Chapter 728 - 1

EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC39: Morrigan di Montaigne

"I—"

Neo was an extra.

If he tried to take high rank, he would affect the plot of the novel.

But.

This world was heading for a destined doom.

Neo would die if the future was not changed.

He wanted to live.

He never had any intention of not interfering.

"—want Rank 1."

"What!?"

The receptionist looked at him as if he was crazy.

"S-sir, maybe you misspoke."

She noticed the students glaring at her desk.

Her eyes watered at the pressure of the children of God Clans.

'This crazy bastard! He looks good but his head is empty!'

The receptionist wanted to cry when Neo did not budge

'If he wants to die, die alone! Why is he trying to get me killed along with him!?'

"Can you give me the rank token?" Neo asked.

"S-sir—"

"Is it not allowed?"

"No… tha-that's not the problem."

She bit her lips and gave him the Rank 1 badge with trembling hands.

Any student who wanted to become rank 1 needed to take the batch from him.

Neo could hide it inside his clothes, but it must remain on his body at all times.

He ignored the stares and sat on the benches at the back of the hall.

The hall was enveloped in murmurs.

Some laughed at Neo, some mocked him, and some pitied someone as handsome as him wanted to do a suicide.

Neo blinked.

Suddenly, the seat next to him became occupied.

The girl with black hair that were golden underneath, and had golden eyes appeared like a ghost.

Neo didn't notice her until she sat on the seat.

She held a sheathed sword and sat with crossed arms.

Her gaze was fixed at the hologram.

"Do you know the consequences of your actions?" She spoke without looking at him.

"Maybe, maybe not. Why should I tell you?"

Neo wasn't startled.

He expected someone to approach him when he chose the rank 1 token.

Though, he didn't expect it to be her.

"Because that rank belongs to me," she said. "You took what is mine."

Her face remained as calm as a lake.

"If you don't want to die a dog's death, give up now."

"That's quite a threat," Neo said.

He noticed other member of Zeus Clan slowly circling them.

"Will your siblings attack me if I say no?"

"They aren't my siblings and I don't need help to take care of someone who can't even control his Divine Energy."

Neo could only smile when she poked where it hurt.

His Spells were strong because his Divine Energy Purity was Grade 1 Awakened rank and the Spells themselves were Terror-ranked.

He improved drastically after he started training, but he had a long path ahead.

Silence descended between the two.

They stared at the activities in the hall.

"Morrigan di Montaigne," she suddenly said.

"Neo Hargraves."

They stopped talking.

Morrigan stood up after a few minutes.

"Your brother won't be able to protect you every time you act out of the line."

She added,

"You should've understood your limits after the incident in the Mermaid Country."

The members of Zeus clan tried to approach Neo until she told them to let him go.

"I will deal with him myself when the tournament starts."

She left with them.

Neo was not surprised she knew about the Mermaid Country incident.

Even though his brother tried to suppress his involvement, the important members of Great God and High God Clans would know the news with their connections.

Neo exhaled.

He closed his eyes and sank back into the chair.

Seven days and hundreds of demigods who bore grudge against him.

It wasn't going to be easy.

"Attention, students!" The announcer gathered them. "All rank tokens have been distributed!

"We will now explain the rules and rewards!"

The rules were as Neo remembered.

He focused on the rewards.

"Rank 1 will be awarded with Starplum Divine Fruit!"

"Rank 2~10 will be awarded…"

"Rank 11~100…"

"Ra…"

Starplum Divine fruit increased the purity of divine energy by directly one grade.

Since Neo's purity was Grade 1 Awakened, he would rank up and reach Grade 5 Mythic rank Purity after consuming the fruit.

The rank increase would give his Spells a major boost.

"I must get my hands on it."

It was the only method for Neo to survive the Underworld.

He had to win the Starplum fruit.

"The tournament will start tomorrow. You can do anything you want until then."

The students were sent to the dormitories.

There were five dormitories.

First one was for rank 1~10, second for rank 11~100, third for rank 101~500, fourth for rank 501~1000, and the last building for rank 1001~2000.

These dormitories were cheap knock off of the real dormitories.

The students had to use them until the tournament ended.

Neo entered his allotted dorm.

It was big and luxurious with four rooms, a kitchen, a hall, and a private gym.

He had to share it with three more students.

Instead of waiting, he decided to eat and pump his blood with Divine Energy.

He ordered the food to his room.

"I'd rather not go eat with everyone in the cafeteria. There is no need to go there and get harassed."

Neo wasn't afraid of bullying.

He just didn't want to waste Divine Energy on useless battles.

While he ate the ordered food, a member of the dorm entered.

The girl had unkempt pale blue hair that covered her sapphire eyes.

She walked while looking at the ground, wore long-sleeved clothes and repeatedly pulled down the hood to hide her face.

She noticed Neo in the hall.

There gazes intersected.

"C-can you stop looking at me? It makes me f-feel dirty."

She clicked her tongue and entered her room.

Neo was left stunned.

'What did I even do to her?'

Actually, he knew what he did.

Leonora was supposed to take rank 19 token.

But perhaps due to Neo's action, the original top 10 students all took lower rank token.

It forced students like Leonora, who were late to the registration hall, to take a top 10 tokens.

She was in deep waters. At least according to her.

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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC40: You Are A Loner Too?

After the lunch, Neo trained until dinner and started training again after it.

He could not help but look at Obitus.

The sword couldn't be pulled out of the scabbard.

For now, it's only noteworthy quality was its off-charts durability.

"How am I supposed to get its acknowledgement?"

He needed the sword's permission to be able to pull it out.

Unfortunately, he had no idea of how to achieve that.

There were several weapons placed inside the private gym.

Neo stood before a sword.

"I need a weapon for the competition. I guess I'll take one of these."

He grabbed the sword.

Suddenly, Obitus let out a jolt of electricity and tazed him.

The sword from the private gym fell out of his hands.

He could hear a small voice in his head.

Don't…

Neo looked at Obitus helplessly.

"Are you saying I shouldn't use any weapon other than you?"

A wave of emotions appeared in Neo's head.

Excitement, happiness, trust, and jealousy.

The sword was throwing a tantrum..?

Neo was exasperated.

"Can you let me use you then?"

Cant…

I'm… weak…

Need… to feed on you… more…

The train of thoughts appearing inside his head was unsteady.

Talking seemed to take a lot out of Obitus.

It returned to sleep after answering Neo's questions.

"You are quite demanding, aren't you?" Neo chuckled.

The sword ate the Divine Energy leaking from his body.

He had to keep it close at all times.

"Well, it's durable. I can use it as a club if nothing else."

He left the gym late into the night.

After he took a shower, the other two dorm members entered.

One was a young male with golden locks and the other had lavender hair.

Both of them were extremely handsome.

Their sour expression, soiled clothes and bruises said quite a tale.

'Did these two go to the cafeteria together? Thank god, I ate in my room,' Neo thought.

'Still, it's a welcome surprise to see them together. I thought the plot would've changed after I chose to be rank 1.'

Neo approached them with another set of towels.

"...Thank you," said Arthur, the protagonist, tensely.

He helped Felix walk and crashed on the couch with him.

"You two look terrible," Neo said while he ordered food.

"We had a fight in the cafeteria," Felix said. "The delivery. Is it…"

"Yeah, it's for you two. It's clear you used food to paint your clothes instead of eating it."

"Hahaha, the beating made me forget I hadn't eaten anything for a week," Arthur chuckled with a bitter sigh.

Felix snapped his head towards Arthur.

"We didn't take a beating. We fought them."

"R-right…" Arthur let out a troubled smile.

Before the delivery arrived, Neo used the kitchen and prepared coffee for them.

"I appreciate the coffee, but…" Felix frowned. "I need to sleep to be in my best form for tomorrow's battle royale."

"What about you?" Neo turned to Arthur.

"I'll take it. Again, thank you."

While they chatted casually, Neo could tell they were nervous around him.

"Did you two take a beating because you chose top 10 rank tokens?" Neo asked.

"We weren't beaten. We just didn't fight back because the rules forbid battles before the competition," Felix retorted.

"And, you don't need to be sorry. While we had to choose the top 10 tokens because of your incident, we would've still been harassed if it didn't happen," Felix said awkwardly but bluntly.

"Yeah, it's my fault," Arthur sighed. "Felix was involved because he was with me."

"Huh? No. It was because of me. Those guys were there to harass me. You got involved in my mess," Felix retorted.

The three looked at each other awkwardly.

All of them had reasons to be targeted by the students.

Their expressions were saying 'You too?'.

Turns out, they were all loners.

"I guess we don't need to know why the students are after you," Felix said to Neo.

He turned to Arthur.

"But why would they target you? You are a new face."

"It's because of my name, I think. Everyone was shocked when I told them my full name." Arthur scratched his cheek.

"What is your name?" Felix asked.

While they spoke, the delivery arrived.

Neo stood up and took the order from the door.

The other two waited for him to return before they continued talking.

Neo unpacked the food while Arthur opened his mouth.

"Arthur Kingsley."

"What!?" Felix jumped to his feet.

His eyes and hands quivered as he pointed at Arthur.

"Y-your family name is Kingsley...?"

"Yeah. Is it a weird name? I don't know why everyone was reacting so strongly."

