It was heading into twilight and the sky was purple. The color of an ugly bruise. It was a beautiful sunset. After an intense time. In that strange twilight, several figures descended from the heavens.

  The six [A-Class]es descended from above the clouds. Their robes and armour bearing the distinct insignia of their respective factions. Their presence were commanding and regal despite their battered appearances.

  Below them, gathered in a hastily established camp, stood the [B-Class] experts, representatives from the world's major powers. Their uniforms, once pristine displays of factional colours and symbols, were now stained with blood and torn from combat. Some leaned on improvised crutches, others sat with bandaged limbs, but all rose as the [A-Class]es landed.

  'Greetings, Lords,' The [B-Class]es all called out in unison, different groups each doing different gestures of respect despite their injuries. Respect and relief mingled in their voices.

  The A-Classes formed a solemn semicircle, their expressions grave. The [A-Class] were at the peak. The higher-ups of their respective factions. Wielding power and authority that could determine the rise and fall of smaller organisations with merely a word. Yet now, even they appeared ragged and dispirited, their customary confidence diminished.

  An elven [B-Class] Ranger stepped up, his silver armour dented and spattered with ichor. He reported to the one-eyed elf elder. 'Elder, a mysterious man killed the Great Whale with one punch. Then he destroyed the entire Beast and Chitari army.' His expression was still a mixture of awe and disbelief.

  One-eye nodded wearily. 'We know.'

  A solemn look appeared on One-eyes face as he spoke, his voice carrying across the makeshift camp: 'The [A-Class] experts from the Chitari and the Beasts were all killed by him,' the elder continued, his voice low and measured. 'The Chitari are finished.'

  Mixed looks of surprise and hope crossed the audiences faces.

  The Elven Ranger asked: 'Does that mean that we won?' his expression brightening.

  The other warriors below [B-Class] perked up, sharing the same cautious optimism. They'd been battling with everything they had, their lives constantly on the line. Victory seemed almost surreal.

  The One-eyed elf elder nodded: 'Yes.'

  Astonishment swept through the assembly. These hardened warriors had fought with everything they possessed, had been prepared to sacrifice their lives for a cause that had seemed nearly hopeless. Now, victory had been delivered to them by an unknown saviour.

  There were cheers. Cries of happiness. Cries of grief. Cries of sadness and loss.

  'Is that senior an [S-Class]?' someone ventured.

  The question hung in the air. Nobody had seen the mysterious warrior clearly enough to gauge his power level, but the devastation he'd left behind spoke volumes.

  The One-eyed elf elder raised a hand to silence the speculation. 'Don't ask too many questions. It's better if you don't know anything.' There was a steely edge to his voice as he added, 'Also, block the news. We don't want anybody investigating the senior.'

  The gathered warriors nodded. There was prudence in the elder's words, but also unmistakable fear. Whatever—or whoever—had turned the tide of battle had inspired as much dread as gratitude.

  Tavalor's strength was undeniable

  The elder turned away, lost in thought. Tavalor's strength was undeniable, and that presented both opportunity and danger.

  The greatest lesson the elder had learned this time was simple: if you cut the weeds but don't remove the roots, they will grow again in the spring rain. Several hundred years ago, they had sealed the Chitari away, believing the threat contained. But through a crack in that seal, they had returned, stronger than before.

  The one-eyed elf elder hardened his heart. It was time to eliminate them once and for all.

  'Pass down the order,' he commanded. 'Rest for a day. We will return tomorrow.'

  The Chitari, oblivious to their fate, would expect them to retreat, to lick their wounds. They would be unprepared for a counterattack.

  'You should rest, Elder,' urged the elf ranger. 'Of the six [A-Class]es from Gemworld, you're the most injured, yet you're doing the most.'

  'Please rest,' insisted the elf ranger.

  The elder smiled thinly. 'Don't you have faith in me?'

  'I didn't mean it like that,' the junior replied bowing his head in fear.

  'Don't worry. I know what to do.' The elder changed the subject. 'What about our losses?'

  'One [B-Class] from the Western Empire, two from the Eastern Empires, one from Imperium Solara. Heavy losses at the [C-Class] level. No other [A-Class] losses.'

  'After this is done, compensate them for their losses.' Since the major forces were willing to work together, the minor forces would at least be compensated for their sacrifices.

  'That is all. You are dismissed.'

  Weighing treasure compared to lives, treasures were no comparison, it was still a kind gesture. Although Tavalor had caused them some problems. His endless punches had destroyed a lot of value. Crushing the Beasts and Chitari to pulp because their corpses were worth their weight it in gold. Their flesh and blood were high class alchemy ingredients. Their bones and shell made incredible weapons. Fur, teeth and talons all had various uses.

