Harbingers of Change

Chapter 10

The troops under her command moved like clockwork around the staging area, armed to the teeth and prepared for war. Momiji was waiting for her turn to be deployed with her assigned legions, off to conquer the nasty human nation that dared to spearhead an attack against their Hegemony. As one of Lord Cocytus' sub-commanders, she had been placed in charge of eight total legions and was tasked with taking over an entire province.

Being inexperienced in warfare of this caliber, and only used to leading small-scale raids, she mentally repeated the core points of the plan to herself. It was imperative to ensure she knew everything required for the mission. She couldn't mess up here, not while she was responsible for the thousands of lives at her beck and call, and especially not with the pressure of the Supreme Beings' direct subordinates supervising her.

'First, a single legion will be split into groups of a few dozen strong each and surround the regional center where the military HQ will be established. Three more legions will then divide into battalions and occupy every city in the province with more than a thousand people, crushing any resistance along the way through a combination of formation fighting and long-range snipes.' That was only the first part.

'The remaining four legions will be spread over the one-and-a-half thousand-kilometer-wide border with Ingrassia, setting up a defensive perimeter against fleeing humans and incoming armies for the entire province.'

This was what the initial stage of the plan to conquer and annex Falmuth entailed. After its border region was secured, the free troops would march further inland and systematically occupy every settlement with more than a hundred souls. Settlements with smaller populations could be occupied, but considering that time was of the essence, that would be the case only if the villages responded with retaliation.

She flattened out the provided map once more, staring over the line of red cross and other markings. Every semi-traversable or easy passage point that could be used to stage an offensive would have a rapidly constructed fortress. The tireless undead were perfect for this job both in sheer numbers and work ethic. They could work around the clock to build fortifications and at the same time were capable of returning to battle formations within minutes.

Momiji rolled up the map with a stony expression and placed it back into the inner pocket of her kimono.

All her superiors had given the warning that some details would require on-fly adjustments depending on several possible factors. For example, a particular branch of the Free Guild might disobey their orders and openly support the local militia. An unknown third party could strike at their army at any time as well. Not to mention the uncertainty of how the fight between Hinata and Tempest's leaders would go. In most situations, she was authorized to crush any opposition with her armies, but she never knew what could happen, or when.

A heavy toll on her mind was inflicted by all this. She was just fifteen, and, although trained as both a political and military leader, Momiji was well aware that training and real life were two different things.

{ Deployment starts in five minutes. Be ready. }

{ Understood. The sixth army is ready and waiting. } She instantly replied to Demiurge's order.

Those five minutes were the longest of her life. But once the gate opened in front of her, Momiji marched forward with grim determination, leading the soldiers behind her.

As they arrived just outside the viewing distance of the target city, she began to receive and process the first reports of successful deployments from battalion commanders. She allowed herself to feel a small amount of pride as her troops formed neat ranks under the blazing sun. After a brief inspection, she raised her voice and then gave orders to march toward the city and swiftly surround the territory in a siege-like formation.

It was paramount that no nobles or other prominent figures escape, as they would be able to communicate with high efficiency to other provinces and cities. Lord Demiurge's spy network had compiled a list of all the people who directly and indirectly supported the crusade; twenty-seven of them were in this city alone, with an additional fifty spread throughout the province she was tasked to annex. The rest were merely those who had been caught up, likely civilians who only wanted their daily bread, and thus didn't warrant wasting time and manpower to be massacred by her forces. Dealing with any noncombatant, excluding the leadership of Falmuth, who was also not fit to become a citizen of Tempest; it was the administrative sector's business, not the army's.

The high stone walls came into view soon enough, and it seemed that the locals were in the middle of trying to mount some sort of defense and shoot barrages of arrows from their highly defensible positions. A few spells flew over too, primarily fireballs, rock spheres, and magic bullets.

Like any major city, her target was equipped with an anti-monster barrier, but they weren't designed to withstand someone on her power level. Momiji's tengu subordinates could also break through the barrier with ease, albeit while experiencing some slight tingling as observed from previous testing.

Momiji and her tengu guard marched forward, ignoring the humans' pathetic attempts at stopping Tempest's righteous retaliation. Magical spells and bullets bounced off their portable magi-shields, while arrows and stones were deflected by their Rare and Unique-grade full-body equipment.

She stopped about a hundred meters from the western gate, pausing to make an announcement via a specially commissioned voice amplifier.