"You don't know?! Neo, tell him—"

Felix stopped speaking when he noticed Neo unpacking the delivery calmly.

"Hey, he just said his name is Kingsley! The Kingsley! Why are you so composed!?"

"I'm shocked. See?"

Neo tried to fake a surprised expression which earned a chuckle from Arthur.

Felix held his head, wondering what rotten luck he had to meet these lunatics.

He took a deep breath.

"Sigh, do you really don't know what's special about Kingsley surname?"

"No."

"…Were you living under a rock?"

"Not a rock, but, yes, I was somewhere similar."

Talking to Arthur made Felix's blood pressure high.

He took repeated breaths to calm himself and spoke,

"Kingsley is the family name only the direct children of Great Sky God, Zeus, can use."

"…?"

Arthur tilted his head.

"And? It's not like anyone else can't use the family name."

"It is like that! There is no rule against it but it is common sense to not use Kingsley as your family name! You aren't the son of Great Sky God, Zeus! You aren't even from the Zeus Clan!"

Felix plopped to the sofa.

He was tired.

Why did he have to meet an idiot like Arthur?

Felix's cause of getting harassed was nothing in front of Arthur's cause.

He turned to Neo with an exhausted expression.

"Please don't tell me you chose rank 1 because of a stupid reason too?"

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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC41: New Quest

Neo shook his head and it brought a smile on Felix's face until Neo spoke.

"I wanted to train by fighting stronger enemies."

"…What?"

Felix covered his face.

Seeing his exaggerated actions, Neo smiled.

While his answer was not a lie, his main aim was the Starplum fruit.

He could always fight stronger enemies.

However, he could get Starplum only from the competition.

The clock pointed at midnight.

Suddenly, a screen appeared before Neo.

[Quest: Win the rank battle tournament and become 'The Ruler' of the first year students.]

[Reward: Essence Breath Spell, Immortal Exp +50]

[Failure: -90% stats for one week.]

[Accept/Reject?]

The rewards were generous.

Essence Breath Spell would allow Neo to draw the Divine Energy from air.

He would not need to depend on food to regain the lost Divine Energy.

Immortal Exp would save him 50 days of work.

The failure condition, however, was brutal.

His stats would get suppressed for 7 days if he couldn't get the first rank.

Going to the Underworld in that condition was no different from asking to be killed.

'I can reject the Quest. There is no need to take such a risk…'

'Who am I kidding? I'm going to accept it.'

[Quest accepted.]

Felix called out to him.

"We should team up," He continued.

"It benefits me and both of you.

"The others will target me after I spent the day with Arthur. It's better for me to have allies.

"You two, on the other hand, don't belong to the God Clans and don't know about the specialities of the students from them. I can reveal everything to you if you help me."

His words were true.

Neo's chances of becoming the first rank would increase if he had someone as strong as Arthur on his side.

There was, however, one problem.

"Are you strong enough to—"

Before Neo could complete his words, the wall facing the yard exploded.

A shadowy figure dashed into the room.

Felix, closest to the wall, barely had time to block the attack.

The shadow struck him in the chest and threw him across the room.

Dust and gravel flew in the air.

Just when the figure moved again, a bolt of golden lightning hit it in the chest.

"Felix! Are you alive!?" Arthur shouted while he fired the second lightning bolt to stall the figure.

"I... d-don't think so."

Felix stood up with a stagger.

He held his chest and tried to stop the bleeding.

A sigh of relief left Arthur's lips.

He stared to the shadowy figure.

"Who attacks us? The tournament rules clearly said fighting is banned until tomorrow."

"The time is 12:01 am." Neo stood next to Arthur. "It's already tomorrow."

Both of them waited for the dust to settle.

Arthur drew a sharp breathe when the assaulter was revealed.

A humanoid shaped shadow.

It wore a knight armor made of shadows and held a shadowy sword.

"…A shadow summon. It's a otherworldly monster." Arthur's face hardened. "How did it enter our world?"

The Shadow Knight crouched.

It suddenly dashed, covering half of the hall in a split second, and slashed at Arthur.

He didn't have time to use a shield spell.

The sword was about to hit him when Neo appeared in front of him and blocked.

A shockwave rippled.

The metallic noise of the clash forced Arthur to cover his ears.

Neo twisted the blade, causing the Shadow Knight's sword to slide down on the blade, and hit the Shadow Knight sword's hilt.

The sword fell from its hand.

At the same time, it closed the gap and punched towards Neo's face with the other hand.

Suddenly, a larger lightning bolt appeared from behind Neo.

It hit the Shadow Knight and the Knight's upper body exploded.

"Huff, huff, thanks for helping me," Arthur said.

He had to use a stronger attack to defeat the Shadow Knight before it took them out.

"No problem. You covered for me too."

Arthur noticed Neo's condition.

Despite his calm expression, his palms were torn when he blocked the attack.

He probably took internal damage too.

Nevertheless, his quick reactions saved Arthur.

"Watch out!" Felix called out to them.

The Shadow Knight's body trembled.

Its torso regenerated and became whole again.

"It's alive." Arthur prepared to cast Spells. "We need Holy Affinity to defeat it for good."

"You have Holy affinity?"

"…I have yet to awaken it. Sorry."

'Figures.'

Neo bolted towards the regenerated Shadow Knight.

"Get me close to it!" Neo said.

"Okay! But can you defeat it?!"

Arthur casted multiple weaker lightning bolts.

His precise Divine Energy control made Neo jealous.

"I have a plan!"

The Shadow Knight swung its sword in a large arc to stop the lightning bolts.

The momentum of the attack caused the air to stir.

Neo slid beneath its sword and behind it.

The Shadow Knight, distracted by Arthur, couldn't respond immediately when Neo grabbed its nape and casted two stacks of Necrotic Touch.

Arthur shouted.

"That's dangerous! Get away from—"

The monster froze.

Cracks appeared on its body and it crumbled into nothingness.

Arthur was left agape.

"What was that? It didn't look like Holy Affinity."

"Because it wasn't."

Neo tried to control his breathing.

He felt tired.

'Curse this damned body. I'm exhausted after a single fight.'

He approached Felix.

"Can you move?"

"Cough…cough… forget about me. How did you defeat the Shadow Summon?"

"Good, looks like you have enough energy."

He picked the sword Felix dropped and gave it to him.

"Get ready. We aren't safe yet."

The building suddenly shook.

Noises of monsters appeared from the yard.

"Is that…" Felix gulped.

"Yeah, there are more Shadow Summons." Neo helped Felix stand. "Looks like the first student to target us is a Shadow user."

They stood at the edge of the broken wall.

Felix covered his face with as if he wanted to cry.

The yard was filled with Shadow monsters.

The ones with the bug shape were eating the buildings foundation to bury the dormitory along with Neo, Arthur, and Felix.

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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC42: Might Of The Protagonist

Neo jumped down from the second floor.

He didn't need to use Ocean's Embrace for such heights.

A Shadow Centipede was crushed under his feet.

Before it healed, other Shadow Summons pounced on him.

Arcs of lightening bolts descended and swatted the monsters away.

Neo entered the group of monsters.

Felix and Arthur came down after him.

"What's the plan this time!?" Arthur shouted over the noises of monsters.

"Look for the Shadow Summoner!"

Neo swung his sword to crush the Shadow Mantis.

Behind him, Arthur and Felix split up for the search.

Neo did not use Ocean's Embrace or Necrotic Touch.

He had to conserver Divine Energy and he would face a worse situation when he entered Underworld.

This was his chance to train.

He grabbed the head of a Shadow Monster and smashed it into the ground.

While he fought, Arthur shouted.

"I can't find the Summoner! What should we do!?"

Neo swung his sword in a wide arc to create a room for himself.

The monsters backed away.

'There are too many of them. I can't use my Death Affinity to locate the Shadow Summoner.'

His affinity warned him of dangers and allowed him to detect the bloodlust.

However, it was useless in current situation.

"Can you do something about the monsters!?" Neo questioned.

There was no answer.

Neo, being swarmed by Shadow Monsters from all sides, could not see Arthur or Felix's condition.

He doubted those two could find each other either.

"I can!" Arthur shouted after a while. "But it's dangerous! Felix and you will be hit too!"

"I can handle it! What about Felix!?"

"Don't worry about me! Do it!"

Felix's answer brought a frown on Neo's face.

But he didn't delve on it.

"Okay! Cover me for a minute!"

Arthur created a hand symbol and swiftly chanted a Spell.

Sparks of lightning leaked from his body.

While he was defenseless, they monsters tried to attack him, only to be stopped by Neo who rushed to buy time for Arthur.

The air prickled

Neo's hair on the nape stood.

He knew Arthur was using a powerful attack.

The Shadow Monsters understood the same.

They went feral and pounced on them without caring about their own safety.

Neo used Ocean's Embrace.

He put his body on the line to protect Arthur.

Soon, Arthur spoke,

"I'm done. Get away from me."

His body was coated in golden lightning.

It was bright enough to force Neo to wince.

"Thunderburst," Arthur muttered.

The lightning covering his body went berserk.

Giant bolts of lightning flew out without rhyme and rhythm.

The thundering orchestra continued for a few seconds.

When it stopped, only the charred ground and a burnt smell were left.

Arthur fell to his knee.

His clothes were soaked in sweat and he was panting badly.

