"You'll see..."

After delivering that rather cryptic answer, I turned while motioning for the two of them to follow, but the moment I took a single step, I suddenly found myself freezing I place...no, it wasn't me that froze. The world itself seemed to freeze, before I suddenly found myself within a pitch-black void.

...a very familiar pitch-black void.

"Anon, you crazy bastard!!"

I suddenly found myself standing before a very amused pair of sisters.

Carnachias and Melanoche. No prizes for which one just spoke.

"Carny. Judging by the amusement clear on you and Mel's faces, coupled with that familiar presences just a moment ago, I'm guessing you liked my little show."

"'Liked'? Champion, you completely drove the Light into a chaotic frenzy!"

Despite the seeming chastisement, Mel's smirking face made it perfectly clear what her true thoughts on my little stunt were. Oh yeah, I am so going to smash that.

"The glowing cocksuckers of Light practically ran around like headless chickens, screaming like little girls who just had their cherries popped! The looks on their faces were absolutely priceless, Anon! HA!"

It couldn't be any clearer by Mel's twitching smirk and her shaking shoulders she was trying and barely holding her laughter in at the mental image of what the Light's response was to my little showing earlier. Seems she's better at holding it in than her sister, anyway.

"Not even ten minutes in, and you already made possibly the greatest achievement of the Dark by any champion in history, Anon!" Carny's laughter-filled comment made my already wide grin widen further. "It's reward time!"

"Yes, sister. Unfortunately, since you already have the Status Ailment powers, I cannot give you that, but for this one act of powerful never-before-seen magic, you've earned the right to obtain the Sorcerer class. I can grant it to you right now if you wish, or if you have any other requests?"

Shaking my head at Melanoche's question I respond in answer. "Naw, I'll just take the Sorcerer class. It ought to come in handy for what I plan to do. At the very least, it'll free up time trying to gain the Barbarian class, though that one I plan to actually earn."

"Very well. So be it." Melanoche agrees, and I can feel the magical knowledge slipping into my head. Nodding in thanks, I watch as the Goddess of the Black Night turns to Carny and spoke to her. "I gave him my reward, sister. I'll take my leave first. Unlike you, some of us actually take doing our job seriously."

"...40kyearoldvirginsayswhat." Carny said.

Wait. She didn't-

"What?" Mel's narrow-eyed response got my eyes to completely widen to saucers as I dropped my jaw at just how easily Carny got her with that one.

....holy shit. She did.

Realizing her blunder and how she'd been had, Mel blushed in embarrassment before she huffed and left, leaving only me and Carny together.

...oh God, I'm stuck with the sex-obsessed nymphomaniac of the two Sisters. Alone.

....hehehe. I'm in danger.

"Anyway, Anon." Carny turns to me in triumph at having pulled one over Mel, she gives me a little saucy grin and a seductive wink. "I put your reward from me in your new pocket."

"...huh?"

"You'll see when you leave. Toodles!"

Before I could ask any further, I suddenly found myself back in front of Serenity and Selene, walking forward to render judgement upon these criminals masquerading as paladins. Having just turned around. Huh, so apparently they can just do that.

Mentally shrugging, I continue moving forward while checking my new gains and what Carny was talking about.

================================================================================================================

Name: Raziel

Race: Revenant(Undead/Erosarkic Hybrid)

Monster Core: Inspiring

Size: Huge

Penis: Complete Package(Breeding, Mindbreak, Ryona)

Monster Powers: Status Ailments, Timefruit Juice, Elemental Infusion(Life, Death, Shadow)

Classes: Soul Knight[Tier II, Unique] Lvl 13, Temporal Reaver[Tier II, Hidden Unique] Lvl 12, Shadow Lord[Tier II, Unique] Lvl 10

Current Accumulated Class EXP: 0

Current Accumulated Evolution EXP: 0

HP: ---91%---

MP:---64%---

SP---N/A---

Strength: C++ Magic: B-

Dexterity: B- Mana Capacity: A-

Endurance: A- Intelligence: C+

Vitality: B+ Wisdom: B+

Libido: A-

Perks: Infinite Stamina(Innate, Racial), Blessing of the Black Night, Carnation Conquest, Spooky Calcium, Complete Status Immunity, Accelerated Regeneration(Innate, Racial), Templar, Hero-like, Thick Skinned, Blessing of the God of Rape(Aphrodisiac, Innate), Beacon of Hope, Warmth(Toggleable),Elemental Immunity(Light, Dark)

Flaws: Wrathful(Lesser), Lustful(Moderate), Elemental Vulnerability(Fire-Minor), Kleptomaniac(Minor)

