-----
As the Realm Menace of the Sin of Lust orchestrated the war between the two opposing sides of the Athetosea Merchant Kingdom, a war broke out at the outskirts. In this battle, several important figures participated.
And now, a destined battle between step-brothers, who hold grudges against each other finally unfolds.
From a Holy Lineage, her mother came from the Central Continent, a [Lesser Hero] that descended from the children brought by the [Holy Mother]. Reynold Goodwill was raised as a Hero from the very beginning, while also being implanted with several religious beliefs that intoxicated his view of life and his perspectives. His morality became chivalrous, but it secretly hid an undying fanatism, that slowly corrupted his heart.
At the age of 7 he killed, with the approbation of his mother and father, he mercilessly stabbed to death a young Werewolf boy, who dared insult his beliefs and religions. After taking the life of another, he didn't falter, neither quivered, but was enveloped in happiness and exhilaration, alongside satisfaction, the satisfaction of having done what was "right".
And so, he grew and trained in the Arts of Chivalry and Knights, at the age of 12 he awakened his [Epic] and obtained the Title of [Elemental Knight of Holy; Undying Chivalrous Heart]. And so, after that, he met his step-brother, Evan Godfrey.
Evan Godfrey was a son of Reynold's father, who had a secret relationship with one of his maids. After knowing the truth, Reynold was greatly shocked.
"How could my father do such a thing?" He thought.
On Reynold's mind, he saw his father as a lustful monster, who predated in the women around him. He dared to touch another woman, to the point of having a child with her. Even worse, he dared to bring the child to his house, and present it as his brother.
Reynold's mother knew about this since long ago, but she remained silent, although he tried to cheer his mother, she never went back to be the same. At the age of 13, Reynold's mother committed suicide. Not even the grace of the gods could cure her insanity, which slowly ate her heart. In her desperation, she hanged herself, without even caring about leaving her son, Reynold, completely alone.
"Everything his father's fault… And that damned bastard fault!" He thought.
And since then, Reynold stopped having any empathy or sympathy with Evan and began to abuse him in various ways.
In their daily training, Reynold would beat to almost death Evan, most of the time leaving him in the brink of death with most of his bones broken.
Dinner was a time where Reynold would insult and ridicule his brother in front of the family.
In their daily lives, Reynold would slowly distance himself from Evan. Due to his higher status, he would treat Evan like garbage, and even his father didn't care much about his safety.
Reynold would call Evan useless trash, he would burn his clothes and put bugs in his bed.
However, as both of them grew older, things changed. Something changed in Reynold. He became amicable and happy, calm, and peaceful. He treated Evan with respect and love, surprising the family.
"I have grown into a fine man, as the commander of the Elemental Knights, I am truly sorry for how I've treated my little brother in the past. I repent. Little brother, I hope that one day, you can forgive my sinful acts" He said out loud, in front of their family.
However, it wasn't anything like that. Reynold didn't change at all. Since his mother died, he had been always waiting the day, for him to kill his brother and his father.
At the age of 20, Reynold obtained a special condition in his [Epic], the next step in becoming a Champion and then a Hero.
[New Scenarios Have Been Unlocked]
[Chivalrous Revenge], [Brotherly Homicide], …
Both conditions asked for the death of his father and his step-brother, Evan. Such a convenient thing, fitted with Reynold's goals. Now, he would finally be able to avenge his mother's death.
Seeing these tasks as a godly message for him to accomplish his revenge, he was enveloped in happiness and ecstasy.
At the age of 21, Reynold killed his father and made it seem like an assassination from an enemy Noble house, he stabbed his father in the neck with a poisonous knife, but he didn't stop there, he continued to stab him, with a maniac smile, while laughing, he stabbed his father's face and saw how he quivered in pain and fear while seeing his son mercilessly taking his life while laughing immersed on his own insanity.
The body was found in a terrible state, Reynold stabbed his father 283 times through his entire body, the corrosive poison melted the man flesh. Even though he was almost unrecognizable, one could still see his expression of horror and fear.