"I can't… Huff… Huff… fight for a few… Huff… minutes…"

The Shadow Monsters were obliterated.

Nonetheless, Neo could see shadows squirming on the ground.

They were recovering.

He had to be quick.

Neo focused on his senses.

He scanned the surroundings.

Bloodlust…!

His gazed went to the tree at the end of area out of Arthur's last attack range.

The shadow of the tree suddenly moved.

It looked like a normal shadow.

But.

Neo could see the thick bloodlust radiating from it with his eyes closed.

A smile appeared on his face.

Suddenly, the shadow started to run. It knew it was caught.

"I-it's him…. Go…" Arthur urged Neo.

Neo picked a stone from the ground, checked its weight, and threw it.

The Shadow tried to dodge only to tumble after a misstep.

Before it could stand back, Neo was next to it.

He grabbed the Shadow's neck.

"Let's look at our friend's face."

He used a weakened Necrotic Touch.

Not strong enough to kill him but make him feel the worst pain of his life.

The Shadow let go of the Spell with the scream.

Its real appearance was revealed to be a boy with sunken cheek, black hair, and black eyes.

The boy grinned.

"H-hahaha. You've lost!"

…!

Neo realized something was wrong and looked back.

Arthur was walking towards him but…

Felix was missing.

"That's right! We've taken your friend hostage!" The boy laughed. "Don't try to fight me if you value your friend's life!"

Neo frowned.

'It wasn't Felix who said he could block Arthur's attack. I should've understood it sooner.'

Arthur's face hardened when he found out what was happening.

"Go search the area. His friends or maybe Felix might be nearby. I'll try to get information out of him."

Arthur nodded at Neo's words.

His muscles were sore and he could hardly stand straight.

But there was no time to complain.

Death happened every year during the tournament.

If they were late, they might never see Felix again.

Arthur left.

The boy laughed when he saw the despair-filled expression on Arthur's face.

He looked Neo in the eye.

"It's no use! We've already delivered your friend to—"

"The Zeus Clan?"

Neo spoke calmly.

The boy, Nathan, frowned at his composure.

"You think I'm joking? Your friend will die if you don't listen to me!"

"Yeah? I don't care."

Felix was weak, but not useless.

The one thing he was best at was survival.

Even cockroaches could learn from him.

"He got kidnapped and it's his responsibility to get away," Neo said.

It was a good thing he sent Arthur away on a useless errand.

He wouldn't have liked Neo's words.

"Y-you are lying."

"Want a proof?"

Neo increased the intensity of Necrotic Touch.

The boy grunted and bit his lips in order to suppress the screams threatening to overflow.

"I don't care if you or that guy dies."

Nathan tried to use his Shadow Summons only to find himself unable to concentrate due to the pain.

"W-what do you want!? Why are you doing this to me!?"

He started to scream as if Neo had done something wrong to him.

It confused Neo.

Wasn't he the one who came to kill them?

Why was he blaming him when he received the same treatment?

Nevertheless, the question was a waste of time.

There was another reason why Neo wanted to talk to Nathan alone.

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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC43: Hoarder

There was another reason why Neo wanted to talk to Nathan alone.

"Give me your Shadow Spell."

"W-what?"

Nathan's glare was useless thanks to his teary eyes.

"You should know no family shares their Spell to the outsiders!

"I… I won't give it to you! I'd rather die!"

Nathan shivered, not from the pain, but from the thought of what would his family to do him if he leaked the Spell.

Neo could take him time increasing the pain to force the Spell out of Nathan.

However, he didn't like torturing people and he had a faster method.

"You'd rather die?"

Neo's smile sent chills down Nathan's spine.

The temperature plummeted.

Nathan's teeth clattered and he sensed something was wrong.

He looked below…

The darkness beneath Neo's feet moved

It wasn't a shadow.

Nathan would've detected it with his Shadow Affinity if it was.

"D-darkness element! Why can you use that accursed power?!"

The darkness stretched.

"What are you going to do to me!?"

"Nothing much," Neo answered. "But if you would rather die, I hope you will let me eat you."

Nathan was unable to retort.

He felt true fear for the first time in his life.

As someone who delved into a dark-type element, he knew what being devoured by Darkness meant.

"You wouldn't da-dare. The teachers won't let you."

"They don't care if students die. Why would they care if I consume a soon-to-be dead participant?

"Of course, if you were from a Great God Clan, they might've protected you. But I don't think you are?"

Nathan tried to get away from Neo's grip.

However, the pain made him unable to put strength into his limbs.

He soiled his clothes.

"Talk quickly. I don't have time to waste on you."

Neo's cold words made Nathan lose all hope.

He stopped struggling and opened his mouth.

"I have a Whisper-ranked Shadow Insect Summon Spell and an Echo-ranked Shadow Knight Summon Spell. It's…"

Neo listened to the explanation carefully.

After memorizing the details, he tried to use the Spell.

He failed miserably.

He couldn't sense his Shadow Affinity at all.

'I can't trigger the Spell since I haven't awakened my Shadow affinity yet.'

'tsk, I was hoping to use the Shadow Summons to help me in the battles.'

When Nathan saw Neo standing silently, he spoke,

"I… It's not a fake Spell. I swear if you give it to a Shadow User they will be able to use the Shadow Insect Summon Spell immediately.

"The Shadow Knight Summon Spell might need a bit of training—"

"What about the other Spell?"

Neo interrupted.

"…?"

"You kidnapped Felix right under our nose."

"I-It was my friend who did—Arghh!"

The Death Mark on Nathan's neck flared.

"It was me! It was me! So, stop!"

Nathan panted.

He explained.

The Spell, Shadow Snare, was a Whisper-ranked Spell.

When it hit the target, they were teleported to a pre-marked location.

Since it was the lowest-ranked Spell, the target could resist the teleportation.

"Why was Felix teleported if the Spell can be stopped?"

"Heh, you need to have some amount of strength to resist. How can he, the weakest demigod in the history, do that?"

Neo clicked his tongue.

Nathan and his friend targeted the weakest link of their group.

"Can you let me go?" Nathan asked. "I answered all of your questions."

Neo shook his head.

"I need you to use your Spells and help us rescue Felix."

"…! You said you didn't care about your friend!"

Neo didn't care.

But Arthur would definitely want to save Felix.

And the Zeus Clan would attack Neo because he took the first rank token.

One way or another, he was bound to clash with them.

It was better to go with Arthur.

When they finished the discussion, Arthur returned.

He had a pale face.

"I can't find Felix or anyone else."

"I see. Guess we will go meet the Zeus Clan members and get him back."

"…!? It's them!?" Arthur couldn't believe Neo. "They are students like us! How… how can do to these things?"

Morrigan was not the type to resort to cheap tricks.

The kidnapping must've been the plan of someone else from Zeus Clan.

"Bring that question up when we meet them." Neo patted Arthur's shoulder. "Let's go."

He turned to Nathan.

"Lead the way."

"…?"

Arthur was confused.

Before he could question, Neo answered,

"He had a change of heart and decided to join our side."

Nathan wanted to retort, but the slight pain from the Death Mark made him shut up.

He had no choice but to follow their orders.

…

Elderglen Valley

Northwest region of designated area for the Ranking Tournament

"What are you doing?"

Morrigan stared at the student, Daniel, bowing to her.

Her gaze shifted to Felix who was tied behind him.

"I've brought gift for the Zeus Clan."

Daniel let out a crafty smile.

"My friends and I were deeply offended when a certain someone dared to take the rightful thrown from the genius of Montaigne Family.

"We decided something must be done. Thus, we, the devotee of the mighty Zeus Clan, fought them valiantly and captured a traitor following that wretched devil.

"With this trash bastard on our hand, we can easily defeat those losers who dared to covet the thrown of the ruler!"

Some of the Zeus Clan members cringed at his words.

However, Daniel continued to smile, proud of his achievement.

This was the moment of his life.

If he could get in their good graces, he would never have to worry about anything.

Morrigan stepped forward.

Her body disappeared and a faint noise of thunderbolt sounded before she reappeared before Daniel.

"Raise your head," she said.

Daniel was dazed when he laid his eyes on her.

Although he heard about the beauty of the Montaigne Family's genius, he felt the rumours underplayed her elegance.

The faint noise of thunderbolt echoed again.

A blow hit Daniel in the chest and he was smashed into the tree behind him.

The burnt smell and Daniel's blood-soaked coughs chilled Felix's heart.

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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC44: Confidence Or Overconfidence?

Felix was bewildered.

Why was she attacking her own people?

He tried his best to understand the situation in order to escape, or survive at least.

Morrigan approached Daniel.

"W-why did you attack me? I was following your orders!"

"My orders?"

While her voice was calm, the faint thunderbolt noise reverberated and another invisible attack landed on Daniel.

There was no time to dodge.

He felt as if he was about to die.

"I've made my words clear. Do not touch Neo Hargraves. He would die by my hands."

"Lies! I was clearly told by—"

Before he could complete his words, a sword pierced his neck.

He gagged on his blood.

"No need to waste your time on idiots like him," Lucas said.

He wiped the blood from his sword before returning it to the sheathe.

"Why did you kill him?" Morrigan asked.

"I relayed your words to everyone in the tournament and he still did what he wanted. We can't let them make mockery of our clan."

