Songs in the Void: A Multiversal Score

ICDS Universe, Earth, United States of America, Page, Arizona.

It took a few moments before anyone present got their senses back after Tatsuo killed the Flame Drake, whose presence had made most of the Awakened shiver in fear. In fact, they did not even react when Tatsuo made the Drake's corpse disappear. Even so, considering how easily he killed the monster, no one was brave enough to contest his ownership of the corpse.

Yet, the Dungeon Explorers who were on the scene snapped out of their dazes after seeing Tatsuo's display of power sooner than the others. Mainly because of the Dungeon Notification they received once the Drake died.

{Event Raid success! Eight of Earth's Dungeon Explorers and an independent Dungeon Explorer, a total of nine Dungeon Explorers, have successfully completed an Event Raid! This great achievement greatly increases the rewards! As your average rank is lower than the Raid Boss', the rewards will increase once again!}

{You received 5 Stat Points for completing the Event Raid!}

{Rewards will be distributed in order of contribution.}

{Soramoto Tatsuo-Sama's contribution is the highest. Please, choose your reward.}

{1. Rage of Vulcan (Epic

Bride of Ignis (Epic) Executioners in Two Moon (Epic) Elixir Volcanic Lance (Epic) Volcanic Guardian (Epic) 5,000,000 Gold Double Potion 1,000,000 gold}

Looking over the Notifications, Tatsuo was surprised that the rewards were more or less the same as what he could remember from the novel, with an additional two rewards. Yet, he never expected them to be that way when you consider how little the rest of the party did. But since they were, and the reason he made the Raid public was so that they could get rewards and get stronger to deal with what was to come, Tatsuo did not really think about it for too long.

Instead, he looked at a Notification that he was sure was only meant for him and could not help smiling wryly when he did.

{Your display of power makes you worthy of the attention of Transcendents. All gods who love battle and war focus on you. Yet, they quickly look away, realizing that they are not worthy of marking you with their names or powers.}

'What the hell is that about?' Tatsuo asked himself. 'Just what isn't Mom telling me? I'm definitely gonna have to sit her down and get some real answers out of her sooner or later.'

["Holy shit..."] Edward muttered once the Dungeon Notifications snapped him out of his stupor.

["So, why don't you tell me how arrogant I am again, Walker."] Tatsuo said in a teasing tone

["*cough* Anyway, just pick your reward."] Walker said, sounding a bit embarrassed at this point. ["Some of us actually have jobs to do. And Kang Shin's little sister isn't going to protect herself, you know?"]

["Wow! I don't think I've ever seen Walker back pedal like this before."] Hwaya added in an astonished tone. ["he didn't even do that when Shin caught him in my house."]

["Shut up, Mastif--- Argh!"] Walker tried to shout at Hwaya, however, thanks to the [Soul Contract] he signed with Shin and Hwaya, he ended up feeling soul deep pain because of his defiance.

["Anyway, Walker's right."] Tatsuo said with a chuckle at Walker's expense. ["I'll be taking the worst reward. There's nothing in here that would make me stronger, anyway."]

And Tatsuo did exactly that, choosing the 1,000,000 Gold reward and leaving the rest for the others. However, it was clear that this trip to Page was not finished. Not quite, anyway. Because although the Event Raid had been cleared, the Field Dungeon was still uncleared. And the other large mana signature that everyone could feel approaching was the proof.

["Oh, I completely forgot there was another boss."] Shin muttered while looking in the direction of the incoming monster. ["Well, at least we'll all be fresh for this battle."]

Hearing what Shin had to say, the other Dungeon Explorers were confident that they would be able to handle the boss of an S-Rank Field Dungeon. And they all, with the exceptions of Tatsuo and Violet, tightened their grips on their weapons.

As for Tatsuo and Violet, like the other world travelers, they could feel no hostility from the incoming Dungeon Boss, so, they did not tense up at its approach. Instead, they simply waited for it to arrive. And when it did, it surprised everyone.

As the name of the Field Dungeon, Wyvern's Nest, would suggest, the boss was a wyvern. However, it was twice as big as any other wyvern they had seen while they were here. On top of that, it was pitch black in color, as opposed to the dull grey color of all the other wyverns.

"Damn... That's a big ass wyvern." James said in an impressed tone. "I wonder what it ate to get that big."