  They did get a little bit rich off this war.

  All the [B-Class]es made respectful gestures and departed, leaving the elder to his thoughts.

  This was a great victory for Gemworld. They had once again repelled the invaders, although the scale was ten times greater than several hundred years ago.

  Even Jade Court might have fallen if not for the protection of the major forces. Now they would be safe for at least a century or two with the elves backing.

  ***

  Captain Lyrawyn stood apart from the others, her brow furrowed in confusion. A complex series of emotions played across her face as she reconciled what she had witnessed. The mysterious saviour—Tavalor—was the [S-Class] who had turned the tide of battle. Yet she hadn't sensed any Mana fluctuations from him, which should have been impossible.

  She shook her head, reminding herself of the obvious: he was far more powerful than her. Of course he could conceal his strength from someone of her level.

  Why is he so strong? she wondered.

  Her lieutenant, a [B-Class] elven woman approached, after being dismissed. Breaking her reverie. 'Are you okay, Lyra?'

  'Stop calling me Lyra,' she replied automatically.

  'Sure, Lyra,' he said, laughing.

  Captain Lyrawyn sighed. 'Okay, you can call me Lyra.'

  The lieutenant laughed again. 'What's the matter?'

  'I'm fine,' she insisted.

  'It's good that you're fine. I was thinking if you weren't, I might need a new protege.' She laughed again, and she rolled her eyes.

  ***

  In the Chitari lair, deep underground within the central cavern, an enormous ant-like insect nest teemed with activity.

  Soldiers scurried through tunnels carved from stone and clay, each returning with crystals harvested from the surface world. The crystals pulsed with captured energy, all flowing toward the heart of the nest where something massive was taking form.

  A female voice wailed through the chambers, crying like a lost child. 'They are all dead! My little ones are all dead!'

  The sound echoed through the cavernous space, a lament that sent shivers through the exoskeletons of the worker drones.

  A hive mind had recognised the death of its children. The opposite from what the elves and Gemworld's elite had predicted. This was a different scenario.

  The last time they had fought the Chitari had no queen.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  ***

  Tavalor was riding high in the sky, aboard his commandeered Sky-breaker. He sat on the front deck as usual. Little Shadow was the pilot. Looking over the view. He reflected on his half a day of warfare and thought about what he needed to do next.

  'Oh, I've got to go to their lair to eliminate them,' he murmured to himself.

  The first time he had seen them he had used [Dragon Eye] and he had seen a strange thing growing in the centre of their lair. That wasn't good. It was best to eliminate all of the loose ends.

  He tossed out several [Dragon Eye]'s ahead of himself to scout them out from underwater. While remaining on the ship enjoying his day.

  As he passed over the landscape of the Southern Continent, he saw dead city after dead city, dead village after dead village. That was strange behaviour.

  It was as if a plague of locusts had gone over everything. Leaving nothing but death. With his [Dragon Sight] it was clear to him that the Chitari had been harvesting all energy from the ground.

  All of it. Leaving a complete dead zone.

  Under his [Dragon Sight] even somewhere as barren as the desert was teeming with life. You had your larger ecosystem. Big animals. Who killed and died and decomposed into waste. Eaten by the smaller animals and the smaller ecosystem. Which was then decomposed into a smaller ecosystem which was the micro ecosystem. Small little lives wriggling around. Even in the barren sand.

  But where the Chitari had passed. Emptiness. Death. No lives. Even on the micro level.

  The Chitari had been harvesting energy for a purpose.

  He eventually found the Chitari lair. It was tens of thousands of kilometres deep underwater. Near the bottom of trench not far from where he had found them initially. The were about halfway between the Northern and the Southern continent. Equally as distant to Vallenport as well.

  It was a good spot to launch surprise attacks. Another solid strategic move. Strange for a bunch of insects to be so cunning.

  When his [Dragon Eye] entered the lair, he saw what they were doing: breeding a queen. An [S-Class] queen.

  The battle had been a distraction. Tavalor suddenly realised. The Southern Continent attack was a fake.

  They hadn't actually been scared off by Tavalor—they had pretended to retreat so they could go south to harvest energy.

  If they had headed North their intentions would have been obvious. The massive dead zones they had left behind would have made their objective clear.

  But the Southern Continent. A large barren wasteland. Perfect place to hide the energy harvest. The desert sand hid the truth from others.

  Pull up the weeds by the roots and leave nothing, he thought, his decision made.

  Within a couple of hours, the Sky-breaker eventually arrived at the location of the Chitari nest.

  The Sky-breaker hovered above the ocean. With a casual gesture, Tavalor punched a hole in the water itself, creating a tunnel that extended deep beneath the surface. The ship descended through this impossible passage, the water held at bay by Tavalor's will alone.