Morrigan stared at his sly grin.

It had to him who ordered Daniel to kidnap Felix behind her back.

He killed Daniel to hide the proof.

"I don't remember asking you to intervene," she said and blasted him with a much stronger attack.

Lucas was hit, unable to do anything.

He crashed into a rock.

"I apologize."

He smiled as he stood up.

Watching him irritated Morrigan.

She turned to Felix.

Felix spoke before she could say anything.

"W-wait! I can help you guys! Don't kill me!"

His expression mirrored his mental state.

'These Zeus Clan lunatics! They killed a student for no reason!'

'Fuck! I was following Arthur because he was strong! If I knew I would get involved in this mess, I wouldn't have approached him!'

Felix, a weakling, was confident in his ability to assess people's strength at a glance.

He followed Arthur because he was strong.

Only monstrous geniuses like Morrigan, Leonora, and Mars, could defeat Arthur.

Felix planned to hug Arthur's thigh and reach a higher rank with his help.

But.

Dammit!

"I don't need your help," Morrigan said.

"You do! You definitely do!"

Felix shouted before she could refuse him again.

"Ask your siblings, Arthur is strong!"

Among those who harassed Felix and Arthur were Zeus Clan members.

Arthur only defended against their attacks.

It was unthinkable for a no name demigod to be able to stop geniuses like them easily.

The Zeus Clan members reacted.

"Don't lie! We didn't go all out—"

Zoe was interrupted by Morrigan.

"Is he stronger than you?" Morrigan asked.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

Zoe bit her lips before she answered.

"…I couldn't get a proper grasp on his strength. But I'm sure I'm stronger!"

"I hope you didn't lie."

Zoe and a few others shivered.

Morrigan ignored them and looked at Felix.

"As you can see, we don't need your help."

"Now, now, please don't be so hasty."

Lucas intervened with a smile.

He held the wound to stop the bleeding.

"We might not need him. But there is no harm in taking precautions."

"Yes, that's right. I will help you guys. There is no need to eliminate me. I'm not your enemy."

Felix did not feel ashamed of backstabbing Arthur and Neo.

He was just trying to survive.

Morrigan frowned.

She stared at Felix and Lucas.

"Do whatever you want. But don't touch Neo Hargraves."

…

Elderglen Valley

Northwest region of designated area for the Ranking Tournament

Neo, Arthur, and Nathan were at top of a mountain with a steep cliff.

They chose this place for teleportation mark on Neo's advice.

"Why here?" Arthur asked. "Does fighting on a mountain top give you a boost? Or are you planning on preparing traps?"

"Something like that."

The three descended down the mountain after Nathan was done.

"What are we going to do? I don't think it's a good idea for you two, ahem, us three to barge into their base," Nathan questioned.

Arthur, curious, followed Nathan's gaze and turned to Neo.

He knew Neo was weak physically.

It was easy to notice.

However, Neo's Divine Energy purity was high and it allowed him to use strong Spells.

Thanks to it and Neo's perfect directions during the previous battle, Arthur trusted him to have a plan.

"Have you seen the members of Zeus Clan?" Neo asked Arthur while they followed the mountain trail.

"Yes. I saw them in the cafeteria."

"Can you defeat them?"

"I can. Easily."

His swift and confident words shocked Nathan.

The ten members of Zeus Clan participating in the tournament were geniuses among geniuses.

They belonged to the top 0.1%.

He could defeat those high and might existences?

'Why don't you say your Kingsley name is real and you are Great Sky God, Zeus, son.'

Nathan scoffed.

"What if you have to fight all at once?" Neo questioned.

"That… I can't guarantee I will win."

Arthur pursed his lips.

"Actually, I take my words back. I am stronger than them, but there is one I can't see myself winning against."

"Who is it?"

"Morrigan di Montaigne. That's her name, I think."

Neo went silent after hearing his words.

"I will deal with her," Neo said. "Take care of others while you rescue Felix."

"I can try, but are you sure? She has a Lightning Seed."

"I don't think we have another choice."

They reached the mountain's base and entered the jungle.

Nathan couldn't contain his curiosity anymore.

"What is a Lightning Seed?"

"It's a booster of sorts."

Arthur tried to put his thoughts into words.

"It gives a major raise to overall abilities. At her mastery level, she should be able imbue her normal attacks with lightning."

His vast knowledge shocked Nathan.

Although he wanted to believe Arthur was lying, there was undeniable certainty behind his words.

"Do you… have that lightning seed?"

"No? It's too draining to use."

Neo could only sigh inaudibly.

Lightning Seed was one of the secret techniques of Montaigne Family.

If they knew Arthur was dissing it and calling it inefficient, they might've lost their sanity.

It didn't take them long to reach the Zeus Clan base.

"We are here," Nathan said.

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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC45: Aura Clash

"Okay," Neo nodded. "Follow the plan."

"A plan?"

Suddenly, the crackled and Morrigan appeared next to them.

"You think your plan, whatever it might be, has a chance to work?"

Arthur reacted.

He fired a small lightning bolt.

Just as it was about to hit, Morrigan disappeared and reappeared at another place.

The other Zeus Clan members revealed themselves.

They surrounded Neo, Arthur, and Nathan.

'They were waiting for us,' Neo thought.

Arthur prepared his next attack.

Before he could do anything, Neo stopped him.

"Let me talk first."

He looked at Morrigan and spoke,

"We are not here to fight. Our friend has been kidnapped by some unscrupulous people. We are searching for him. Have you seen him anywhere?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Why should I tell you?"

"Fair enough."

Neo smiled when she answered back with his words.

Suddenly, Zoe, a member of Zeus Clan, stepped forward.

"Hey!"

Although, she tried to hide it, she looked anxious as if she wanted to prove herself.

"Speak with your heads down! You are talking to the people of Zeus Clan!"

She let her aura slip out.

The air crackled and the pressure descended on Neo and Arthur.

She grinned when she saw Arthur's pale complexion.

Suddenly, an aura, heavier than hers, appeared.

It covered the area like thick blanket.

Zoe felt as if she couldn't breathe.

She stared at Neo, the source of the aura, with wide eyes.

"W-what is that aura?"

The others realized something was wrong.

They thought Neo was stupid to choose Rank 1 token.

However, his dense aura of death shocked everyone.

It was almost tangible.

Arthur and Morrigan, while not bewildered, were still surprised.

The nine Zeus Clan members, except Morrigan, released their auras.

Their combined presence bore down on Neo.

Their expressions turned into an ugly grimace.

Neo, even if only for a moment, could resist them alone.

"You fucking bastard!"

They could not let such a shameful situation be broadcasted to their families and the world.

Their auras turned wild.

The massive presences charged at Neo's aura and tried to subdue it in one go.

Neo's sphere of presence shrunk.

Just as he was about to lose completely, he, for the first time, released his aura of darkness.

Instantly, his aura exploded and the Zeus Clan members' aura was pushed back.

The clash shook the trees and the shockwaves rippled as if a typhoon arrived.

"I'll ask again," Neo said. "Have you seen my friend?"

"Yeah, and we killed him!"

Zoe, unable to bear the defeat, charged.

Her attack was interrupted by Arthur.

"Do it!" He shouted.

Suddenly, the Divine Energy in the air moved.

They noticed Nathan at its source.

"Shadow Snare!"

The Spell required a long time to cast.

It should have been impossible to trigger it in front of the enemy.

However, due to the aura clash with Neo, they unconsciously ignored the weak presence of Nathan.

They were distracted and he successfully trigged the Spell right under their noses.

The shadows below Neo and Morrigan surged.

They climbed up their bodies.

"How about we settle this somewhere else?" Neo asked.

"Fine."

Morrigan didn't interrupt the teleportation.

There was no need to be cautious.

Neo's aura surprised her, but aura and actual strength were not always linked.

Anyone could tell Neo was weak by looking at his bruises and wounds from the battle against Nathan's Shadow Summons.

The two appeared over a tall cliff.

Morrigan scanned the surroundings.

"You should use the traps you've prepared."

"There aren't any."

Neo held his sword and dashed at her.

…

Arthur looked at the Zeus Clan members with a vigilant gaze.

He covered Nathan behind himself.

They prepared for battle until Lucas suddenly laughed.

He held his stomach.

"Hahahaha, crazy idiots, did your plan involve splitting us off from Morrigan?

"Did you think you could defeat her if she was alone?"

Since the remaining nine members were not teleported, it was clear Neo and Arthur planned to deal with Morrigan first.

The two probably thought it was better to eliminate the strongest opponent before dealing with others.

The Zeus Clan members stared at Arthur with mockery and pity.

"I will explain it to you in layman terms since you aren't from God Clans."

Lucas smiled.

"The Zeus Clan is divided into three families.

"Montaigne Family, Valemont Family, and Mistraven Family.

"Every family sends four to seven children to academy every year. These children are cream of the crop of their batch.

"But this year was different.

"Morrigan singlehandedly defeated all participants from the Montaigne Family.

"She left her opponents in a miserable state. They couldn't even join the Academy anymore.

"This is why she is the only one from Montaigne Family this year.

"Even all nine of us together aren't her match. There is no way you and your friend can defeat her."

Arthur grimaced when he heard Lucas.

But.

He could do nothing expect believe Neo.