"Offer unconditional surrender and those not involved in the attack on Tempest's soil will be spared. You have ten minutes to respond. If you do not comply, we will slaughter anyone who displays resistance."

The immediate reaction of the defendants was very mixed. Some began panicking, some urged their superiors to mount a more formidable opposition within the diminishing timeframe they had, while several faces looked betrayed - perhaps feeling deceived by their leaders, who promised them an easy victory against mindless monsters. A considerable many people made their way to flee, but they soon realized with despair that they were trapped on all sides. The ones whose legs had refused to move in the chaos looked at their weapons, which seemed pitiful compared to the panoply of the adversaries before them.

It came to no one's surprise that there wasn't any official response within the given time. A few soldiers shouted that they were yielding and tossed their bows over the wall, only for the weapons to be taken away by their peers.

{ Remember the faces of those who offered to surrender and spare their lives. } She issued the order to every unit and stepped forward for her opening act.

Momiji took a deep breath, cupped her hands together, and gathered massive amounts of magicules between her palms. After powering up for a few moments, she launched a full-force magical bullet at the city gates.

The impact and the subsequent blast were strong enough to blow away the barrier and the city gate at the same time, its shockwave shattering glass windows and blowing a veritable hole in the wall. Once the dust had settled, her forces charged forward through the clear opening.

Since there wasn't any intel of anyone in the city capable of flight, she would have to rely on her tengu guards if the information, or the lack thereof, proved to be false.

When Momiji finally strode through the rubble and gore to enter the city proper, resistance was all but stopped. There still were reports coming in at some pockets of enemy forces but they were not enough to even slow down the invasion army, which was moving towards the city center at a rapid pace.

As she walked through the streets, groups of fearful onlookers stood watching, likely family and friends of those who had chosen resistance. Those from the Free Guild held out their guild cards as proof that they had no intention of fighting Tempest, while many fighters had discarded their weapons and surrendered to the overwhelming invading force. Both were quickly corralled away by her forces, wary of traitors or deceivers waiting to make their move.

As the leader of the invading force, it fell onto her shoulders to formally declare the region's annexation and the resulting execution of captives. Not wanting to waste any time, she marched at a brisk pace, reaching the city center in thirty minutes as a small crowd amassed and awaited the announcement.

Most of the people present were either adventurers and staff members of the Free Guild or part of the undetained city administration. Regardless, they had been ordered to gather in the central square. They would all need to witness the official declaration.

She stepped onto a hastily constructed podium, made of the cheapest enchanted wood, and glanced over the crowd. Her short stature, petite frame, and slightly large tengu ears did nothing to increase her presence, but the humans already knew otherwise. Those who had fought monsters knew that appearances can be deceiving, and even a monster child of a stronger race such as hers could easily slay a trained soldier or knight.

"From this day onward, these lands belong to the Tempest Hegemony and are ruled over by the Supreme Overlord Momonga Tempest! Until further notice, no one is permitted to leave the city!" Momiji used the voice amplifier to ensure she was heard throughout the municipality.

"Before you are those who are aided by the Church of Luminism in their unjustified aggression towards Tempest! In his infinite mercy, Lord Momonga has sentenced them to quick deaths."

Despite their desperate declarations of innocence, the prisoners were cut down one by one and piled up with the rest of the corpses, ready to be sent to Nazarick once the cleanup teams were transported to this place.

With the sheer amount of soldiers deployed, there would be a substantial wait time. Additionally, the main transportation network was on standby until the most critical battle was decided, making things even longer for everyone involved.

As Momiji leaped down from her platform, an older, gray-haired woman dressed in a business suit approached her, the crowd splitting in two for them. It was simple to see and understand why, for despite her being in her twilight years as a human, the woman was powerfully built.

"Tempest commander, may I have a word with you?" She spoke with a loud, clear tone, showing no fear.

Momiji looked up at the much taller person and replied impatiently. "What is it?"

"My name is Elis and I represent the Free Guild. I would like to know how long the travel restrictions will be enforced."

If there was one person in the entire city she couldn't touch without a serious reason, it was this woman. Considering that Tempest controlled the Free Guild, and could subtly utilize it for not only information gathering but propaganda as well, crippling its ability to operate was a sure way to get in hot water with Lord Demiurge. Something no sane or intelligent creature would want to do.

