"Thank you very much, good sir," said one of the men standing at the forefront. He was likely their leader. "But may I ask what you seek in this humble village of ours?"

  Nero smiled cheerfully. "Oh, we're merely passing through. Tell me, what is the name of this beautiful world?"

  The man furrowed his brow in confusion as if he did not understand the question. After a short pause, he replied,

  "The name of this planet is Scur." He spoke as though he was explaining something simple and obvious to a stupid child. Nero was unfazed by his condescending tone.

  "May I ask where you come from?" the man asked after a second brief silence.

  Nero simply pointed upward, toward the rift in the sky. Through the tear, one could see the staircase leading to his castle and the massive gate standing before it. The men had already noticed the portal, studying it with wary curiosity.

  "Speaking of, I think our time is running out. We need to depart for now but don't worry, we will return." Nero grinned, "Then we can continue our little chat. I tell you something about our world and you tell us something about yours!"

  Nero turned around as if he wanted to leave.

  "I'm afraid we cannot allow that," the leader declared sternly, his expression hardening. Nero had anticipated this reaction.

  "Oh? And why not?" Nero asked in an innocent tone, though he already had the answer. These people were fanatics. They believe that everything is either good or evil. And everything that is evil has to be eradicated in the name of their stupid god. Nero and his General displayed their magic but in the minds of the plebian folk, their magic and appearance were sinful. They called them Demons, so that was obvious. Now the fanatics, who call themselves the bringers of justice and god's will, have to confront them. They need to show the commoners that the use of "demonic" magic is dark and forbidden. If they would just let them go, it would be interpreted as heresy against their doctrine, and they would be severely punished.

  And like Nero predicted, the leader of the men continued:

  "In our land, the use of unauthorized magic is strictly outlawed, furthermore, you are under suspicion of using forbidden magic. Surrender peacefully, and I give you my word—you will receive a fair trial!"

  Nero laughed a deep and hearty sound.

  "So our magic is forbidden? And what kind of magic do you permit?" he asked mockingly.

  "Only the magic of the Sun God, of course!"

  At that moment, Xersies stepped forward for the first time, his grotesque grin stretching across his face.

  "Oh? You mean this kind?" he sneered, raising his hand. A bright flash of light erupted from his fingers, shooting toward the group of men. It was a small attack, and Nero knew there was little power behind it.

  Nevertheless, it was enough to kill one of the men instantly.

  Silence fell over the scene. All eyes were fixed on the lifeless body, a burning hole in his forehead. Then, the first cries rang out—shouts of rage and horror.

  It was as if the spell had been broken, and the rest of the men erupted in a storm of curses and desperate prayers. Some even began throwing objects at Nero and his generals, but most projectiles bounced harmlessly off Shire. The few that did not were caught mid-air with incredible speed.

  The leader of the group was beside himself with fury. His eyes were burning with hatred and righteous anger.

  "HOW DARE YOU? YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO ATTACK MY MEN! NO RIGHT TO DEFILE HIS HOLY MAGIC! IT WAS GIVEN TO US BY THE SUN GOD HIMSELF!"

  Xersies merely smiled. "And how do you know that I am not your Sun God?"

  This only infuriated the man further. "You… you… YOU BLASPHEMOUS HERETICS! KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL! AVENGE HIM IN THE NAME OF THE SUNGOD!"

  With that command, the men activated their magic. Nero felt a slight surge in the air as their power gathered. All at once, they raised their hands, and an enormous wave of pure light burst forth.

  Xersies shook his head in disappointment. "And here I was hoping for a decent fight..." he muttered sadly.

  Then, mere inches before the searing wave of light could strike them, he raised his clawed hand. He simply grabbed the wave, clenching his fist around it. In the blink of an eye, the massive attack vanished as if it had never existed.

  The men stared at Xersies in utter shock, their mouths agape. In their eyes, this unworthy demon just eradicated their strongest attack without breaking a sweat. But he just lifted his clenched fist into the air.

  "My Duce?" Xersies asked hopefully.

  Nero gave him a nod of approval.

  Xersies smiled sinisterly and without hesitation, he opened his fist. A blinding explosion of light burst forth, surging outward in all directions with unstoppable force. Only Nero and his allies remained unaffected. Xersies' control over his magic was precise as always.