Lightning crackled around Arthur.

"Are you seriously trying to fight us alone?" Lucas scoffed.

"Yes."

Arthur pointed his finger at Lucas and fired a lightning bolt.

The lightning bolt was about to hit Lucas when it changed its path and flew towards Zoe.

Arthur frowned. He lost control of the Spell.

Zoe absorbed the lightning bolt.

She smirked.

"I can eat suck weak lightning easily— Cough! Cough!"

She puked blood.

Her eyes widened in horror when she saw her blood-stained hands.

"Are you stupid?"

Arthur looked down at her.

"Even if you can overpower my lightning, absorbing others' Divine Energy is no different from eating poison."

"Y-you!"

While his words were true, Zoe never encountered a similar situation.

The absorption would harm her only when the opponent was far stronger than her.

…?

The faces of Zeus Clan members hardened.

Zoe, while weakest in the group, could fight against them on equal footing, and sometimes even win.

Her strength was not too far from everyone else.

Before they could react to the horrible realization, Arthur activated another Spell.

"Banshee Scream."

His voice tore through their eardrums and stunted them.

Their vision shook.

The noise of the Spell continued to echo.

They felt the ground spin beneath them.

"Focus! He has disappeared!" Lucas shouted while he pressed his bleeding ears.

He took out the shield and the sword.

No matter where he looked, he couldn't find Arthur.

Invisibility?

It was an advance technique of Air Element.

'Lightning, Sound, Air.'

'He can use three elements?'

'How!? There is no way he is a no name demigod!'

Lucas commanded.

"Use your senses to search for Divine Energy activation. He will sneak attack anytime—"

"Argh!"

Zoe screamed.

She held her bleeding torso.

Lucas ran to her and checked her injuries.

"A physical wound…?"

Judging from the size, it was made with a dagger.

"Hiding and attacking. This isn't how a mage fights."

Lucas felt his common-sense being challenged.

Why could Arthur, an assassin, use three elements perfectly?

He was curious, afraid, and bewildered.

While he wasted his time dazed, another member was attacked.

But.

Just when Arthur cut Harrison's tendons, he received a sword slash to his chest.

"I've got him!"

Harrison shouted.

Arthur jumped back with a pained face.

The blood dripping from his wound revealed his location.

It made his invisibility useless.

'I took two of them out in a surprise attack. It's good enough.'

He cancelled the invisibility Spell and used a lightning flare Spell.

The flash blinded the group.

Lucas didn't make the previous mistake.

He didn't wait.

Closing his eyes, he rushed towards Arthur and attacked.

He couldn't let Arthur take the initiative.

Their swords clashed and a shockwave….

Sword?

Arthur had a sword?

Lucas opened his eyes as soon as he could see again.

"Dammit!"

A Shadow Knight stood in front of him.

Arthur had, somehow, disappeared.

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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC46: Who Do You Think Will Win?

It didn't take long for Lucas to subdue the Shadow Knight.

Arthur never attacked him during that time, even though it was a perfect opportunity.

"Where is the Shadow Summoner?"

Lucas felt something was wrong.

Could it be possible for Arthur to use the invisibility on the Shadow Summoner?

"If that true, it has to be a Resonance, or maybe a Reverberation-ranked Spell."

How could Arthur have a Reverberation-ranked Spell?

Normal demigods would never see in it their lifetime.

Lucas bit his lips, unable to understand the situation, when he heard Orion's shout.

"Snap out of it, Lucas!

"Don't just stand stupidly! You are our leader after Morrigan disappeared! Give us orders!"

Lucas nodded.

He scanned the area while the others covered him from all sides.

They prepared for a sneak attack from Arthur or Nathan.

Time passed.

Nothing happened.

Suddenly, Lucas came to a realization.

"Dammit! He went to rescue his friend!"

Dozens of Shadow monsters sprang up from the ground before Lucas and others rush to Felix's location.

The monsters blocked their path.

"They are stalling for time! Ignore them!"

When they reached their destination, they found it empty.

The area should've been locked with Morrigan's Eight Trigram Lightning Prison Spell.

After she got teleported, she was too far and couldn't maintain the prison.

"tch, they got lucky. Who would've known Morrigan's whim would cost us this way?"

Lucas didn't know all of this was planned by Neo.

From choosing a faraway place for teleportation to cancel the prison Spell, to ordering Arthur to fight everyone alone as Neo knew about his invisibility, to…

"Well, it doesn't matter. Felix should know what is good for him."

Felix had no choice but to betray his friends. Lucas was sure of it.

…

Arthur, Felix and Nathan ran through the jungle.

They continued to move without looking back.

"H-hey, let's take a break," Felix said while panting.

His endurance was at rock bottom after suffering at the hand of Zeus Clan members.

It didn't help the last time he ate was over a day ago.

He was hungry, hurt, and on a run from Zeus Clan.

"You don't look good."

Arthur passed him fruits.

He found them after foraging in the forest.

Felix ate like a starved wolf.

He felt a heavenly taste burst into him mouth when he took a bit from the ripened mango.

"Thanks."

They continued to move away from the Zeus Clan's base after the rest.

On the way, Felix noticed Nathan staring at him.

"What?"

"Uh, what about the guy who kidnapped you?"

"He is dead."

"...how did he die?"

"The Zeus Clan participant, Lucas di Valemont, attacked him when he said the Zeus Clan ordered the kidnapping."

"But he was the one who..."

Nathan sighed and didn't speak further.

There was nothing he could do even if it was unfair.

He continued to run with a gloomy face.

They had been on the run for a few hours when Arthur stopped.

He frowned.

"Why aren't they coming after us? I thought they would want to get revenge."

"They are probably waiting for me to backstab you."

Felix's answer made Arthur go wide-eye.

He shrugged.

"They are members of the Great God Clan and I'm a wastrel of the weakest God Clan.

"If I don't do what they told me to, they'll make my life hell after the competition ends."

"What!?"

Arthur suddenly took a step back.

"A-are you going to betray me?"

Watching the guy, who fought several Zeus Clan members without flinching, afraid, made Felix chuckle.

He shook his head.

"Of course not. My life is already hell. They can't make it worse than it already is."

Felix might've betrayed Arthur before.

But, after seeing his strength with his own eyes, he changed his plans.

"And…"

Felix took out rank tokens from his pocket.

"They don't have time to come after us if they want to receive a rank."

"….!" Arthur could help but exclaim. "Why do you have so many rank tokens?"

"I stole them when they weren't paying attention."

Felix grinned.

…

Student Council Office

Demigod Academy

Amelia stared at the broadcast with a clenched fist.

She didn't notice it her nails digging into her palms.

Percival, who sat next to her, stared at her through the side eye while drinking coffee.

"This year's Ranking Tournament is quite different, isn't it?"

He continued.

"The Zeus Clan was made a complete fool and the Poseidon Clan isn't trying to get a high-rank.

"The other clans are moving quietly because they are worried about Zeus Clan's warning.

"Out of all tournaments, this year's might be the least brutal one.

"But isn't that wrong?

"I find this year's tournament the most exciting."

He grinned.

"The wastrel of Aphrodite Clan played the Zeus Clan for a fool.

"An unknown demigod with the family name of Kingsley appeared. Surprisingly, he might be on par with the geniuses of this generation.

"And finally him…"

Neo was displayed in the broadcast.

"The demigod involved in the controversy of Mermaid Country, the younger brother of Hargraves Corporation CEO, and a crazy bastard who is trying to fight the strongest genius alone."

Amelia didn't answer.

She didn't notice him talking.

Her focus was directed at the screen displaying Neo's battle against Morrigan.

"Are you worried about him?"

"…!?"

Amelia's head snapped towards him.

"Y-yes, I guess. He tried to help mother, so I'd rather not see him lose."

According to what she told Percival, Neo tried to save her mother.

He had to escape the country with Amelia after he failed, and the rebels placed a bounty on him to catch him.

"Hmm…"

Percival slid the curtains.

He could see the students outside staring at the broadcast with bated breath.

Everyone knew the genius of Morrigan family.

There was no way Neo could win.

That's what made the battle exciting.

They couldn't wait to see why he was so confident.

Quite a few students placed bets on the possible victor and loser.

"Who do you think will win?" Amelia asked.

Percival was the student council president and the Ruler of 2nd year.

She believed he could predict the result with his extensive battle experience.

"If he is going to do what I think he will, he might win. But—"

He stared at her.

"He will die."

His answer made Amelia concerned and relieved.

Because....

"Is that so?"

Neo was Immortal.

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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC47: The Winning Move

Orbs of lightning floated behind Morrigan.

Electrical discharge shot out of them.

Neo used the Ocean's Embrace before the attack hit him.

His senses flared.

He dodged the ones he could dodge and twisted his body to avoid the fatal hits.

A grunt escaped his lips.

Morrigan frowned when she saw him relatively unharmed.

"How are you standing?"

The attack should've been enough to deal with him.

Neo's defence couldn't be credited to the Spell alone.

"Your Mana Purity is higher than mine," she said. "That's why you are so sturdy."

Her frown worsened.

Even if his Purity was high, his total Divine Energy was nothing compared to her.

She could tire him out Neo to defeat him.

However, it wasn't her style.

"There is no shield that won't break."

The faint noise of a thunderbolt reverberated.

