Within the realm of Fyor, in the twenty-fifth layer of the world, a large expedition was formed. Maxers of every type came together, whether they were combatants or crafters, for the sole purpose of conquering the floor.
This was an incredibly difficult land to advance it, one where the earth and sea were split, where the ground rose high enough to touch the sky. Giants walked the earth, capable of manipulating vast amounts of energy, while terrifying insects crawled the surface of the sky. The expedition needed to be prepared for everything, whether it was fighting, making use of their surroundings, or crafting emergency shelters.
As for the leader of this expedition… that piece of information had surprised all that joined. The expedition was led by a seemingly-young girl, a Maxer known by the moniker Black. This demonic youth wielded an axe larger than her entire body, the surface of the weapon appearing coated in darkness.
People knew by now not to judge someone based solely on their appearances. In the age of energy bodies, any child could be an ancient figure, and any ancient figure could be a simple child. That was why they did not focus on her outward looks, but rather her identity.
The name of Black was one that had appeared for over a dozen years, playing various roles in several major expeditions. She had even taken part in the original foray into the twenty-fifth floor where they established their stronghold. For this, she was respected, but also questioned. She had never revealed her name before in any events she participated in, her identity shrouded in mystery.
Why would such a person organize such a large expedition? This question was held in the hearts of several participants, who all met outside the city of World’s End, the first and greatest stronghold within the twenty-fifth layer.
Black stood at the very front of a gathering of over five hundred people. Each of these individuals had built up their personal power to the point where they could easily fight in a field such as this, with none of them feeling lacking. The act of being asked to follow the lead of someone who had kept their identity secret… it did not sit well with many.
However, before they could voice their disputes, Black was the first to speak. “Thank you all for joining me here today. I’m sure you all have your questions, but first… allow me a moment. I’ve seen many of you asking about me, trying to pry information from those you thought knew more than yourselves. You were unsatisfied that I would lead you without an identity that would match the lot of you.”
Black smiled as she saw the mixed glances from the group, those who realized that they had been caught and those who simply agreed with her statements. “In that case, let me tell you who I am. When I was born, this world still had only half of its current power, and we were restricted to the land of Dawn. Nobody dared to venture too deep into the Nest of Maggots for fear of being overrun.”
“I participated in the first Dungeon War, holding the title of the fourth-ranked master, Shadow. With a friend of mine, I paved the way for the twenty-first, twenty-second, and twenty-third floors to be discovered, leaving messages for the guild on how to find them. And now, we are going to find the twenty-sixth floor as well…”
The gathered Maxers looked among themselves. The Dungeon War was quite some time ago, but not so long that nobody lived to remember it. The name Shadow did indeed appear in its rankings, its position seemingly unshakable throughout the entire event.
“There was a reason for me to hide my name, but now, I feel the time has come to share it. My name is Petra Carna. I am the child of Ashley, the Goddess of Darkness.” As she said that, she revealed proof to back her words. Above her head, a title appeared for all to witness, marking her as the Demigoddess of Shadows.
“So now I ask you… do I have the right to lead all of you?” She easily lifted her axe, pointing it towards the crowd. “If anyone is unsatisfied, I don’t mind hearing you out.”
The group fell silent at her call, seeming to consider her words. There had never been a report of Ashley having a mortal child, but the title above her head was irrefutable proof. There were no gods or goddesses among the demons that had been in power long enough to bear a child of Petra’s age, and thus the only divine parent she could have was indeed the Greater Goddess, Ashley.
Since that was the case, and she was the child of one of the Greater Pantheon… that would make her only the third of such known children. The first to reveal herself to the world was the Eternal Princess, the Demigoddess of Youth who helped govern the centaurs throughout an age. She went on to become the queen of Sher Dien, overseeing its entire history until it joined the allied worlds.
The second revealed was the child of the Keeper and the Goddess of Magic, Leowynn. Although she lived even earlier than Alme Dien, her history was not known until far later, when she ascended to become a member of the Greater Pantheon herself. And now, a third such individual had appeared before them.
Given the records of the first two, few dared to imagine her as unworthy. To be the child of the Greater Pantheon was to have a destiny that stood above all. That was the perception that the world had towards people like her.
As for Petra herself, she was inwardly delighted. This was the first time that she had truly been able to announce herself to the world. Although she had to rely on the misperception of others and obscured some details, nothing of what she said was truly a lie. She had been able to state her identity proudly, something she had only dreamed about doing before this.
It took all the strength she could muster to keep a serious look on her face when she knew that she would be grinning like a fool if she relaxed for an instant. When she saw that the gathered individuals had silently assented to her leadership, she turned around, hefting the axe over her shoulder as if it were weightless.