"If I am not mistaken, that's just a feature of its species." Scáthach replied in a serious tone.

Hearing Scáthach's statement, James could not help rolling his eyes. Though, he immediately looked away when Scáthach glared at him for his actions.

"Master Scáthach is right." Alfonzo replied, trying to get James out of the sticky situation he just put himself in. "If I remember correctly, that's a Dark Wing Wyvern. And it's the queen of most wyvern species."

Hearing Alfonzo, James looked at him gratefully. Though, Scáthach kept her glare on James for a bit longer. However, she eventually looked away after realizing that James was completely unrepentant. Especially since she figured that James had the same information that Alfonzo, and probably Tatsuo and Elicia had about the large wyvern.

"*Sigh* I will remove that playful personality of yours one day." Scáthach said in an exasperated tone.

"Oh, come on, you wouldn't really wanna do that, Master." Jamese said with a cheeky smile. " I mean, just how boring would your life be without me there to brighten it up."

This time it was Scáthach's turn to roll her eyes. Though, she did not refute his statement. Because despite how much he can get on her nerves with his jokes, James was the one that freed her from her eternal prison known as the Land of Shadows. And he did it by granting her greatest wish, dying at the hands of a true warrior while neither held back.

Meanwhile, Rias and Sona could not help giggling at the interaction between James and his first [Queen]. The others on the other hand were watching the large wyvern with interest and wondering how Tatsuo would deal with it. Especially since it did not seem to be hostile.

A few moments later, the wyvern landed in front of Tatsuo, who stared at it without blinking when they made eye contact.

"So, what's up?" Tatsuo asked casually while spinning his modified trench knives around his index fingers. "You here to take revenge for the big guy I just put down?"

Although Tatsuo already knew the answer to his question, he was interested to see how the wyvern would reply, especially since in the canon, she only submitted because Shin was the Hero and he had a taming skill, something that Tatsuo was sure he did not have.

And even if he did, he felt that having a wyvern as a mount was beneath him.

"No, there was no comradery between the two of us." The wyvern replied in a feminine, yet wild tone. "Among monsters, there are only three outcomes. To submit, to share, or to be food. And based on the differences in our strength, sharing with the Flame Drake was not an option. And I refused to submit to someone like that. So, that left only to become his food because he was stronger than me."

"I see." Tatsuo replied with a nod. He then continued as he spun his trench knives for the last time before gripping them firmly. "So, what's your next move."

"I wish to serve you." The wyvern said while bowing her head. "Though you are no tamer, I believe that submitting to you would be in my best interest. Especially after seeing your strength."

"I see." Tatsuo replied with a nod. "And from your perspective, that would be the best choice."

Hearing that, the wyvern raised her head with a bit of expectation shining in her eyes.

"But I refuse." Tatsuo replied without hesitation. "You see, I'm not really in the market for a wyvern. As an assassin, you're not really the best suited familiar for me, you know. You're just way too big."

Hearing that, the wyvern gasped in a very human way.

"But as a Dark Wing, I have stealth capabilities." The wyvern said, trying to appeal to Tatsuo.

"Sorry, but I have an actual dragon pet." Tatsuo said while gesturing at Tio, who began to blush and writhe in pleasure at being called a pet. "And she's untold times stronger than you are. So, it would be a waste of resources."

"Damn... that was brutal." Alfonzo muttered with a shrug. "But he's not wrong."

"True." Elicia added. "Still, he could be nicer to a lady, couldn't he?"

"Is that seriously what you were thinking, Lici?" Alfonzo asked in a dumbfounded tone.

"Anyway, if you wanna switch sides, you should go talk to that guy." Tatsuo said while pointing over his shoulder at Shin. "He's the Hero, you know. Plus, he is an actual tamer. Even if it's only a sub-class So, you'd get the most out of being with him."

Hearing that, the wyvern raised her head. She then caught sight of Shin. And she had to admit that her senses were telling her that Shin would be a good fit for her. However, she could tell that she would be able to grow stronger were she to stay at the side of the man in front of her. Unfortunately, he did not seem interested in having her. So, there was nothing she could do but settle.

Lowering her head, the wyvern looked down at Tatsuo once again before opening her mouth.