Morrigan disappeared.

Neo barely had time to raise the sword.

A heavy blow struck his blade.

He saw Morrigan's figure for a split second before she disappeared again and the air crackled.

Neo twisted his hand to block the attack coming from behind.

The air crackled again.

His senses calmed down.

Morrigan appeared far from his location.

She stared at him with a tight frown.

'She is irritated,' Neo thought bitterly. 'I guess she hates how her attacks failed twice.'

The simple blows rattled his bones and his muscles were nearly torn apart.

He couldn't help but feel he was royally fucked.

'How high is her Grade? Grade 2 or Grade 1?'

Morrigan took a step.

She appeared before him in an instant and brought her sword down.

Neo swung his blade.

The clash created shockwaves.

Morrigan's eyes glowed.

The world slowed down for her, and she continued to move at normal pace.

Neo responded to her attack in slow motion.

He let the non-lethal attacks land on the Ocean's Embrace while he diverted her strong attacks by a hair breadth.

'He is ignoring the feints,' Morrigan thought.

It was as if Neo knew which attack would take him out of the fight and he dodged only those.

His Death Affinity was working wonders, not that Morrigan knew.

Sparks flew in the air.

From a bystander point of view, their sword clashed hundred of times in a few seconds.

Cuts appeared on Neo's body and blood began to pool beneath his feet.

It was wrong.

He wasn't going down as easily as she had thought.

Morrigan didn't want to use Spells, not against a weaker opponent.

It would sully her name.

But…

"That's it. I'm done holding back," Morrigan said.

She kicked Neo in the stomach.

The blow, swift, strong, and precise, knocked air out his lungs and threw him back.

His body rolled in the dirt.

He stabbed the sword into the ground to stop himself.

Suddenly, he twisted his head and a lightning spear whizzed past his cheek.

The attack flew behind him before it exploded.

Lightning shrapnel dug into Neo's back.

He ignored the pain and made a hand sign.

"Darkness!"

The shadows beneath his feet slithered.

"Heed my call!"

They shot forward, coiling and twisting like snakes.

Black lines appeared on the ground.

They circled Morrigan and suddenly flew out, and formed a dome.

Neo changed his hand signs as soon as Morrigan was captured inside the Darkness domain.

"Devour!"

The dome of darkness shrunk rapidly.

In midst of his attack, Neo heard a fleeting whisper.

"Render."

Cracks appeared on the dome of darkness and golden light slipped out.

A beat later, the dome exploded.

The world was dyed in a golden flash.

Morrigan stepped out the crumbling dome.

She couldn't find Neo and noticed several domes of darkness on the cliff.

"Trying to hide now?"

She raised her foot.

Sparks of lightning gathered under her sole.

The golden lightning continued to shrink and compress until Morrigan stomped.

It went underground.

But instead of dispersing, the lightning surged again, and returned to the surface.

The ground split apart.

Continuous thunder echoed.

The random discharge of lightning from the ground destroyed multiple domes of darkness at once.

Neo's figure, hidden inside the dome near the cliff's edge, was revealed.

"Let's end this," she said.

Morrigan dashed towards him.

Just when Neo tried to block her, Morrigan used Physical Reinforcement Spell.

Her speed and strength improved drastically.

She changed the sword path midway.

Neo couldn't react on time.

The blade stabbed into his stomach.

Morrigan swung the sword to the side and slashed it out of his waist.

"Urk..."

Neo bit his lips.

Blood gushed out from his injury.

Ocean's Embrace could barely provide him any defense against her.

The difference in their stats was too vast.

Neo tried to use Necrotic Touch on her, only for her to dodge easily.

She rammed the blade into his forearm.

"What is that disgusting Spell—"

Morrigan froze.

She couldn't pull out her sword from Neo's forearm.

It was stuck between the gap of his bones.

'Was it on purpose?'

She looked up at Neo's face.

"You have a defensive Spell."

His words brought an ominous premonition.

"Use it and…"

She suddenly noticed they were on the cliff's edge.

"Hey—"

"Try not to die."

Neo used his other hand to bring her in a tight hug and he stepped back.

His feet landed on empty air.

They fell off the cliff before Morrigan could do anything.

…

"Urgh… I… feel like shit."

Neo tried to stand.

His body wouldn't listen to him.

He raised his head and looked around.

Green trees, red dirt, and a corpse.

…!?

Clarity returned to his mind.

The red dirt was his blood soaked into the mud.

He heard a groan.

The 'corpse' moved.

Morrigan stood up with a stagger.

Her figure was covered in blood, her right hand was not facing at the correct direction, and she glared at him with intense hatred.

She took a step towards him.

It was slow and painful.

Neo stood up with a grunt and got ready to fight.

The sword stabbed into his arm fell off somewhere during the fall and blood continued to flow out of the injury on his stomach.

Both of them had a foot in grave.

Neo punched towards Morrigan's head.

Despite being heavily injured and out of Divine Energy, she dodged and hit his chin with an uppercut.

Neo stumbled.

His vision spun and he fell to his knees.

She kicked him in the stomach.

Neo grabbed her foot before she could hit his injury again and wrestled her into a hold.

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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC48: End Of The Brawl

A clear snap resounded.

Neo looked at Morrigan's broken leg with wide eyes.

Her injuries must've been bad if the bone broke with a slight pull.

"You…!"

She bit her lips.

Just when Neo thought he won, his stomach burned.

The feeling was the same as a hot knife, stabbed into his injury, being twisted.

He looked down.

Faint lightning sparks slithered around his injury.

'This damned woman! She used Lightning Seed's energy when she stabbed me!'

Morrigan's divine energy, rampaging inside his body, wouldn't disperse unlike normal situations.

She could kill him if the situation continued.

Neo grunted.

He wrung his blood dry to use Divine Energy.

He touched her with Necrotic Touch.

Morrigan, within his hold, could not dodge.

She let out a subdued scream when the Death Mark appeared on her leg.

At the same time, she used her divine energy to mess up Neo's inside.

She glared at him.

"Stop if you don't want to die…"

"You first…"

Neo increased the intensity of Necrotic Touch.

The two did not back down.

To break the stalemate, Neo used the Darkness.

The shadows on the ground quivered.

That was all.

Neo, after losing too much blood, had only a bit of Divine Energy left, and he used it for Necrotic Touch.

The appearance of Darkness element surprised Morrigan.

She let the control of her Divine Energy slip.

Neo used the chance to increase the Necrotic Touch's intensity to maximum.

He waited for her to retaliate.

But.

Nothing happened.

Morrigan was knocked out.

Neo let go of the hold and sprawled on the ground.

He stared at the sky.

"Hahaha, this is crazy."

Neo won.

Against the strongest Demigod of his generation.

He defeated Morrigan.

He basked in the glory of victory until the reality slammed him down.

His injuries hurt and he lost too much blood.

"I can cauterize the wound with Necrotic Touch, but…"

He was in no condition to fight.

If someone found him, they wouldn't hesitate to take him out.

After all, Neo painted a target on his back when he chose the rank 1 token.

"I need to hide until I recover to a better state."

He pushed his lead-like limbs and staggered to his feet.

The injury on his stomach was not lethal, or maybe it was, and he couldn't think straight due to anemia.

Neo was about to leave when his eyes wandered to Morrigan.

She was alive.

Anyone who found her would rescue her to curry favor with Zeus Clan.

But there was no guarantee it would happen.

It was possible for her to die of blood loss because no one found her.

He covered his face, trying to think if he should do it or not.

"…Dammit."

He was fucked if she died.

The Morrigan Family would come after him.

Not to mention, he would lose a powerful future ally.

"Hey, wake up."

Neo hit her cheeks.

There was no response.

With no other choice, he carried her on his back.

"Fuck, she is heavy."

Blood trickled from the corner of his lips.

His eyes were bloodshot and his ears rang.

Wasn't carrying a girl supposed to make him feel something positive?

Why did he feel like shit?

Neo did not know for how long he kept walking.

It was night when he found a cave after he followed the cliff's base for hours.

He entered the cave.

The tunnel was long and there was no sign of a monster living in it.

Neo placed Morrigan inside before he left.

He retraced his steps and removed the tracks, brought some fruits, and took a few bushes to hide the cave's entrance.

Morrigan was awake when he returned.

He tossed her the apple and ate the other one.

"There is no need to fight. Both of us are out of Divine Energy and we lack blood to recover it anytime soon.

"I know you must've a breathing technique.

"But don't forget your leg is broken. There is no way you can fight anymore."

She glared at him and used Physical Reinforcement Spell.

Her muscles tightened.

They crushed the broken bones and sent jolts of pain across her leg.

She cancelled the Spell and coughed blood.

Her body went into seizure since she forcefully used Divine Energy.

Neo waited for her to recover a bit.

"Eat."

He gave her the apple she dropped.

"You can't recover if you don't eat."

Morrigan's gaze alternated between his face and the apples.

Tears welled in her eyes.

She took the apple and nibble on it silently.

Neo was left frozen from shock.

He couldn't believe the scene before his eyes.

Morrigan, the future War Empress, cried?

Her sobs grew louder.

"Uh, are you okay?"

"Shut up! I… h-hic!... don't want to talk to you! Hic!"

She nibbled on the apple while her tears stained the ground.