  The wave of light swept over the crowd, the soldiers, the entire village, and even the forest beyond. Nero shielded his eyes with a thin membrane of pure darkness, preventing himself from going blind. When he lowered the veil and looked around, there was nothing left but scorched earth. Every house, every man, every animal, every tree within a two-kilometer radius had been reduced to nothing but ash. This was Xersies' full power. It was truly terrifying.

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  Xersies grinned. "Don't worry my Duce, I of course spared one for you!"

  And indeed, in front of them, on the same spot, remained the leader of the group of men. The rest were all gone, disintegrated to dust.

  His face was pale, his eyes damaged by the brightness. He had been protected by a magical barrier, which was the only reason he had not been completely blinded. He blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of his surroundings. Then, as his gaze settled on Xersies, realization dawned upon him.

  In the next moment, he dropped to his knees and slammed his forehead against the ground.

  "It is truly you, oh great Sun God! I am sorry that we offended you! Please, spare my lowly life! I didn't know it was you!" he begged in a trembling voice.

  Nero nodded in satisfaction. "Shire, take this man with us. He may still provide us with some useful information."

  Then, Nero turned to Fril. The small Polykenas and the fifth of his generals had been tasked with eliminating any fleeing villagers. However, since Xersies had already wiped out all living beings in a two-kilometer radius, he had returned.

  Nero had sensed him moving through the shadows behind him. He was fully aware that Fril was capable of remaining completely undetected even through magic. The fact that Nero noticed him meant he had done so deliberately.

  Fril crouched behind Xersies, one claw raised, ready to strike. His clothing bore scorch marks—evidence of Xersies' attack. Yet, as Nero turned to him, Fril let out a sigh and lowered his claw.

  "You burned me!" he hissed at Xersies from behind.

  Xersies turned around with a wide grin, feigning shock as he widened his golden eyes. "Oooh nooo! That was completely unintentional, I swear on the Sun God! I am sooo terribly sorry."

  Fril let out an angry hiss, his aura flaring to life. Xersies, still grinning, activated his own magic in response. A golden barrier formed around him as he taunted, "Come on then, kitty cat! Attack me!"

  Fril snarled and was just about to pounce when Nero interrupted them. "Enough! Stop with this nonsense."

  Immediately, both Polykenas took a step back, slowly retracting their magic. Nero fixed his gaze on Fril.

  "Fril, you know your mission. Go and gather as much information as possible about this world. If an opportunity arises, you may stir up some chaos by eliminating a few of their leaders. However, do not put yourself in unnecessary danger. Your highest priority is to collect intelligence and bring it back to me. Your second priority is to remain completely undetected—no intelligent being should notice you unless you plan on eliminating them as well. You already know your time limit. As always, I will open the Rift after one year and if you are not there, I will open it three more times every week. Remember, the days are different on most planets, you have to track the time perfectly!"

  Fril nodded obediently. Without saying another word he turned, and vanished.

  After waiting for a few minutes, Nero reached into the darkness that was ever-present in his world. It surged down from the rift, wrapped around him, and pulled him upward.

  In the next instant, Nero stood once more upon the staircase of his realm.

  The first to follow was Xersies, who appeared beside him in a flash of light. Next was Shire, who leaped through. Ramor walked through effortlessly, symbols glowing beneath his feet. Lastly, Ester arrived, massive wings of pure blood unfurling from his back. Shire tossed the captured human onto the ground before them.

  "Ester, you're probably the best among us at extracting secrets from humans. I mean, you've been doing it with organs for ages, so how hard can it be? Just try not to kill him before we get everything we need to know," Nero instructed.

  Ester nodded, seized the human, and dragged him away. Ramor followed him, stating that Ester would definitely need his supervision. Ester just sighed annoyed, but didn't try to stop Ramor. The human did not resist—he seemed to have fully descended into madness, mumbling prayers to his god.

  Nero watched him go with disgust. He despised fanatics. They were pathetic, weak-minded fools who refused to accept responsibility, always blaming an imaginary god for their actions. If something went wrong, they would pin the blame on a so-called sinner, slaughtering them in cold blood. Fanatics were cowardly creatures.

  Shaking off his thoughts, Nero gazed into the distance. Xersies stood to his left, Shire to his right. They said nothing, allowing their leader to think.

  Conquering a new world was never without risks. For all they knew, an even stronger being could be waiting beyond the rift—one who could obliterate even Xersies with a mere thought.

  Unlike his more reckless Polykenas, who would blindly charge in and destroy everything, Nero was careful. He always took precautions. And now, all they could do was wait. Fril's mission would take one year. Only then would Nero reopen the portal.