After his father died, Reynold became the head of his family, which intimidated Evan. He somehow knew that his brother was the culprit of his father's death, but he didn't have the strength or resolve to confront him.
In a starry night, Evan armed himself with the armor that his father left for him, alongside some gold coins, and went to register himself as an adventurer. Afterward, he left Athetosea and worked in the different towns and villages surrounding the Kingdom.
This greatly ruined Reynolds plans, as he was stopped from further advancing in the growth of his strength, although he looked for Evan everywhere, he was only able to find small clues that went nowhere.
However, the task of his [Epic] never showed that his brother has died, so deep down he knew that one day, he would meet once again with his beloved little brother.
"Someday, little brother, we shall meet once again," He thought.
And that day has finally come.
While Reynold was separated from his group of Elemental Knights by a mysterious Knight who had impressive skills and mastery over Light Magic, a system notification popped out of thin air.
[Destined Battle Between [Epic] Users Has Been Triggered]
"Hm?!"
[The Scenario [Brotherly Homicide] is being held]
[Defeat [Epic User] [Evan Godfrey] To Gain Rewards and Awaken To [Champion] Rank]
"It is you, Evan! Little Brother! You have come to me!"
Evan quickly realized that his step-brother already discovered his true identity. And instead of receiving him with rage, he was received with open arms.
However, hiding beneath the sincere and happy expression of Reynold, there was only the insatiable intent of assassination. Evan felt as if he was a small Fox that entered in a Wolf's den by mistake.
Suddenly the fear and traumatic events experienced by Evan, that were being suppressed and hidden deep within his heart, bloomed. The abuse, the desperation, the fear, the brutality...
It all emerged suddenly, shaking Evan as he felt his bravery and determination rapidly dissipate into nothingness. He saw himself as foolish and pathetic, for thinking he would be able to oppose his brother.
He knew that he would never be able to fight his brother. But he tried to pretend that he could, he tried to pretend that he was stronger than he saw himself as.
As Reynold slowly approached his brother, with a happy smile and open arms, Evan was enveloped in an incredibly thick pressure, a terribly deadly aura.
Whatever his brother was, he wasn't a human anymore. That fear and despair, he only felt it against Kireina when she released her aura.
As that thought passed through Evan's mind, he realized something else.
"Wait… Compared to Kireina… My Step-Brother is not even that scary" He thought.
After going through an immensely painful training that broke his bones and healed them over and over, Evan quickly understood that all the pain and suffering he went through was even worse than what Reynold did to him.
The overbearing and dominating pressure that Kireina released when they fought, was even worse as if a terrible demon from the depths of hell was about to devour him at any moment, and after being devoured, he wouldn't die so easily, but would fall into an endless hole of madness and pain…
Kireina's presence gives a different aura than Reynold. Every time Evan thought about her, he would always know that he will never be able to run away from her, that he was cursed to live at her side the moment she enslaved him.
Meanwhile, Reynold aura was that of madness and killing intent, but that was it. It wasn't as crazy and overwhelming as Evan primarily thought. After his brother killed him, he would at least be free, but with Kireina… There would never be an end.
By thinking about something even worse than his Step-Brother, Evan released a laugh, as he never thought that the nightmare, he has gone through for so many months now would even give him strength against Reynold.
"I guess after all of it, I have gone a little bit insane myself… Sigh..."
Comparing two horrible things may sometimes make the less horrible thing not so bad.
"I haven't gone through all this hellish training for nothing, all this pain, and suffering, my body has grown strong and sturdy… I'm clearly not the same as before, I see myself more like a monster than a human by now…" He thought.
"Might as well embrace this strength and kill my damned brother once and for all!" He said, out loud.
After hearing this, even Reynold stopped for a moment. Completely surprised by the strange comment that his naïve little brother said, completely out of his stupid and weak character!