"It is unfortunate." The wyvern said. "I know I could have brought my species to new heights were I to follow you. But there is nothing I can do about it. Even so, please allow me to give you, my name. I am Dark Wing Zirte, queen of the wyverns. And though I will not be able to follow you, I would be willing should you ask."

"Yeah, I doubt that." Tatsuo replied nonchalantly. "because if you get into a contract with him, I'm not going to take you away. He is a friend, after all."

"*Sigh* I see." Zirte replied in a downcast tone.

With nothing else to say, Zirte raised to her full height. Then, she flapped her wings once to lift off from the ground. She then flapped her wings again and in the blink of an eye, she was in front of Shin, making a casual display of her speed to hopefully make Tatsuo change his mind.

Unfortunately, she was destined to be disappointed, as Tatsuo did not even look in her direction before heading towards another group of humans.

Meanwhile, Shin's expression under his helmet was not exactly great. No one would like to know that they are only the second choice after all. However, Shin was also grateful to Tatsuo, who made it possible for him to contract such a powerful monster as his second tamed beast.

"So, what else do we have to do here?" Alfonzo asked as Tatsuo approached the rest of the group.

"Nothing really." Tatsuo replied with a shrug. "We should probably clean up the rest of those wyverns, though. After that, the rate at which they spawn should decrease significantly. I mean, the boss is getting tamed. So, it's pretty much the same as clearing the Dungeon, I guess."

"Cool." James said with a smile. "Then, let's go find that John Smith guy and sell him all the corpses we don't need. Then, we can go back to Japan."

"Sounds good to me." Tatsuo replied.

"I wanna see the materials from the Flame Drake, too." Elicia said quietly, not wanting to set off all the Awakened who undoubtedly wanted the Flame Drake's corpse for themselves.

"We can take a look at that later." Alfonzo replied. "But for now, let's finish off this Field Dungeon."

With that, the entire group rushed off, killing all the wyvern's who had survived falling from the sky when Tatsuo released his [Dragon Fear]. At the same time, Tatsuo could not help smirking when he saw all the new skills that had been added to his status over the past few days.

{[Status]

[Personal Information]

Name: Soramoto Tatsuo

Age: 15

Race: Human/Void Dragon

Title: Prince of the Void

Coins: 454,181

[Physical Attributes]

Comprehensive Physical Evaluation: B+

Strength: B

Agility: B+

Dexterity: B+

Endurance: B

Intelligence: B

Perception: B+

Energy: A-

Charm: A

[Skills]

Language: E+

Pianist: C-

Singing: D

Vale Tudo: B-

Weapon Mastery: C

Dagger Master: C+

Firearms Mastery: C

Cooking: C+

First Aid: E+

Hacking: D

Stealth: B+

Blacksmithing: C+

Leatherworking: C

Tailoring: C

Programming: E+

Blink: C+

Spatial Slash: C

Spatial Rend: C

Return: S-

Back Stab: C-

Enchanting: C+

Light Speed: B-

Acting: D

Alchemy – B+

Lightning Clad – B-

Aerodynamic – B-

Air Claw – C+

Rift Walk: B

Wind Magic: Blitz Hammer – D

Wind Magic: Updraft – D-

Fire Magic: Spiral Blaze – C-

Fire Magic: Flame Bullet – D+

Fire Magic: Flame Fangs – C+

Senbonzakura – B-

Purification Magic – B

Water Magic – B

Power of Destruction – A-

Metal Magic: B

Electromagnetism Magic – A-

Thread Magic - B

[Abilities]

Mana Reactor: A+

Dragon Fear: S+

The End – SS+

Half-Dragon Transformation – A+

[Affinities]

Space – S

Lightning - B

Fire – A+

[Resistances]

Space - S

Time – C+

Light – C+

Dark – C+

Earth – C+

Wind – C+

Fire – A+

Water – C-

Lightning – B-

Physical – B+

Petrification – B-

Poison – B-

Paralysis – B-

[Note: The average values of an average adult are F+. Trained Athletes have values of E-. Those at the peak of their field have values of E. Those at the peak of humanity have values of E+. Anything D- or higher is considered supernatural, usually requiring the infusion of mana or an equivalent energy to achieve.]}

'[The End] is my new favorite ability.' Tatsuo thought to himself while putting wyverns out of their misery. 'I mean, I don't even think I should realistically be able to learn [POD]. It's a damn bloodline trait just like [Senbonzakura]. But [The End] is just that kind of awesome bullshit. And now I can do things like this.'