In truth, this weapon was crafted from iron mined in the twenty-fifth layer of the Shadow of Fyor. Its true weight was over fifty thousand pounds, but that could not be considered anything much for a Maxer of Fyor. Anyone here would be carrying a weapon weighing no less than five hundred pounds, even if it were a common staff. What truly made the axe special was that she was capable of using her demigod aspect through the weapon.
“With that taken care of, we’ll begin! I want three scouts forming a triangle formation around the group, watching for any threats. Maintain constant contact with the party. Crafters form the middle of the group, while mages and priests will be behind me. I want the warriors at the back to protect us from ambushes.”
“You want the mages at the front, and warriors in the rear?” A dovah woman asked with wide eyes. “Isn’t this the wrong way around?” Naturally, the tactic of leading with a heavily armored vanguard was known to anyone that had trained to make it this far.
When Petra heard that complaint, she allowed her grin to pull at her lips. The blood in her body began to boil, red mist rising from her skin as her ki rampaged. She turned around to face the group as darkness spread out at her feet. “I’ll be protecting the front.” As she said that, she lifted her axe, and swung it down to her side.
There was a resounding crash as the axe grew rapidly in size, becoming a towering construct before it slammed into the ground, the head of the axe over a hundred meters away. From within Petra’s shadow, indistinct figures could be seen shifting, as if a horde of monsters were waiting for the chance to pounce.
This was the power of Petra’s aspect, the ability to manifest and control shadows. A power born to match the Shadow Saint, with its own terrifying implications. Although she could not wield the World’s Shadow with the full power of Thelsa, she was able to control shadows through any energy she possessed, whether it was ki, mana, or even her spirit.
The words of the dovah woman caught in her throat as she saw the display, as well as the bloody grin covering Petra’s face. The mist was an obvious trait of a berserker that had cultivated to a high level, able to condense the ki within their blood at will and release it in powerful bursts. She did not need to wait to be injured in order to explode with the power of her class, and could instead bring out her full force at a moment’s notice.
Not to mention the fact that she was showing herself as a berserker… that in itself spoke volumes to people. Although berserkers were not considered to be the most intelligent people, as the class caused people to have a tendency to take on incredible dangers, they were very resolute. Furthermore, the temper of a berserker was nothing to question, as their rage was one of their most iconic traits.
Although she was the child of one of the Greater Pantheon, people began to hold their doubts. The power that she displayed was indeed impressive, but could she serve as the vanguard of their group by herself? As Petra lifted her axe and returned it to its normal size, she turned and began walking. Behind her, several mages and priests walked forward, but not without preparing their own emergency escape plans.
If things went wrong, and Petra was unable to fulfill her role, they were prepared to abandon the expedition in order to preserve their lives. Their trust in Petra was by no means absolute, even given her identity.
Petra was fully aware of this, and was using this as a way to bolster her image. She called on the scouts within her shadow to secretly examine her surroundings as they advanced. So long as a creature existed in darkness or cast its own shadow, she should be able to discover it. And if a creature did not do so… could she be blamed for not seeing something invisible?
Petra could hear the march of heavy steps behind her, knowing that the group had chosen to follow. She was nervous, not for her own safety but for how well this action would be received. She had to perform to the best of her ability in order to keep everyone safe. To that end, she had part of her focus on an item hidden within her shadow, the portable dungeon core that she had used during the Dungeon War.
She was confident in her own strength, but she was even more confident in the dungeon that she had personally built, with layers upon layers of shadow realms that could defend allies and trap enemies alike. As they entered the forest of towering trees, she felt renewed energy filling her body.
How does it feel? A voice asked in the depths of her mind. Thelsa was naturally watching Petra, prepared to step in if things became truly dire. To her delight, she did not need to make an appearance, as the girl had proven herself with her speech.
It feels FANTASTIC! Petra shouted inwardly, resisting the urge to start skipping. Thankfully, the overwhelming gravity of the twenty-fifth floor made sure to keep her firmly rooted to the ground. Only if she purposely exerted herself would she be able to achieve any sort of vertical momentum. Did you finish everything you wanted, though?
I’ve done all I can for now. Thelsa admitted with a faint sigh. She had been working tirelessly to populate her shadow world, and had even made an agreement with Dana. While Thelsa herself could not easily produce monsters, Dana could. And so, Thelsa allowed Dana into her shadow world, where she had spent months creating monsters on every floor. Thelsa’s goal was to create a dangerous environment that mimicked that of the true Fyor, such that it would stimulate the growth of her people. Individually raising Maxers as she had been doing previously was no longer cutting it, and she needed this step in order to really make her world flourish.
Thankfully, the monsters Dana created with her own World’s Shadow were able to be assimilated by Thelsa, allowing her to respawn them as needed. She might not be able to create new monsters, but repopulating them was not a problem. That alone would help to hone her shadow population.