"Huh? What did you say, little brother? Kill me? No, no, I! Will kill you"
"Well then, let's get to it, I don't want Kireina to get angry at me," Evan said, without even caring about Reynold's words.
This greatly infuriated the Elemental Knight of Holy.
"H-How dare you to ignore me?! I am right here! W-What has happened to you?! Weren't you weak and pathetic trash?! And who's Kireina?!"
Evan raised his golden blade has he started to envelop it in a shining light.
"Just shut up already"
FLASH!
In a sudden flash of light, Evan flew over Reynold's with his blade, and in a split second, he released more than one hundred [Techniques], each one from a different type of weapon, but because of his mastery over them, he was able to use them with any weapon.
A successive amount of attacks fell over Reynold's body, resembling a shower of hundreds of weapon's phantoms made of Light. Reynold could barely hold on such power, as he shielded himself with his massive Holy Blade.
CLASH! CLASH! SLASH! SLASH! BOOM! BOOM!
"When did he became so strong?! Is he really Evan?! Did the gods mistake him for someone else?!" Reynold thought.
Suddenly, Reynold conjured a powerful Holy Light Shield, protecting himself from Evan's onslaught, and then, he manipulated the shield to move Evan's towards a safe distance for Reynold to make some space.
"No matter what you have become now, you will die today, my beloved little brother! Holy Blade Art: Judgement of the Seven Heavens!!!"
As Reynold chanted this Holy Blade Art, his entire surroundings were covered in a holy white light, that made most of the soldiers surrounding him permanently blind.
"Gyaaaaaahh! I-It's Sir Reynold special Art!"
"R-Run before you turn blind forever!"
"P-Please Sir Reynold don't go overboard!"
In response to his soldier's agony, Reynold shouted at them.
"Silence, scum! You should just be honored to die by my Holy Arts! The Gods have blessed all of you! Rejoice, trash!"
FLASH!
As the holy light increase in density, it created a massive pillar of light, that flowed like an endless sea of light towards the sky, and then, a colossal phantom resembling a giant blade began to descend and incredible speed.
Being directed at Evan's, the speed and power of such a skill were completely overwhelming, Evan was not able to defend neither evade such a technique, and instead, decided to use all the techniques that he has learned to fight it off.
"Unique Art: Myriad Onslaught!"
BOOOM! CLASH! CLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
The spectators couldn't believe what their eyes were seeing, as a little boy was fending off their strongest Elemental Knight attack with his own weapon techniques, something that should be virtually impossible.
As Evan kept releasing the hundreds of techniques all at once, his body quickly became enveloped in light, increasing his speed even more. His arms moved at light speed, which in result, created phantoms of light resembling his arms as if Evan had thousands of arms, he released thousands of techniques, in what he called a "Unique Art".
As Reynold kept infusing MP in his spell, the blade of light grew larger and more massive, however, Evan didn't give up either, using his unique skills that increased his Stamina recovery, he managed to keep with the Art of his Step-Brother almost endlessly.
"Uoooohhh!!!"
Suddenly, Evan put together one hundred techniques related to slashes in one hand, while enhancing it with Light Magic.
CRACK! CRACK!
And then, in one single swipe, the giant Holy Blade phantom was shattered in small fragments that dissipated into nothingness.
BOOOM!!!
After witnessing this, Reynold was taken aback, his mind was in complete chaos, trying to figure out if what his eyes saw was a real thing or just a hallucination!
How could someone do such a feat? And even more, his little brother that just some months ago, was a complete rookie and deemed as untalented!
Even after these thoughts passed through Reynold's mind, the reality was right in front of him.
Evan's Illusion Mask has long been shattered due to the immense Light Magic throw at him, revealing his shining green eyes. As his face filled with small scars was revealed, Reynold stopped having doubts.
"Little brother… What have you been doing these last months…?" He said, in an irritated voice.
"I have been breaking my bones and healing them every day, what about you, brother?" Said Evan, with a confident smile.
"Huh?!"
-----