Skills: Grand Executioner(Initiate), All-Weapon Mastery(Expert), Vampiric Strike(Initiate), Unarmed Combat Proficiency(Adept), Temporal Reaver(Initiate, Unique), Fount of Vitality(Passive/Active, Toggleable), Morale Boost(Minor), God's Blow, Status Toxin Production(Initiate, Innate), Defensive Combat Arts(Intermediate, Innate), Alchemy(Initiate), Poison Making(Initiate)

Spells: Shadow Monarch's Crown(Adept), Life Magic(Adept), Death Magic(Adept), Shadow Magic(Adept), Immaculate Conception(Adept), Soul Lock(Initiate, Unique), Intangible Shadow(Initiate, Unique), Mark of Submission, God's Eye, Human Polymorph, Abnormal Status Magic(Initiate), Shadow Storage(Innate)

Current Conditions: [Healthy]-[Aroused(Severe)]

================================================================================================================

...hello? So I gained a unique derivative of the Sorcerer class? Shadow Lord, eh? I'm guessing since it's just a Tier II class, that means I'll need to evolve it a few times before I can become the Shadow Monarch in anything other than name only. Just a matter of time. And several of my skills upgraded from 'Initiate' to 'Adept' proficiency. Hell, my 'Defensive Combat Arts' skill even upgraded to 'Intermediate' rank just from five minutes of doing my little scrap with Ophelia. Noice.

Though what confused me was the fact I still had no class or evolution EXP. So a quick check of those quests revealed they weren't done yet. No wonder. I then remembered that new spell, Shadow Storage? I immediately pulled up the spell description and understood what Carny meant when she said to 'check my inventory'. She was referring to this! Now what was she-what the fuck!?

The space for my Shadow Storage had only a few things in it, but I felt my face completely freeze before a mad cackle broke free from the depths of my throat at what was in there. Carny, I could fuck you right now!

As for what was making me react this way? Well...

================================================================================================================Dear Anon,

I understand you left quite a bit of sweet toys behind in your old world. While I can't give you those, I can give you these closest equivalents here in Ruyanei, along with a little something personal from me. Enjoy!

~Carnachias (*＾3＾)/～♡

========================================================================================================================

After reading that, I immediately looked at what was there, and...well, let's just say the mad villain cackling was totally justified from what I saw there, no matter what people thought when they saw me right now. I didn't care.

========================================================================================================================

Shadow Storage

Current Storage Contents:

1. Armor Maintenance and Repair Set (20)
2. Weapon Maintenance and Repair Kit (20)
3. Modern Armory and Arsenal Crafting Pack (20)
4. Material Types and Uses Guide Vol. I-III (1)
5. Initiate Apothecary Tool Kit (20)
6. Mad Bomber's Crafting Tool Kit (20)
7. Divinely Blessed Flesh-light (2)
8. Jar of Divine-grade Aphrodisiac Lubricating Oil (50)

================================================================================================================

The weapon and armor crafting and repair kits were perfect replicas of the ones I used to have back home, or at least as close to them as Ruyanei had available. And she gave me twenty of them each, which would be useful in the event I ever broke or wore one out. I'll need to see about finding someone to craft them for me later down the line, just in case I need more. The apothecary and bomb kits were part of the Sorcerer class gift to go with the other crafting kits. After all, Sorcerers were also potion and bomb makers in this world closer to warlocks and wizards, not just spell slingers. While it wasn't any of my actual old weapons or armor, it gave me the ability to make my own, once again, provided I can acquire the necessary materials to do so. That alone was enough to put a smile on my face.

It was the last two little 'gifts' from Carny that made me break out the mad villain cackle. That was just like the lustful Goddess's typical antics I'd expect. It just screamed 'Carny' to a tee. The aphrodisiac oil lube was self-explanatory. No need to bother explaining that, and reading the description only confirmed what I already knew. Pulling up the description for the flesh-lights was what made me cackle once I read the descriptions. Carny, you truly do look out for me.~

They were basically a pair of flesh-lights modeled after Mel and Carny's own divine cunts. A perfect recreation down to the smallest detail, from their pussy lips to their wombs, and would give me a perfect feel for what fucking them would be like. They could even take whatever loads I pumped into them and simply vanish them magically. No mess, and no clean-up! Just what I needed. Now I just need to find some alone time to use them to take the edge off my pent-up blue balls.

"...do we even want to know?"

Serenity asked with a rather nervous chuckle, before I simply shook my head as I responded.