  At the ocean floor, he punched through rock and sediment, boring directly into the heart of the Chitari lair. Worker drones scattered in panic as the massive ship broke through their ceiling, but they were of no concern to Tavalor.

  His target lay at the centre of the nest: a pulsating chrysalis surrounded by harvested crystals, each one representing a life taken, a city drained.

  'What's this?' came a melodic voice from within the chrysalis. 'A visitor at this crucial moment?'

  The queen was trying to kill time, telling Tavalor her backstory—her plans for Gemworld, how she would rebuild the Chitari empire from the ashes of human civilization.

  She accelerated the speed of the absorption of the crystals because the queen was close. Maybe only minutes way before unleashing her ultimate form.

  'Do you need some help?' Tavalor interrupted, sending a pulse of energy toward the chrysalis.

  This is a dumb move. But I'm bored and I want to see what happens next. Tavalor thought to himself. The tactically correct move was to have fireballed the nest from the sky and to keep on going home.

  He kept feeding her energy.

  The queen eagerly absorbed it, her evolution accelerating. Within minutes, the chrysalis cracked open, and from it emerged not an insect, but a beautiful blonde woman wearing a dress patterned with honeybees.

  'You foolish human!' she laughed, stretching her new limbs. 'You got cocky!' She launched herself at Tavalor, her hands transforming into serrated mandibles.

  Tavalor casually smacked her down, then engulfed her in flames until only half her body remained.

  'Want to try again?' he asked pleasantly, using [Minor Healing] to restore her.

  It was the first time he had used the elven spell. It was interesting. The way that it worked was it established a magic circle over the injury then accelerated the healing.

  It cost ten times more energy that normal. It hurt ten times more than normal.

  It was torture.

  Every time he healed the queen. She would get up enraged and attack Tavalor.

  Every round of healing drove the Chitari Queen deeper and deeper into irrationally and madness.

  But every time. She was burnt to ash and healed.

  She hadn't even managed to harm a single speck of hair on Tavalor’s head.

  Little Shadow watched in amusement from the deck of the ship. Chirping in mockery of the queen.

  Twenty rounds of burning and healing followed, each attack from the queen growing more desperate than the last, until finally she lay on the ground, utterly defeated.

  'What do you want?' she asked weakly as Tavalor healed her once more.

  'Do you make honey?' Tavalor asked. 'Can you make honey? I'd like some for my tea.'

  The queen's face contorted with rage at the question, but after a moment, she slumped in resignation. 'Yes.'

  'Can you change your form?'

  'Yes,' she admitted.

  'Become a little bee,' Tavalor instructed.

  The queen shimmered, her form contracting and transforming until a small bee hovered before him, its wings buzzing with indignation.

  Tavalor stroked its tiny form with one finger. 'Your name is Little Bee from now on,' he said, amused. 'You're going to stay with us.' He imprinted a the command with [Intimidation] onto her being—a magical tether that would prevent betrayal.

  As they returned to the Sky-breaker, Little Shadow emerged from below deck, its shadowy form vibrating with jealousy at the sight of the newcomer. Without warning, it launched itself at Little Bee, engulfing the tiny insect and biting her in half.

  'Let her go,' Tavalor commanded, and Little Shadow reluctantly complied, releasing the bee, who reformed herself with an angry buzz.

  Tavalor climbed back onto the ship in a good mood. 'At least we got something out of it,' he said to himself as they departed, leaving the empty husk of the Chitari lair behind.

  As they floated back into the sky. The ocean reformed itself. Closing the gap.

  ***

  D. Crestfall paced anxiously in Tavalor's garden, his small gnomish form casting a long shadow in the evening light. He had been waiting for hours, his usual composure frayed by concern.

  Though he knew Tavalor was powerful—perhaps the most powerful being in Gemworld—he had no way of knowing if even an S-Class could handle the Chitari alone.

  The sky above darkened as twilight settled over Vallenport. Crestfall paused his pacing, sensing a shift in the air.

  Then, with graceful silence, Tavalor floated down into the garden, Little Bee and Little Shadow hovering on either side of him.

  'You can stay in that tree,' Tavalor said to Little Bee, who buzzed uncertainly before settling on a branch. 'Don't cause problems.'

  Crestfall stepped forward, relief and curiosity mingling in his expression. 'What happened?'

  Tavalor's demeanour was as calm as ever, as if he'd returned from a casual stroll

  'It's all settled. You should hear about it in the newspapers tomorrow. There won't be any news about me.'

  Astonishment flickered across Crestfall's weathered features. Just like that?

