadn't quite mastered it as powerfully as I had. It was still enough to put me on the back hoof. I would be worried if I were alone, but she was still not strong enough to overcome all six of us here.

"Shit!" Granuel cursed. "More enemies inbound."

My eyes narrowed further against my opponent. I felt for my surroundings, and could vaguely feel a threat hanging through the air.

"Shit, shit!" my friend shouted again. "They have more gold rankers! We can't take this! They have us surrounded!"

I trusted his assessment. He knew what I was capable of after all this time with each other. I wasn't arrogant enough to think I could take these many gold-rankers at once either, especially not when they were so organized.

"Calm down!" Therick steadied our friend. "Where to? They can't be all level 40! We can punch through!"

That was a good plan. But as my frantic duel with the unknown templar continued, I knew that she would not just let us leave.

I clicked my tongue. I grew more desparate and forced an opening to rake my greatsword through her face, but her helmet prevented some of the damage, and her blood magic healed the massive wound that was left. Cursed magic crashed into her next, filled with the anti-healing powers of the menace, but it was still not enough to kill her here and now.

"Fuck!" I screamed. I shouted at the world. I remembered my time on Earth. I recalled the moments just before my death. I allowed the tears to fall free. I couldn't believe I was doing this again. I couldn't do this again. But I had to make a choice, so I spoke before I could think and hesitate any further. "Go."

"Haell, you can't!" Angerly immediately understood what I meant.

"No." Moonwash outright refused.

"You have to come with us!" Berry was desparate. "We'll just kill her first! Now!"

"DIE ALREADY!!!" Granuel shouted and tossed even larger boulders of rock.

In response, the templar before me only redoubled her efforts, forcing me back. I was the one they were after, so there would certainly be no escape for me.

"Don't worry," I smiled, bereft of the turbulent ocean of wrath that I felt inside. "Do not worry. I got this."

"No. I'm staying," my girlfriend continued to insist as she released the greatest pillar of lightning in this fight so far. I knew I would not be able to convince her with empty platitudes.

"Please," so I pleaded. "Go."

"I won't let you die."

"But I might anyway. And at this rate, we all will."

"Then I'll die with you."

"Which would accomplish nothing!" I unleashed the confluence of my wrath and pushed the templar hounding me away. I took the small break to look her in the eye. "If I die, which I do not plan to, then avenge me. MAKE THEM FEEL MY WRATH FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE!!!"

That got through to her. Moonwash nodded gravely.

I glanced at everyone else for perhaps the final time and nodded. Therick looked back guiltily as he was already poised to escape, but that was good. I needed them to not look back.

"TAKE THEM!" I left another weeping gash through the templar's armor and flesh. "LEAVE!"

My friends finally listened to reason, and they ran away, but I could already see our enemies closing in. More templars, a few shepherds, an important-looking kobold man, and even some monsters who had crossed over to level 40. Their eyes were mostly on me, but I could see that they'd impede the exit of my friends anyway if they could, and they certainly had enough forces to do so.

"Fuck," I whispered again. A sigh and a chuckle both escaped my lips. To think that I would end my second life in much the same way. I really didn't think myself the sort. I was a fucking demon for fuck's sake. The most selfish of them all. I really did not want to die. And that was not what this was about.

I will make sure that they can focus on no one but me.

And then I will Kill. Them. All.

~~~

Kill her kill her KILL them kill everyone here rip through her flesh SWIM on her innards DEVOUR them all make her friends eat and cannibalize they dare capture me I will CAPTURE them and blend them and crush them and paste them and BURN them and drown them and bury them and kill them again kill whatever is born the trees that sprout the sun that rises the people that see nothing I WILL kill them all destroy their homes topple nations piss on flags burn the forests drown the seas suffocate the air crack the world churn churn CHURN the planet and all I hate HATE HATEHATEHATE–

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

I jumped at the pathetic, bleeding, dying, quivering, templar who should long be dead. She flinched and flailed, her strikes weak for her mind was weak, unwilling to kill the obvious enemy. I would kill her for it, I would rip out her skin, cook her within, for trapping me here, for forcing me to be like this again. I ripped through her torso, I pried it open, crushed and destroyed and demolished and minced all the organs within. Spill her lifeblood, pull out the guts and innards, until she finally dies dies die dies dies dies die–She was gone. An impact on my head. Hands grabbing for me. I sliced off the limbs. Armor crumpled, weak as paper, bent, broken, and the rotting flesh within melted and spilled. Magic poured out, I created a hell of my own where all my enemies may burn and suffer as they screamed and begged but there would never be any relief, no forgiveness, not for them. I smeared their bodies into the floor, I showed the templars why their gods were useless, I slaughtered the shepherds they so protected, cherished, for I will take from them what they took from me. They sent monsters, but they did not know I was the true monster, as even a lavox was not spared, its bite on my legs a mere flesh wound while all of its flesh was turned into a wound peeled inside out smeared and forgotten. An orc, a bear, the bird I already killed, they tore into me as I tore into them in turn but in the end it was I who was still standing and I did not forgive their masters, I fucking tore into them too as they stupidly still tried to take me alive when none of us would escape death today. I would kill them all, I would burn down this forest, I would destroy all the countries, all the cities, all the people, for none of them deserved to persist and I would be their end. A fire suddenly enveloped me, raising the heat further and coating my skin in metal lava, but we were already in fucking hell. I pounced on the kobold, the stupid prick was out of breath from his stupid stunt, and I would make sure it was his last. A slash, a slam, a smash, fucking die, but he evaded, he defended, my strikes weaker, I was growing weaker, that I couldn't accept. I could not end before they did. My arms were falling off, but they were still attached, so I fucking used them. I had bled all over as I bled them in turn, and my blood detonated for my destruction was its destruction. Chaos. Chaos, chaos chaos. They were confused, they were panicked, they were not looking when I stabbed them and they could not stop me once I had my talons into their guts. They died and that made these ingrates even more hysteric, their positions weaker, and myself bathing in their blood for they could not defend themselves. I waded through their lifebloodwater when I felt more bones break and muscles tear, my body paused and it halted, but I would not allow this to be the end. Not without taking those who had taken everything from me with me. I reached deep and hard for more power, no matter the fucking source, even if I have to sacrifice– sacrifice… SaCRiFiicE— The very magic that I wished to use rebelled. Something buried. It fucking dared? It was my power and I would use it to kill whoever I wished but now I remembered I understood I would destroy myself I would kill myself I would kill them but I might not even get them all not the people here, not the people beyond. I needed more death. My wrath is not sated. Not until I was the only one left. Everything razed to the ground, and what's left dug out and churned and disintegrated until nothing would ever—

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