"No, nothing to worry about. Just a little 'gift' I got in my Shadow Storage made me laugh. I'll teach ya the spell later Serenity, since you are also a Shadow Mage now, albeit just a Lvl 1 after your resurrection."

That got Selene and Serenity to pause and then drop their jaws and practically shout at the same time.

""WHAT!?""

...yeesh, for a mage, quite the pair of lungs on this one. Selene actually got my ears to ring a bit.

"Later. Right now, we've more important issues to deal with. Serenity. Quick question."

"...what is it?" She hesitantly asked, my unhinged behavior seeming to make her a little anxious. But my amusement disappeared completely as I spoke my next question.

"Can you attack Xalder right now? I want to test something."

She was confused, but went to grip her weapon, but when she tried to move to wield it and attack Xalder, she couldn't raise the spiked pole-arm. It's not that she felt unwilling to strike him down. It was clear she really wanted to. Her body was coiled and tense, as if waiting to move at a moments notice, her grip around her pole-arm was white-knuckled, but she just could not move to attack him. I was afraid of that. It was precisely for this reason why I didn't take the 'Love Humanity' Divine Oath...

"...I...can't...why can't I-"

"Don't bother. I know what's wrong. I'll explain later, though this is gonna complicate things. Allow me to serve as a proxy for killing Xalder then, since this complication won't let you, despite your wish and justification to do so. I believe my ritual might be to blame for this. Or at least, the meddling of those who slipped something in before I could stop them."

They both opened their mouths to demand answers, but I simply rose a hand and spoke up to halt them for the time being.

"Later. Preferably when we don't have to deal with almost thirty 'paladins' about to be executed."

They looked unnerved by my seemingly unstable and unpredictable emotional mood swings, so I simply gave a strained smile when I was walking and spoke in a manner only the three of us could hear to calm them down a bit.

"If you're worried about my mental stability, then don't. I'm just readjusting from the fact my body is no longer being slowly ravaged by an incurable terminal illness. My brain was partially affected before I died, and I wasn't exactly in the best place mentally before getting sick. It was a miracle I was as lucid as I was and not completely senile before dying. Life circumstances caused me to be more than a little loopy. Give me a few days, and I'll probably stabilize a bit more to normal like I was prior to my illness. Like I said, need some time to readjust to my body not being a deteriorating and degenerating shell anymore."

Maybe. Hopefully.

That helped to calm them down a bit just as we approached the restrained paladins and-yikes! Xalder has really seen better days. His face is a mess. Almost all his teeth got knocked out, his eyes are both blackened, and his face is swollen something fierce with bloody spittle slowly leaking from his split lips. I'm pretty sure his cheek bones were also shattered completely and his jaw was probably cracked with how deformed his face looks right now as his nasal bones and his sinuses are slightly swelling in and out as he breathes. Not a very pretty look, all in all. It's amazing he's even conscious at all right now with the sheer pain he must be in.

Shock must have set in. He's gonna be really feeling it in a few hours. That is, if he were still alive by then.

As they noticed me walking to them, I had my shadows drag the surviving battle nuns to sit next to them, but unlike with the 'paladins', they weren't being manhandled, merely loosely kept from trying anything, much to their growing confusion. They'll probably thank me when this is all over. I did just save them after all.

"Now then, Captain Half-blood, correct?" Xalder immediately looked like he could set me ablaze in an inferno just with his gaze alone. If looks could kill, I'd have been dead(again) a thousand times over by now from that sheer hate-filled glare alone. Ignoring his growing animosity, I pressed on. "I have an offer for you, one I believe-"

Hauugh-PTOOEY-Splat

"..."

Everyone just looked at me, then Xalder, then back to me, before looking at Xalder in disbelief.

....I didn't even get to finish before the guy spat a bloody phlegm-riddled loogie right at my face.

Rather than lose my temper, I simply disabled my Warmth power, and simply spoke in a cold tone, my earlier smile evaporating like a mirage in the desert, and my mana simply skyrocketed as I made my presence known. The shadows themselves writhed under my presence, as everyone suddenly looked at me with terror hinted in their eyes at the sudden change in my presence and mana output. I did not shout. I did not rage. I did not curse. I spoke calmly, coldly, and completely without a shred of empathy for them as I continued.

"...are you truly not even wanting to hear my offer? You don't even know what I was going to say."

"Phhuuukh. Eeeeeuuuwwwh."

Xalder's answer couldn't be any more obvious what he thought of me. Undeterred and without showing a hint of anger, I simply kept going. Instead I grinned coldly as I retorted in a manner that really made him wish he kept his mouth shut.