  To everyone else in Gemworld, the Chitari invasion had been a catastrophe of unprecedented scale, a crisis that threatened civilization itself. To Tavalor, it seemed to have been little more than an afternoon errand.

  'Are you hurt?' Crestfall asked, searching for any sign of injury.

  'Nope,' Tavalor shrugged. 'If that's all, I'll see you later.' He turned toward his manor.

  'Wait,' Crestfall called.

  Tavalor paused, looking back over his shoulder. 'What?'

  'Thank you,' Crestfall said, bowing deeply, the gesture solemn and respectful.

  'If you want to thank me, I want some good food,' Tavalor replied. 'Send me something good.'

  Crestfall sighed, a hint of annoyance creeping into his expression. He was just as fond of fine cuisine as Tavalor and disliked sharing his secret suppliers. 'Anything else other than that?' he asked, his expression pained.

  Tavalor laughed. 'Don't be stingy. Bring me something good. I did a lot for you.'

  With a final grumble, Crestfall skulked away, already mentally compiling a list of delicacies worthy of Tavalor's palate.

  Just as Tavalor had predicted, the next morning's headlines were filled with accounts of the victory, though with notable omissions.

  ***

  Sitting in the Gilded Hearth with his customary breakfast, Tavalor read the Vallenport Chronicle's bold headline:

  'VICTORY IN THE SOUTHERN CONTINENT'

  The article detailed how the major forces had fought a bitter, days-long battle before ultimately claiming victory. The specifics of how the tide had turned were conveniently vague, with no mention of a mysterious [S-Class] saviour.

  Tavalor sipped his brew contentedly. He had no desire to become Gemworld's errand boy, called upon whenever trouble arose. The political powers had done their job well, blocking all official news of his involvement.

  Yet rumours persisted.

  With millions of cultivators and mages having witnessed the battle, gossip was inevitable. Whispers spread of a mysterious [S-Class] who had slaughtered the Great Whale with a single blow. Tavalor didn't particularly care—nobody knew what he looked like, only where he lived, and few would dare approach an [S-Class] uninvited.

  The door to the café opened with a familiar chime, and Emberfist entered. Little Shadow, perched on Tavalor's shoulder, perked up at her arrival, while Little Bee buzzed irritably from her spot on the table.

  Emberfist had been busy in the aftermath of the victory, gathering resources and training with renewed focus. Her improvement was remarkable—at her current pace, she would advance from low-tier [B-Class] to mid-tier [B-Class] in just half a year, a rate of progression that would be considered legendary in cultivation circles.

  Much of this was due to the ancient flame technique Tavalor had taught her. The purity of her Mana now surpassed that of ordinary [B-Class] cultivators, giving her an edge that many underestimated to their detriment.

  'Another new pet?' she asked, gesturing to Little Bee as she settled into the chair opposite Tavalor.

  Little Bee evaded Emberfist's finger with a quick aerial manoeuvre, then buzzed aggressively, clearly affronted by the description.

  The bee's presence reminded Tavalor of something.

  He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small crystal vial filled with honey—a gift from his newest companion.

  The substance wasn't ordinary honey; it flowed with unusual viscosity, and a faint aura of Mana emanated from it, visible to those with the eyes to see such things.

  He carefully poured a drop into his Calming Brew, watching as the liquid shifted from deep blue to a lighter, almost glowing shade. When he took a sip, a remarkable sensation washed over him—as if he'd taken a two-hour nap in a hammock on a perfect sunny day and awakened utterly refreshed.

  Little Shadow chirped indignantly, eyeing the enhanced brew with evident desire. Little bee eyed it with rage. He was wasting her life energy.

  Tavalor ordered another for his shadowy companion, watching with amusement as Little Shadow and Little Bee squabbled over it, their earlier conflict apparently forgotten in the face of such a delicacy.

  ***

  The garden of Tavalor's manor was peaceful in the late afternoon light. Little Bee and Little Shadow played among the flowering bushes, their earlier animosity transformed into something resembling friendship.

  Tavalor reclined in his favourite chair, watching their antics with lazy contentment.

  The sound of footsteps on the gravel path drew his attention. Luneth appeared, her movements as graceful and silent as ever, though something in her expression suggested urgency.

  'You have a visitor,' she announced.

  Tavalor raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. He rarely received visitors—few in Vallenport were brave enough to approach his manor uninvited, and those who knew him well enough to do so could be counted on one hand.

  'Do you know who it is?' he asked.

  'I didn't ask,' Luneth replied with characteristic brevity.

  Tavalor considered this for a moment. 'Let them in.'

  He waited, curiosity piqued. When the garden gate swung open to reveal his visitor, even Tavalor's usual composure faltered for a brief moment, his eyes widening in recognition and surprise.