"Until complete control over the province is established. Once that has been accomplished, movement in Tempest-controlled parts of Falmuth will be permitted. You will receive updates when the new administration is inducted."

"But that will cripple the trade and lead to massive losses for the common people who have nothing to do with this war. To my understanding, Tempest has signed an agreement with the Free Guild and such restrictions go against the said deal." Elis protested.

"I am sorry, but I do not intend to break my orders. Sit tight and wait for further information. If you are concerned about the local populace, I suggest you work with the local administration which should be set up in the next few hours. So far as I am aware, Tempest is sparing non-hostile locals by ordering containment, and thus we are fully compliant with the agreement." Momiji responded, a polite smile barely cracking its way through.

It seemed that the old woman quickly determined her worsening mood, clearly written on her eyes, and backed off, motioning for the others to organize as Tempest saw fit.

Afterward, with no one bugging her, she would disappear into the mansion previously owned by the late Marquis' estate and concentrate on managing the smooth takeover, assisted by Tempest's generously supplied liches.

Sometime later, relief swept through the legions as the news arrived that Hinata had been defeated by Rubedo and that the main crusade had been eradicated. As they wanted to ensure that there would be backup ready in case strong enemies or other potential threats showed up, they escalated the cleanup process.

After a few hours, once the initial work had been completed, she could finally report to her direct superior.

{ Lord Cocytus, I have secured control over the regional capital. }

{ GOOD JOB. TAKE A SHORT REST WHEN YOU CAN. WE WILL START EXPANDING EAST THE MOMENT THE BORDER WITH INGRASSIA IS SECURED. }

{ Understood. } Momiji curtly replied.

She didn't need to sleep, given her race as a tengu and she didn't want to either, with her tension running high, but orders were orders. Once reports finally began to die down, she would take a nap to ensure that she would be at her absolute best afterward.

She settled into the head office and ordered her attendants to sort through all the documentation found there. Books would be scoured, maps compared, and even half-burnt letters unburied.

{ We heard you've done a great job. We're proud of you! } The gushing voices of her parents invaded her mind soon after, just as she was analyzing some incriminating paperwork.

{ … Mother! Father! I am on active duty! Don't disturb me with nonsense. } She practically screamed back, sulking. Her retainers, wisely and knowing the family's relationships, exited the room.

{ We just wanted to know how our daughter is doing. Remember to rest as Lord Cocytus has ordered! }

In the short time she had known Hakurou, he had become quite a doting father, surpassing even her mother in sheer nuisance. All her life, she was properly raised as the proud leader of her race, and now both used every opportunity to treat her like their precious daughter to be spoiled, or peddle potential suitors on her. However, that last point was expected, given that she was their only daughter.

{ I am quite capable of performing tasks entrusted to me. Go do your own jobs! }

The only saving grace was that their prime candidate for her hand, Benimaru, was avoiding the idea of marriage just as intently as her. It was mutual; both individuals understood why and repelled the overbearing family members whenever the subject was brought up.

'Those old fools!' She swore to herself, accepting the first written report from one of her attendants. There was only one way out of their burdensome presence; she had to prove herself to Lord Cocytus as a capable commander and rise above the need or want for a husband.

X

He was in a singular room, without any doors or windows, ventilation vents, or drainage pipes. It was the single most secure and isolated room in all of Nazarick, as there were only two things within - a box containing the sword created by Yuuki, and Momonga standing across it. Surrounding the room were veritable thousands of barriers, designed to counter anything and everything tossed its way, from Spatial Manipulation to Magicule Breeder Reactor.

The blade was far too dangerous to be left anywhere else, even beside him in his work office, which itself was the second most protected location in the entire nation. This isolated room, also constantly monitored externally by Momonga and Pandora's Actor, was found in the deepest depths of Nazarick, and was only accessible by a single entity - the Overlord of Nazarick himself. Moreover, Omniscience always had its metaphorical eyes on the room, perpetually scanning it despite its usual emptiness.

For a few minutes, he just stood there, staring at the box and contemplating his options. The most obvious course of action was to utterly annihilate the weapon, assuming that was even possible given its godly origins. No matter how much power or advice it offered, the one behind it was an enemy, hellbent on destroying him and his people.

The second option, the least desirable one, was to attempt to communicate with the scorned Goddess and formulate some sort of truce. But there were no guarantees that Ker would agree to anything or keep her word if they found common ground, not that Momonga would compromise on anything in exchange for even a temporary ceasefire.