"No thank you, Cap'n Half-blood. As flattering as that offer is, I regret to inform you I am completely straight."

That got some spluttered laughs from the succubi and witches, while the nuns and Ophelia looked aghast at the implied insinuation that Xalder was gay. Oh, if only. That would have been more tolerable than his actual tastes. As for the half-elf in question? He simply seethed in impotent rage as I humiliated him on top of insulting him, adding literal insult to injury in his case. I then continue on after a moment of mentally patting myself on the back for that one.

"As I was saying, I had an offer for you and you men. What you answered with would determine your fates upon death. After all, not one of you sick bastards are gonna be leaving here alive, especially since I do not tolerate traitorous backstabbers to live. Can't be trusted, the lot 'o' you." I shrugged at that last part.

"What backstabbing traitors?"

"Slander! Just typical of a Dark Race Monster!"

...I just let them rant and keep digging their holes even deeper for a few minutes while remaining silent. Let them have plenty of rope to hang themselves with. As much as the twisted fuckers wanted. These bastards are still trying to hide what they did behind prejudiced bias against the Dark by the Light to conceal their own crimes? Fine then. Since they wanna play this game, let's play. But they won't win this one. I got literal decades over them at this little 'game'...

"...what lies have I spoken? Because I merely stated a fact based on my own observations and logical deductions from current information at my disposal." Directing one of the Shadow simulacrums to pick up a couple of the paladin's corpses, I bring them over and point at one of them as I continue.

"This paladin here? Died from a blunt force strike to his throat, crushing the trachea, causing him to suffocate to death, 'cuz his windpipe couldn't get any air through it to breath with."

"A succubus did that!"

"Wrong. The blunt instrument was far too thin to have come from even a chopping motion from an open palm. It was done with something thin, about a half-inch thick. Like, say, the blunt edge of a heavy shield? Something neither the succubi nor the witches' warrior have."

Then pointing to the other dead paladin, I point out another fact to completely counteract their denials of guilt.

"Then there's this poor bastard. His head got caved in from behind by a crushing blow that was equal parts sharp and blunt."

"A witch I tell you!"

"No, there were only three witches who used physical attack spells. Selene here, who used crystal magic, total points for creativity there by the way, but she was kept busy by Cap'n Half-blood here for the whole battle. She didn't do it, she was too busy dropping crystal boulders on him. The other two were a couple other witches, an earth and ice magic user respectively. However, they only used them to erect defensive walls or to conjure spikes to pierce their attackers who got too close. This paladin was all the way in your back lines."

"Then it was a succubus!"

"No, it was caused by something far larger than a succubi's first."

"Then you killed 'em!"

"Again, no. It was caused by something far smaller than my fist. As a matter of fact..." I pick up the offered morningstar from another of my simulacrums to get my point across. A standard issue one, from what a quick God's Eye told me about it, a mass produced weapon made en masse to arm the Paladins of Marstole in quick fashion within a reasonable time frame. Holding the head up next to the caved-in helmet after removing it, I then place the helmet's caved-in section against the head of the morningstar. "...a perfect fit."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...still wanna try to feign innocence with me? Or have I made my point clear by now? I still have all the other corpses from your fallen paladins to make it very clear who actually killed who. And you will not be able to talk your way out of it with me. I am not anybody's fool. I have over fifty years of experience hunting down hardened criminals and systematically dismantling their cartel syndicate's illicit operations. An infamous veteran vigilante who became a legend before I died of a terminal illness. Do. Not. Ever. Insult me further when it comes to dealing with criminal scum like you lot."

The dead silence as the battle nuns looked shocked at what the truth I laid out before them became clear as day. Ophelia looked a bit surprised as she glanced between me and Xalder, duty warring with confusion in her eyes. Poor girl. She's about to have her entire worldview shattered by the next bombshell I plan to drop here.

"Since Captain Half-blood here(Xalder practically snarled openly at me in response. Pretty sure I saw him pop a literal blood vessel, too) has made his choice without even giving me the chance to offer it, allow me to tell you all right now. There are fates that exist as worse than death. What I offer you lot is the chance to avoid them. Simply tell me everything you all know about your bosses, their lieutenants, lines of succession, their supply routes, chain of command, known habits, everything. I want to know it all. If you even know what their preferences are in the bedroom, you can even tell me about that, too, if you'd like. Do this, and I'll simply kill you and end it there. No need for any needless or pointless suffering to be had for any of you."

I noticed the looks they directed at Serenity, and I immediately knew their exact thoughts. Dumb fucks are really thinking they'll be-

"Go fuck yourself!"