"I was the stupid one. Hic! Hic! I t-tried to save him and what did I get in return? Hic! He...

He almost killed me," she mumbled.

"What do mean—"

"I'll make your stomach explode if you try to talk to me again!"

She glared at him with red puffy eyes.

Neo could feel the lingering energy from her lightning seed inside him.

…She wasn't joking.

He decided to shut up.

Morrigan continued to cry.

She turned to him after she ate the apple.

"...."

Her gaze was locked at the uneaten apple in his hand.

"…You can have it."

She ate the apple with small bites.

"You are stupid," she said after a long time.

Morrigan stopped crying.

Her eyes were swollen.

"Are you going to talk now?" He asked.

"No." She stared at him. "I don't want to talk to you."

That was their last conversation of the day.

Morrigan entered meditation to recover her Divine Energy.

"What did she mean she was helping me?"

He had an idea to what it was.

"Maybe..."

***

Bonus Chapter Goals (For September):

Every 300 Power Stones = +2 Bonus Chapters

Every 100 Golden Tickets = +3 Bonus Chapters

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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC49: I Don't Trust You

"Maybe it's true."

Morrigan repeatedly warned others to not touch Neo.

Did she do that because she was worried Neo, a weak demigod, would die if hundreds of demigod attacked him at once?

"No, that's not possible."

Morrigan wasn't so kind.

But...

"This injury."

Neo traced the wound on his stomach.

It nearly split his torso in half and somehow the injury wasn't lethal.

The attack missed his vital points.

"If she didn't do this on purpose, it has to be a crazy coincidence."

Neo found it hard to believe Morrigan would make a mistake like this.

It had to be intentional.

"Dammit…"

Morrigan had to punish Neo.

He insulted the Zeus Clan by trying to take the first rank.

She tried to find a way to punish him on the live broadcast while her true intentions were different.

She didn't want to kill him.

In return, Neo nearly ended her life.

"I'm just imagining nonsense."

The wound could be a coincidence, or maybe she had other intentions.

He shouldn't come to a conclusion without hearing her side.

Neo turned away from Morrigan.

He trained his Darkness affinity to pass time.

The shadows stretched and spread out.

It was difficult to sustain the domain of darkness for a long period of time.

The longer he maintained darkness the harder it got to control.

The shadows slithered and tried to devour him.

Strange noises spoke to him.

He cancelled the domain of darkness when he reached his limit.

The darkness and the noises disappeared.

"Why are you using that element?" Morrigan spoke to him.

Her complexion improved.

It seemed hours went by while he was immersed in training.

"I have an affinity for it."

"That's your only reason?"

Morrigan looked like she had a lot to say.

"Don't use it too much." She pursed her lips. "When you devour others, the darkness devours you.

"Stop while you still can."

"Thank you for the advice."

Neo had no intention of stopping.

The two went silent.

Before Neo could return to the training, Morrigan spoke,

"I'm hungry."

"…?"

"Go, get me something to eat."

Neo didn't move.

"I'm hurt because of you. Take responsibility."

She stared at him with silent hate.

Neo was about to tell her off when suddenly his stomach rumbled.

"..."

He sighed.

'I lost my sword when I fell. Guess I'll go and search for it while looking for something to eat.'

He left the cave under Morrigan's watchful eyes.

It was night.

He went around collecting fruits from the trees.

There was no clue about Obitus.

"I can't call it back since our connection isn't strong yet."

He wanted to curse at himself.

"I lost a god slayer weapon."

Neo could only wait for the tournament to end to get his sword.

While outside, Neo made sure to not leave tracks, or engage in battles.

His Divine Energy was far from sufficient.

He stood in front of a tree.

"Can I recover the Divine Energy if I devour it?"

Neo used the Darkness.

The ground turned pitch-black and the tree sunk into it at a slow pace.

He could feel himself reaching his limit when he tried to eat something as big as a tree.

It tasted like a dry bark.

"Wow, fuck."

The tree didn't restore his stamina or Divine Energy.

If anything, he felt more tired.

His mental energy took a huge hit after he devoured a living being.

"Note to self, don't eat trees."

Neo returned with the fruits he collected.

He gave a few to Morrigan.

She started meditation after eating her fill.

Neo trained his Darkness element.

Their routines were simple.

They would train and recover all day.

Neo would leave at night to collect fruit and return before sunrise. He did it to reduce his chances of encountering students.

After all, he was in no condition to fight.

Consuming only fruits barely recovered any Divine Energy.

Moreover, he did not sleep a wink.

He couldn't trust his back to Morrigan.

There was no guarantee she wouldn't try to take his rank token when he let his guard down.

Similarly, Morrigan, wary of him, never slept.

The two rarely talked.

They only trained.

Living inside the closed cave and being forced to sneak around at night was burdening Neo.

His mental state was worsening.

Neo had not seen the sun in days.

He was slowly beginning to lose his sense of time.

Every day it was the same dark cave, same dark night, and same dark forest.

His physical condition took a turn for worse.

"Cough! Cough!"

He began to puke blood every few hours.

While the wound on his stomach was not lethal, he had being moving around without receiving any medication.

Morrigan was not any better.

Her internal injuries were a lot worse than she let him know.

As days went by, she started to have trouble breathing and a fever came over her.

"Hey, just sleep," he said to her.

"I… don't trust…. you."

She spoke with a barely audible voice.

Her injuries worsened over time and she lost a lot of energy.

"Cough! Cough! Fair enough," Neo spoke. "I don't trust you either."

No matter how nice or kind she was, she would still want the first rank.

Neo could not sleep in front of her and risk the reward he was about to get.

During past days, he tried to find another cave or a hiding location.

But he failed.

"Wake up. Let's eat."

Neo brought fruits from outside.

Morrigan didn't respond.

He got closer to her and noticed she was barely conscious.

Her body was burning from fever.

"Well… I'm not any better…. myself…"

Neo was already physically weak.

The tournament pushed him beyond his limits.

He laid Morrigan in a better position and sat beside her.

"On the bright side…. I can finally sleep— Cough! Cough!"

Neo wanted to sleep.

He dug his nails into his arm to keep himself from falling unconscious.

Or else, he might wake up in the Underworld.

Morrigan groaned in her sleep.

"Wake up, sleeping princess."

He talked to her.

"You lost quite easily for someone who is the strongest of our generations."

"S-shut… up…"

She mumbled in her sleep.

"I suppose it's normal. There is no way I would lose."

"I didn't l-lose…"

Her expression twisted and she showed her signature frown.

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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC50: Quest Completed

Neo let out a smile.

"Oh? So… how…. about this? The one who… sleeps first… would lose…"

They had to stay awake no matter what.

Falling unconsciousness in their state would kill them.

"Hey, princess, why aren't you… saying anything?"

Neo burned his energy to talk.

He kept asking her questions, taunting her, making sure she would respond and not fall asleep.

There was no deep reason behind his actions.

After surviving for days together, he didn't want her to die.

Neo felt it.

He was close to his limit.

Death was just around the corner.

For her and for him.

Suddenly, he heard a chime.

[Quest completed]

[Essence Breath Spell acquired.]

[Immortal Exp +50]

[Grade 5 Immortal has been mastered.]

[Initiating upgrade…]

Neo screamed.

He clutched his heart and bled from his orifices.

He lacked Divine Energy for the rank up.

His body began to eat itself to compensate for it.

He felt like he was being stabbed with thousands of needle.

Neo tried his best to stop his rank up.

Suddenly, the pain stopped.

[Insufficient energy.]

[Temporarily stopping the upgrade.]

Neo sighed in relief.

The pain washed away all sleepiness.

It, however, weakened him.

Neo chuckled.

He was at death's doorstep.

But.

The Quest confirmed it.

The tournament finished.

Neo won...

He won!

An unfamiliar presence appeared inside the cave while he was high from dopamine.

"Hahaha, you are laughing in that state?"

The man, half-horse and half-human, picked him up carefully.

"I guess you need to be that crazy to challenge the Great God Clans."

He returned Obitus to the barely conscious Neo and smiled.

"Congratulations, kid.

"You are the victor of the 526th ranking tournament. Rejoice, today, you've made history."

…

Sarnie Maze

Beneath Mountain Columbus

Elizabeth moved through the maze.

Her heels clacked against the broken tiles.

The walls on the sides were painted with murals.

They spoke of the future, of an age where the gods disappeared, and a world heading to its doom.

She reached giant door.

They creaked when she pushed them.

Waves of thick Divine Energy hit her when she stepped into the room.

A trident, made of blue ethereal metal, floated in the centre, chained.

It leaked Divine Energy strong enough to obliterate weaker demigods as soon as they got close.

Elizabeth held the trident.

The chains snapped.

Otherworldly power flowed into her body through the trident.

It rampaged.

The Divine Energy inside the room went berserk.

Cracks appeared on the floor and the pillars supporting the roof shook.

"Stop."

The Divine Energy calmed with Elizabeth's one command.

After claiming the trident, she looked at the final murals at the roof.

They showed the tale of four horsemen…

Death, the first horseman, rode the red horse.

Conquest, the second horseman, rode the white horse.

Famine, the third horseman, rode the purple horse.

War, the fourth horseman, rode the golden horse.

"…"

Elizabeth's eyes were fixed at the first horseman.