The final option was to leave the sword alone and study it the best he could, examining its godly powers and seeking to either take it for himself or duplicating it - it was still a powerful weapon, after all - before disposing the weapon. This was the best option if judged from an outsider's perspective, but there were no guarantees his studies would succeed, given the otherworldly nature of its creation and backer.

In any case, he had to begin by picking up the blade and obtaining some basic understanding of it, allowing his Omniscience to run through its structure and aura. The sheer bloodlust emanating from the armament constantly set off alarms, something he willingly ignored as he determined his course of action: a mixture of all three.

First, Momonga would study it while he was forced into communication. After all, the massive amount of magicules and spiritrons released by the blade, dense with hatred and determination, could lead to greater knowledge of the gods themselves, and who knew what lay behind its 'hallowed' structures.

Afterward, he would try to negotiate with the goddess. In the best-case scenario, they would agree to a truce without him having to sacrifice anything. If worse came to worst, their feud will just continue with nothing major actually changing. Moreover, thanks to Demiurge's reports of Hinata's backlash and Buku's self-reports of its debilitating effects, so long as he was careful with his mind, he should theoretically be fine throughout the process.

With slow, deliberate steps, Momonga approached the box and entered the password Buku had provided. Opening it only worsened his unease due to the now-unrestrained aura flowing right through him. Ker's hatred poured out from the sword in waves, threatening to overwhelm his bodily instincts and force him to flee. If before he still had some doubts about whether this presence was of the same Goddess whom Shalltear's skill was originally named after, then now, there was absolutely no mistaking it.

Momonga leaned downward and approached the sword with utmost caution. He reached out and felt an unnatural burning make its way up his bony fingers as they made contact with the handle. The feeling of raw loathing emanated from the weapon, trying to force him to submit, to kneel, to DIE. This entity was powerful for sure, but her attempts at intimidating Momonga paled to the natural dread he felt in the unrestricted presence of Rubedo, which had lessened over time. It would, however, be able to affect anybody who was also unused to Rubedo, hence he understood now why Buku was so terrified of the armament.

In a sense, as the one who had begun to embody death itself with his powers and Ultimate skill, the cold emptiness of the void wasn't as unbearable for him as it was for others, making Ker's puny attempts at crushing his will even less effective. However, to her credit, she was the most powerful entity he had ever felt since he had been isekai'd into this world, even through a medium like this sword.

"Your plan failed. And if you think you can antagonize me for long, then I will have no other choice but to destroy you as well. Shalltear will never be your tool." Momonga boldly stated, Thought Communication empowered by Omniscience ringing throughout the room. If unleashed outside, this message was so empowered that it could have covered all of Tempest's lands, and then some.

'Mortal fool! My prize was never meant to be a tool. An apprentice. An expression of me. You took what was rightfully mine!'

Momonga could sense waves of raw power radiating from the sword, threatening to override his very sense of reality, one word at a time. His arm was slowly dissolving, consumed by the leaking blood, as he fearlessly held on to continue the conversation. He had to, for this was possibly his sole chance to deepen his understanding of his primary enemy, and perhaps even find a weakness to be exploited.

'You are nothing without the stolen power! I will crush you like an insignificant insect! You will pay.' The goddess continued to rage.

"Amusing. But I am not impressed. A god that can only scream obscenities and lose to measly mortals is no god at all. I will give you this warning only once. Leave Nazarick alone, or expect our retaliation." He taunted the entity while utilizing Omniscience to simultaneously analyze both the inner workings of the sword and the words of its creator.

There were two distinct energies coming from the weapon. One was clearly related to human blood, enriched with an extremely heavy dose of magicules, enough to instantly kill dozens of humans with a single drop due to magicule poisoning. The other was more intangible, but his skill could tell a few things about it. It was divine energy condensed into matter, akin to spiritrons - but far more powerful and volatile. No wonder it had sliced through his high-tier undead summons like warm tofu; even he would struggle to defend against a direct impact from something like this.

The only other thing that even came remotely close was Nazarick's mysterious reactor, of which he still had no clue about its origins. But a cross-comparison analysis revealed a stunning piece of information: the reactor had remnants of divinity contained within, presumably from an entity similar to Ker.