"We ain't telling you shite about the Church!"

"Might as well kill us now, 'cuz we ain't talking!"

"...it seems you misunderstand a few things. I do not care about your Church of Marstole. I do not care about its day to day. I do not even care what they get up to in their private time in the bedroom. Other than the fact it is the Church the Saintess of the Hero's Party is the leader of, I could not possibly care less about it. That is not what I was asking you about..." That got them to shut up in confusion, along with the Selene, Serenity, Neralith, and even Ophelia along all those with them. Time to really hammer it home just how royally fucked these poor bastards truly are.

"No, what I want to know about isn't the secondary occupation you lot have as Paladins of Marstole..." That got eyes widened in shock and confusion, from the 'paladins' present and the women surrounding us, respectively. "...what I'm asking for is the knowledge from your primary occupation you all use the previously stated secondary occupation as a cover for. I want to know all~ about it. What say you, Xalder Half-blood? After all, you are the Top Enforcer for the Mavenia branch of the Cartel, are you not?"

The sudden silence was so deafening, even the dead would be unnerved by the sheer bombshell I dropped onto their heads.

"....'o'...'ed..."

"Like I said, Captain Half-blood. I was a legendary vigilante before I died. I spent over fifty years successfully pissing off cartels, gangs, and syndicates just like yours, dismantling their entire operations without getting killed by them. And not for a lack of trying on their part." I leaned in, my bulk making it clear he done fucked up and was not going to like what I was going to do to him. "Since you lot have spoken, I'll only ask you this. Are you sure you don't wish to take my offer? Final chance. Take it or leave it."

""...""

None of them answered in response. None of them changed their tunes. None of them realized just what fate is now going to await their choice.

"...I see. So be it then." I picked up Xalder's blade, one-handing it s I brandished it like an executioner's blade, preparing to decapitate Xalder, as I spoke to all these dead men walking in turn. My voice becoming completely flat, emotionless, and utterly devoid of any and all warmth. "You all must think, because you saw how I brought Serenity back, that you'll be getting the same treatment, right?"

They all had the audacity to smirk, thinking they won, but I completely destroyed that confidence as I made my decision. "...wrong. Allow me to disabuse you of your mistaken assumption."

"...whu-"

Swish-SPLAT-fwump-thump-bump

With one swipe, Xalder's head was removed by my hand, using his own weapon. Without ever turning my gaze from the bandits masquerading as Paladins, I spoke a single word. One word, yet the sheer weight behind it made it hold power beyond what most in this world could ever hope to achieve...

"Arise"

...and from Xalder's corpse, a shadow was ripped out in his image. It looked like he had in life, only composed of pure shadows, as an unholy bloodcurdling scream tore through his ephemeral and incorporeal throat. As the form began to settle before my gathered audience, the Shadow of Xalder Half-blood knelt before me, like a knight bowing before his liege in acknowledgement of his sovereign. Without even blinking, I just upended the status quo between the Light and the Dark, between Life and Death, as I ripped a soul from the cycle, enslaved it, and made it my personal bitch.

Turning to look at the terror marring the face of the bandits, they tried to reconsider my earlier offer to avoid this fate, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. They had their chance. They should have taken it when they had the option. That window is already closed to them. That mercy is no longer an option for them...

"What's the matter? Don't like the outcome of your own decision?"

I slaughtered them one by one, as I spoke, ignoring their pleas for mercy or begging for the offered alternative they already rejected...

"Some choices, once made can never be taken back."

I stood before the final bandit. His pants had become completely drenched in his own piss, a foul stench of shit rising from his backside as I stood over him, an executioner preparing to condemn his soul to a fate worse than Death...

"Just because you don't like the outcome, doesn't mean you can change your mind when the choice you made doesn't go the way you wanted it to. I gave you all a chance to change your minds. Not my fault you didn't take the easy out I gave you lot when you had the chance."

"HIEEEE-"

SWSH-SPLATTER-Whump-thump-bump

...and before the fascination and horror-filled gazes of those present, I said a single word once again. That same word that could grant either salvation or damnation to whatever soul it is used upon...

"Arise"

...and turn these bandits' souls into my personal bitches. I then had my Shadow Simulacrum bring forth paper and pencils and hand them to these new soldiers under my command, these new slave-shadows who thought Death would allow them escape from their sins. A single command to get the point across just how fucked anyone who angered me was going to be...

"Start writing."

...after all, I did say they'd be telling me everything I wanted to know, regardless of their choice. I keep my word.