The Author's POV

Splash! Splash!

My feet eventually came to a stop on a rocky surface, and as they did so, waves crashed against the firm surface of the rocks, spraying saltwater all over me. It was refreshing, and yet, it made me more alert.

As I looked around, I noticed that there were a few people off in the distance. They were encircled by a number of demons and monsters, and with just one look, I could tell that their situation was quite precarious.

"I'll give them a hand."

When I stretched out my hand, the demons that were surrounding the group instantly disappeared, leaving them stunned.

I didn't linger any longer and quickly moved away from the location, continuing my journey further into the interior of the island.

Every time I had the opportunity, I would wipe out all of the demons that were within my line of sight. There were quite a few of them, and the last time I counted them, I discovered that their total number exceeded the tens of thousands.

As I made my way through the island, I couldn't help but think about the world. Why was the location like this? Why did the landscape look like something that came from Earth, and why an island?

"There are a lot of demons..."

I muttered to myself, closing my eyes and feeling the demons that were within the island.

"And if that isn't bad enough, I can sense over a thousand demons that are ranked from Count rank and above... This..."

The odds were overwhelming.

Even I was not confident in handling so many demons, and this was just one pillar... I could only shudder at the number of demons within the other pillars.

Despite the overwhelming odds, I refused to give up.

"This should be a good spot."

I stopped on a large patch of land and waved my hand. A white barrier formed around me, sealing everything around me.

"I've moved far enough... I shouldn't get noticed even if I use this skill now."

As I swept my hand in front of me, a map of some sort materialized in front of me. There were a few red dots on it, and on top of each one was a name. It was Soul Linkage, one of the skills that used to belong to Kevin.

I was able to learn about this ability after gaining access to his powers, and I put it to use right away.

With Soul Linkage, I could find out how everyone was doing and where they were. It was an extremely useful skill that would help me locate those who were in danger and provide them with the help they needed.

I couldn't use it carelessly because of the possibility that it would attract the attention of one of the heads with how unusual the laws were; as a result, I had to look for an ideal location where I could use it before I could do so.

It was also for this reason that I only killed the demons that were within my line of sight. I wanted to check Soul Linkage as fast as possible.

"Let's see if there's anyone that's nea―"

I froze mid-sentence as my gaze paused on a few dots on the screen in front of me.

Ba…Thump! Ba…Thump!

"No... why? What?"

My heart pounded out of my chest, and my body stiffened.

"W… what? How? Didn't he say…"

Ba…Thump! Ba…Thump!

I muttered under my breath.

I acted before I even realized. Channelling the Laws within my body without any restraint for them, my vision blurred, and I disappeared into the shadows.

"No... no... no..."

***

"Get back!"

A deep voice echoed through the dense forest, bouncing off the trees and rocks as three figures emerged from the foliage.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

A man, a woman, and a teenage girl ran frantically away from a hulking, menacing figure that was making its way toward them with calculated ease.

"Ronald, get back here! You're not a match for it!"

Samantha screamed in terror, her voice cracking with emotion, as she watched her husband take a defensive stance with a sword in his hand.

"So what!?"

Ronald's face was usually stoic, but now he showed rare signs of emotion as he pointed his sword at the looming demon. His body stood firmly before his wife and daughter, his eyes blazing with determination.

"I'll hold them back for now; you try to find a way to contact Ren… As long as you contact him, you'll be fine… just…"

Ronald's words trailed off as he struggled to catch his breath.

The demon in front of him exerted a pressure unlike any other, and he felt troubled by it. His sword arm shook with the effort of holding it steady, and even standing was hard for him at that moment.

But even in his weakened state, he was not going to let anything happen to the people he cared about. Not on his watch.

'At least, this way, I'll prove that I'm not useless...'

It was ever since Ren's stunning growth that Ronald felt it.

His own uselessness.

Ever since Ren came to power, he realized just how much of a burden he was to his own son, and it had been eating him up almost every day.

Even so...

He kept it hidden to himself and did everything he could to keep his family safe. Just like now. What he was doing... it was for them.

He had to do it.

It was his duty as a father.

"Go!"

"No, Ronald…"

Samantha's voice was barely above a whisper as tears streamed down her face. She had known her husband for quite some time now, and in all those years that the two of them had spent together, his back had never felt so large…

"M,mom…"

Nola's voice trembled as she clung to her mother's side, her eyes wide with fear.

Samantha's heart clenched at the sight of her daughter's scared expression. She grabbed Nola's hand tightly, knowing that they had to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Let's go, Nola. We don't have time; we have to run."

Samantha's voice was strained with emotion as she tried to remain calm for her daughter's sake.

"But… but dad."

Nola's voice was barely above a whisper, her eyes fixed on her father's back as he faced off against the demon.

"I know, sweetie. But we have to trust that he knows what he's doing."

Samantha tried to keep her voice steady, even as her heart was pounding in her chest.

With a heavy heart, Samantha pulled Nola along with her as they made their way deeper into the forest. Tears streamed down the side of her face as she forced herself not to look back, not to see what was happening to her husband.

"R,Ren will take care of it. We… we just have to run for now. We'll see him again very s―"

BANG―! Before she could finish her sentence, the forest shook with a loud, thunderous crash. The ground beneath their feet trembled, and Samantha stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.

"Wha-what was that?"

Nola's voice was shaking with fear as she clung to her mother's hand tightly.

Samantha's heart was pounding in her chest as she looked in the direction of the noise. And then she saw it.

A large tree, taller than any other tree in the forest, had been split in half by an unseen force. The sound had come from the impact of the tree as it crashed to the ground, sending shockwaves throughout the area.

And then she saw him. Her husband lay crumpled next to the fallen tree, his sword lying just out of reach.

"No… No… no…"

Samantha's heart felt like it was being ripped out of her chest as she fell to her knees. Beside her, Nola was in no better state as tears streamed down her cheeks, her gaze fixed on her father who lay on the ground, lifeless.

"D,dad…"

She called out. She was met with no response, and her entire body started to shake. What she was experiencing… it wasn't something that she had ever experienced before, and her entire chest ached.

A lot of memories came flooding in at that moment, and her eyes blurred.

Thump!

But she didn't have the time to mourn. Just then, she was awoken by a rough step, and when she turned her head, her gaze fell on the large, burly demon that was responsible for all of this.

Her gaze burned with hatred at the sight of the demon, but at the same time, it burned with fear as she fell back and retreated.

"Mom!"

Nola called out for her mother, but when she turned her gaze, she found her staring at her own hands and muttering some words.

"No… you can't leave…"

She didn't even notice that the demon was upon her, and Nola's heart despaired.

"No, mom, no!"

She screamed, rushing to her side, but she was slow. Unlike her demon, she had only recently started to feel her mana, and thus, by the time the demon raised its hand, she had only taken one step.

"No!!"

Nola screamed in despair, her gaze fixed on the large hand that was approaching her mother. Her despair grew even further at the sight, and just as she thought her mother was also about to leave her, a crack formed above the demon's head, and a black hand came grasping from above.

It clenched the demon's head tightly and smacked it against the ground with frightening power.

Crash!

The entire earth shook, and a figure emerged shortly after. Despite being entirely black, Nola recognized it immediately, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"B,brother!"