It had attempted to transport the entirety of Nazarick to the Cardinal World, though it failed due to a lack of magical energy - unlike Ker, who seemed to have it in spades - and converted itself into Nazarick's foundations to finish the process. There wasn't any sentience left behind, but the divinity still sustained Nazarick and himself to this very day.

The blood dripping from the handle became thicker, inflicting upon him more pain as the Goddess chose to retaliate through physical attacks instead of mental ones.

'Hinata got scared when Rubedo showed her true self. I wonder…' Momonga concentrated and fired some void-infused dark lightning on both the blood and the sword from his opposite hand. The well of information he got out of Ker had run dry, and after concluding his analysis, it was time to end the blade's existence once and for all.

The blood rotted away faster than the sword could produce it, relieving the pain and almost entirely sealing it off. Additionally, the presence of the weapon lessened almost immediately upon the usage of the void-touched thunderbolt, even before coming into contact with it.

'You are a bigger fool than I thought. The Void will consume you!' Ker laughed in his mind. 'You are nothing more than a mortal playing with forces beyond your understanding. You are not a God. That dragon pet of yours is not a God. You are nothing!'

"Then all I have to do is find a path to you and let you taste the void." Momonga retorted, banking on the suspicion that even these beings feared the void.

There was no answer, but the dark presence of the wrathful Goddess still lingered, all but confirming his suspicions.

Momonga put down the sword and closed the box.

'Maybe I should break down the weapon and take its divine power. But there's a chance that it would let Ker gain power over me. I guess the best option, for now, is to incase it in the void to nullify its influence until I know more. Destroying it right now is not optimal if this artifact turns out to be the only way to reach her.'

Using Nazarick's exclusive connections, he contacted his only creation for assistance. He didn't know everything Nazarick had, but Pandora's Actor did.

{ Pandora, do we have spare caloric stone? }

{ Yes, Vater, we have a few kilos of unassigned material piled up. }

{ Excellent. Create a casing for the sword we retrieved from Hinata and send it to me. Use the data supplied by Buku and previous analysis for the measurements and try to go beyond the typical security measures of an inventory box. }

Not long after, he received the requested item in the room. With Momonga being the only one who could allow entrance into this part of Nazarick, he personally confirmed a teleportation request from his son.

Now all that remained was to obtain enough void essence to neutralize the sword's influence and leave it be until he better understood just who and what he was dealing with. Rubedo, always eager to serve, rapidly filled the casing with liquid void upon approved entry, and the sword was completely submerged in the fear-inducing substance. Latched shut through magical means by dozens of barriers, only he and Rubedo could unlock it regularly, although perhaps Pandora could do it if the situation called for it.

After confirmation that no energy escaped the safeguards, Momonga left the room together with Rubedo and set his eyes upon the next task of the to-do list. Hinata, now freed of Ker's influence, had to be questioned. Since Buku was reluctant to involve Neuronist, for now, their captive was held chained in the fifth-floor prison, drained of magicules and spiritrons by caloric stone chains.

Knowing that Hinata was nothing more than a tool, Momonga didn't personally feel that intentional torture was needed at the moment, but others might be of differing options. Pero and Yoseijoo in particular likely wanted the woman to suffer for the deaths she caused.

{ Did you question Hinata yet? } He sent Buku a message.

{ She's out cold and neither I nor Demiurge could wake her up. It seems exposure to Rubedo has damaged her mind and soul, and that she is in some sort of dreaming state. Momo, do you plan to force answers out of her? }

'It's safe to assume regular torture won't do anything, but I could use Rubedo for intimidation. That is, if we can rouse her from the current state in the first place.' Exposure to pure void in a sense was a lot worse than anything Neuronist or even Demiurge could come up with.

{ We need to get answers from her, but I see no point in torturing her when we won't get any in the state she's in, although Pero might have a different opinion. } Momonga replied.

{ I will talk to him. If he wants revenge, I won't stand in my brother's way. I just… you know… } Buku fell silent.

{ We could look into ways of removing Shizue's part from you in the meantime. Her attachments are… problematic. } Momonga suggested.

{ I am- She is part of me. Look, Momo, I can deal with it. I won't make any decisions regarding Hinata, and will leave everything to you. }

{ Are you sure? } 'This is troubling.'

{ Yes, we are one and Nazarick always comes first- } Buku paused and there was a few seconds of silence.