The Sarnie Maze hidden beneath the Mount Columbus was created by Elizabeth's ancestor during the Age of Gods.

It was a warning for the future.

"Death… Is it him?"

Elizabeth tightened her grip around the trident and slashed upwards.

The ceiling was destroyed along with the murals.

…

Infirmary

Demigod Academy

The smell of alcohol and antiseptics stung Neo's nose.

He opened his eyes.

"Cough! Cough!"

The noise alarmed Henry who sat beside him.

"Don't try to move, dipshit."

Henry grabbed Neo's forehead and forced him to stop moving.

He only let go when Neo nodded.

Henry returned to his seat after clicking his tongue.

"Five broken bones, twenty lacerations, swelling at multiple locations, anaemic, starved, and mild traumatic brain injury.

"It's a miracle you survived a week in that condition.

"Fucking asshole, what's the point of winning the tournament if you are the one who was beaten the most?"

"What— Cough! Cough! What about Morrigan?"

Henry's face hardened when he heard Neo's question.

He glared at Neo.

"Is that the first thing you ask after waking up?"

"I… I'm sorry?"

"…"

"How are you, brother?"

"…."

"Ahahaha, aren't you happy I won."

"…"

Henry glared at him silently.

"I'm fine. Don't worry—"

"Stop speaking if you don't want me to bash your face in."

Neo shut his mouth.

Henry clicked his tongue.

His hands moved towards the pocket, but he remembered his location, and stopped.

"Sigh, fuck! I can't even smoke here. Fuck!"

Henry stood up.

He picked two stacks of documents from the table and threw them at Neo's infirmary bed.

"That is your speech for tomorrow's opening ceremony.

"The first one is given by the academy. Don't use it. It's full of bullcrap.

"Read the other one I wrote."

Coincidentally, Henry's speech was one only page long, while the academy issued speech was of five pages.

Neo didn't have to be a genius to know Henry speech's contents.

"I understand."

Neo continued.

"But what about Morrigan—"

"Don't say her fucking name in front of me.

"I don't care why your stupid ass helped the bitch who tried to kill you.

"Just be happy I'm not murdering you for being a dumbass."

Henry's anger answered Neo.

He wouldn't have been so restless if Morrigan died.

'So she survived.'

Neo was relieved.

Her death would've affected the future negatively.

"Fuck, I can't stand seeing you like this. Why is it taking so long to heal you?"

Henry was pissed off as he wasn't allowed to use his healers to heal Neo.

Apparently, Neo, having Dark-type affinities, couldn't be healed with Holy Affinity.

It would destroy his body.

They had to use elixirs and medicines to save Neo.

The fact that he cauterized the wound on his forearm and let the injury on his stomach fester for a week made it harder to heal him.

If Henry hadn't been annoyed after seeing his brother nearly dying on the broadcast, the incompetence of Demigod Academy did the job.

"I'm okay," Neo spoke. "Calm down."

"You should be thankful you are okay, bitch. Or else, I would've resurrected you and killed you with my own hands."

Neo smiled bitterly.

It was a good thing the broadcast showed only battles.

Had Henry seen Neo suffering for a week, he might've just broken into the tournament area and wreaked havoc.

Smiling, Neo shifted his gaze to the doors.

He could see two people peeking into the room.

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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC51: Rewards

Henry followed his gaze.

"tsk, you can talk to them. They were pretty worried about you."

He opened the door, revealing Arthur and Felix behind it, and left.

Felix ran up to Neo with an excited face.

"You defeated Morrigan! I saw the fight! It was awesome! Everyone's going crazy over your battle!"

Arthur came behind Felix.

He stared at Neo awkwardly.

"Congratulations."

"Thanks."

Felix noticed the awkwardness.

He didn't understand the reason for it.

"Congrats for the first rank!

"You might not know it but you are the first Ruler who isn't from Zeus Clan or Poseidon Clan. You've made history!"

Felix was evidently excited.

"What about you two?" Neo asked.

"I'm glad you asked."

Felix grinned.

"The Zeus Clan members couldn't find us until the end.

"And since, I stole their rank tokens, they had a hard time in the tournament."

Felix's actions in the tournament were more or less as Neo expected.

He continued.

"Also, guess our ranks?"

"Top 10…?"

"Yup! I'm Rank 2 and Arthur is Rank 3!" Felix laughed. "Though, in my case, Arthur let me have the second rank."

"It wasn't much," Arthur commented.

Neo clicked his tongue.

'Look at him acting humble.'

'I bet he would've attacked me during the last days for the first rank if we were together,' Neo thought.

Arthur noticed Neo staring at him.

He let out an embarrassed smile.

"I don't know if I should be happy or sad. The students are calling us 'The Fraud Triad'."

"…?"

Neo was confused.

Seeing him, Arthur explained.

Neo used trickery to defeat Morrigan.

Felix became Rank 2 because Arthur helped him.

Arthur, despite having Kingsley in his name, wasn't from Zeus Clan.

All three of them were frauds.

Hence, the Fraud Triad.

"Heh, let them be. They are just jealous," Felix snorted.

Neo nodded.

The three ate lunch together.

Arthur and Felix left after it.

"Rest well."

"We will come to pick you up tomorrow. Let's go the entrance ceremony together!"

Neo waved at them.

After they left, Neo checked his rewards.

[Essence Breath]

[Rank: Tremor

[Mastery: Apprentice]

[Effect: Allows user to breathe in ambient Divine Energy and purify it.]

"Another Tremor-ranked Spell..."

Neo massaged his forehead.

It would've been better if it was a low-ranked Spell.

Tremor-ranked Spells required tremendous time and effort to be learned.

On the other hand, Whisper-ranked and Echo-ranked Spells could be learned effortlessly.

It was easy to raise their masteries.

Moreover, low-ranked Spells would help him learn Divine Energy control.

High-ranked Spells were too complicated to be used regularly as a practice tool for Divine Energy control.

[Immortal]

[Exp: 103/100]

Neo could start his breakthrough any time.

He decided to wait until he received the Starplum fruit.

Consuming the fruit before the breakthrough would increase his gains.

Neo closed his eyes and practiced the Essence Breath Spell.

He took a deep breath.

Small motes of Divine Energy entered his lungs.

From there, he pushed the Divine Energy into the blood vessels.

It was only a tiny amount.

He repeated the cycle.

Late into the night, Henry arrived with dinner.

They ate together.

Henry grumbled the academy wouldn't let him stay over and left after telling Neo good night.

Left alone, Neo resumed the Essence Breath Spell training.

He fell asleep without realizing it.

Felix and Arthur came in the morning to wake him up.

They brought the Academy uniform with them.

Neo's uniform was different.

He wore the black pants, a black shirt, and a black coat.

The tie, also black, had red patterns similar to the coat.

"What is this? Why is it all black?"

The Rulers could decide their uniform color and design.

It was a privilege given to only first ranked students.

"Your brother chose the design. He said it was your favorite color."

"I see…"

The uniform was, strictly speaking, stylish.

Nevertheless, Neo felt embarrassed.

Even with the cast, he wore the uniform easily.

The cloth stretched without ripping itself apart.

Neo, cast on one arm and crutch on another, left with Arthur and Felix.

They walked towards the destination.

The closer they got to the audience hall the more students began to appear.

Most, no, all of them pointed at Neo, Arthur, and Felix.

Neo didn't need to use his Death Affinity to sense their bloodlust and negative intentions.

The top three ranks were revered designations in the Demigod Academy.

Having three 'frauds' as the top three was an insult to the academy as well as the students.

"Oh," Neo spoke. "I forgot to bring the speech."

Before Arthur and Felix could say anything, he waved his hand.

"Let's just go. I'll improvise on the spot."

If it was before, he might've been intimidated.

Giving a speech in front of thousands of students would've made him nervous.

But after dying and facing worse threats, he didn't feel anything.

The hall was massive and it was filled to the brim.

Neo noticed only a single teacher next to the podium.

The old man wore a cap and a knitted sweater while he read a newspaper.

He noticed Neo, stood up, and went to the podium at the stage.

"Quiet," He said into the mike. "The Ruler will give his speech. You lot will receive your rewards after that."

He returned to seat and picked up the newspaper.

It didn't look like he had anything more to say.

Arthur and Felix left.

They sat on the front line seats.

Neo could see some familiar faces there.

Leonora, Lucas, Harrison, and a few more.

Most of the Zeus Clan members were between Rank 20~30.

'They took a big hit.'

Shifting his gaze, he stared at empty space above Leonora's head.

His affinities didn't react.

'So I can't see her spirit.'

Neo scanned the other seats while he approached the podium.

He didn't see Morrigan anywhere.

What he saw was hostility, mockery, and derision in the eyes of most of the students.

"Ahem."

He tapped the mic to check if it was working.

"I'll skip the pleasantries."

His eyes landed on Lucas.

"I'm sure most of you know about me from the registration day."

A trickster…

A fraud…

A weakling…

"All of you must've seen my battle with Morrigan di Montaigne and there must be a lot you would want to say."

If they fought Neo, they could defeat him.

If he fought Morrigan again, he would lose.

"But—"

No one accepted him as the true first rank.

He cheated.

That's what their eyes were saying.

"I don't give a fuck what you think. Shut up and keep your heads down like the loser you are."

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