With that, Tatsuo leapt onto a wyvern's head. Then, he tapped it in the middle of its head with his right index finger, which had a small orb of swirling black, red, and midnight purple [Energy] at its tip. And upon contact, Tatsuo fired that swirling orb of [Energy] through the wyvern's head, and it simply atomized everything it came in contact with.

'I'm not as good as Rias, yet.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'But I'm sure I can get there eventually. The only thing about this is that I still need to train to work all this stuff into my fighting style. And not all of what I learn using [The End] is going to fit with my style. But I guess it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it, right?'

Like that, the rest of the day went by peacefully. And by the time the clouds and rain were gone, the Field Dungeon had been cleared and everyone was back in their lodgings, preparing to go home. And that's exactly what they did the following day.

Though, Shin did have another run in with Ciara. And he finally understood why Tatsuo repeatedly told him that Ciara had the ability to predict Event Raids. Because she told him herself that she knew about the Flame Drake while pouting like the child she was that Tatsuo had messed up her plan to raise Shin onto a pedestal among the Awakened.

Ciara even suggested getting rid of Tatsuo for messing up her plan. But Shin simply threw her out of his room. If she had a death wish, she should go commit suicide by herself.

After that, Tatsuo and Shin went with their groups to the airport where they all rode back home on Hwaya's private planes. Noriko even went back to Japan with Tatsuo's group. And when they returned, they all decided to get some rest. Because even though most of them did not have to exert themselves physically to kill the wyverns, fighting so much for three days straight was mentally tiring.

And luckily for Tatsuo, Noriko decided to rest at her own home. So, he was safe from another lecture about how sharing a bedroom with so many women was improper.

During their rest time, Tatsuo went into the Dungeon and said hi to Loretta before heading down to the 20th Floor. He then killed the Lizard Knight and used its boss room to dismantle the Flame Drake. He then put pieces of it into different magic items that Alfonzo gave him before leaving the Dungeon.

After that, time flew quickly, and it was time for everyone to return to their worlds.

"So, when are you all gonna stop by my world?" James asked as everyone gathered in the living room of Tatsuo's apartment. "I'm sure that Master is really looking forward to training you all into being the best versions of yourselves."

Hearing that, Tatsuo, Violet, Alfonzo, Elicia, Aletia, Shea, and Tio all shuddered in terror. However, no one could deny that they would definitely get stronger with Scáthach training them. James, Rias, and Sona were prime examples of that, after all.

"Well, I'll probably have some free time during my Winter Break." Tatsuo replied, the first to regain his voice. "But I need to do some recording during that time, too. So, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to train with you, Master Scáthach."

"Recording?" Rias asked while tilting her head.

"Oh, that's right!" Violet said excitedly. "Things have been so hectic since you all got here that we never got to listen to Tatsuo-Kun play the piano."

Realizing that what Violet said was right, Aletia and Shea looked completely heartbroken. Tio, on the other hand, smiled happily, as she would be Tatsuo's manager during his music career. So, she would be able to hear him play quite often in the future.

"Now that I think about it, James mentioned that he had a friend that was quite an accomplished pianist." Sona said while adjusting her glasses and looking at Tatsuo. "So, I guess that was you, huh?"

"Yeah." Tatsuo replied with a nod. "He got to hear me play while we were in Aletia's, Shea's and Tio's world after we rescued Myu-Chan."

"You should come to my world and record, too." Alfonzo added. "I'm thinking of opening a record label branch of my company. And you would be the perfect headliner for that."

"I'll think about it." Tatsuo replied.

"I'd love to see Lunar's face when someone who had the potential to be more popular than she is pops onto the scene." Elicia said excitedly.

"Anyway, time's almost up for Tio and I." Tatsuo said with a smile. "It was nice to see you all. But we gotta get going. "

"Indeed, it was nice to meet you all." Tio said while bowing politely at Alfonzo, Elicia, Rias, Sona, and Scáthach. "I hope that our paths will cross again in the near future."

A moment later, Tatsuo and Tio vanished from the living room, the time on their [World Travel Tickets] having come to an end. Then, around noon, Alfonzo and Elicia were also sent back to their world. And finally, James, Rias, Sona, and Scáthach were sent back to their world in the evening.