{ Buku? }

{ I am sorry for all the trouble I have caused. Hinata made her own choices. } Buku's voice had changed to one Momonga recognized as Shizue's. { If my removal from the greater whole is necessary, I will accept it without resistance, even if Akari protests it. }

'Can it be safely done in the first place?' With great concern for his friend, Momonga forced Omniscience to cooperate and properly investigate Buku's soul.

What he found was unsettling. There weren't two souls in one body or even direct separation from the two. There was just one soul fused so tightly with something foreign that an attempt at removing Shizue might leave Buku in a permanently damaged state. By all means, the souls of both women had fully fused into one entity that treated both of their feelings and memories as equal.

{ Akari, I want your opinion. } He messaged.

{ Nazarick comes first. Do what you feel is right. } Buku's voice changed back to normal. { If you think I am causing too much trouble, then go for it. }

{ The situation is not ideal, but Shizue's part of you cannot be removed safely. You will have to be mindful and not make decisions that could harm us. }

{ Got it. All of me wants what's best for Nazarick first and only then will I act upon feelings. I know I kinda failed a few times, especially with the Dwargon fiasco, but If you let me handle Hinata, I gladly will, but if you think my decisions are wrong, I won't argue. Does that work for you, glorious leader? }

{ Yes, that will do. For now, we need to find a way to wake her up. I know what was in that sword, but I want to have her testimony as well. } Momonga decided that there was no reason to distrust Buku. Shizue's part was making her more caring about people, but thus far it hasn't been to the detriment of Nazarick.

{ Willing to share that info with us, or is it better if we don't know? }

'Should I tell her?' In a sense, he could be blamed for the recent events, but at the same time, there was no telling if Shalltear would have been able to battle Ker's influence if he had left the skill as is.

In the end, he was sure about one thing. 'I shouldn't hide such critical information from people around me. I rely on their help and expect them to be honest. It would be hypocritical of me to not do what I want from them.'

Momonga quickly opened a channel to all guild members and floor guardians, retelling everything he knew.

{ Good thing you cut the connection right away. I wouldn't want Shalltear to be in the hands of that bitch. } Pero was the first to respond.

{ Wouldn't that mean that the rest of these entities, who refer to themselves as gods, could become hostile as well? } Demiurge asked the question that was likely on everyone's mind.

{ The rest didn't feel hostile, but we cannot overlook such a possibility. For now, we should concentrate on dealing with the one that is an immediate threat. } Momonga voiced his opinion.

{ Chief… these gods… were not created by my brother… He told me that he created everything, but he never mentioned anything outside of me and my siblings… Maybe not even my sisters know there are more. } Veldora sounded crushed, and how couldn't be? His older brother was his idol and he was faced with the fact that Veldanava either lied to him tremendously or didn't know about beings comparable to them.

{ This means we have no idea what we are dealing with. I think we'll have to trust Momonga on this one and follow his lead more than ever. } Buku declared. Ever since Momonga had put her in her place, she had been a lot more reluctant to act out and genuinely started to believe that the Overlord could be the leader they all needed.

{ The first thing we need to find out is what Hinata knows. Once she is roused from her current state, we shall get answers out of her. } Momonga's management skills kicked in, embracing the role of the leader.

With no one opposing his decision, he ended the remote conference room. A lot needed to be done, and there wasn't much time before Ker could mount her next strike. Her pet, Yuuki, was hiding somewhere within the human nations, likely plotting the downfall of Tempest, and nobody knew how she would empower his creation-skill ability.

The only saving grace was that Yuuki's most valuable servants now served Nazarick, and most of his power base and manpower had been taken away, crippling his reach over humanity. Even so, he wasn't a fool and likely understood that a direct confrontation wouldn't work a second time, and would probably seek to use more underhanded methods.

Thus, Demiurge was entrusted with the task of tracking him down. And once they knew where he was, the rat would be exterminated with extreme prejudice. The fewer tools Ker had, the better.

Editing aidan_lo

Proofreading by aidan_lo, Clagan, Sluethen, Malguis, FantasyTroll, Thea, Zprotu, and Cakeeight.

AN: Thank you for reading the story, and if you have caught up to the latest chapter, you can check out my other work or join my discord server (https://discord.gg/WmGKVU3XG2) where additional chapters are available or if you are interested in becoming a beta reader (gives access to chapters months ahead of regular readers).