Journey to Become the Zenith

At the Gates of Fantom City

Victor and his group had finally made it to Grenton.

A stretch of silence hung there - not a town at all, really. Looming ahead, the place sat heavy on the land, shaped like something carved by giants. Stone walls coiled outward in layers, stubborn and unyielding. Gates made of iron caught light as if winking from a distance. Less about homes, more like a fist raised against invasion.

Videl’s pace dropped without thinking, her deep blue eyes opening wide at what lay ahead. Not one to show surprise, Lane tipped her head sideways while scanning the tall towers and flags dancing above them. This scene - huge stone posts, cloth snapping in gusts - seemed impossible to girls who’d known only open farmland beyond Kanal Village. A moment like something whispered about in old tales, not real ground underfoot.

Footsteps slow, Victor moved by himself, fingers tucked deep into coat pockets, amber irises giving nothing away.

Just past the tree line, a pair of watchmen stood firm at the entrance. Blocking movement forward, they paused beneath the iron arch. Their boots planted, no signal given to pass through.

Freshly burnished steel covered them, their chest plates carved with proud symbols - nothing like Videl’s chipped metal stitched together with old straps. Theirs gleamed under the sun; hers caught only shadows.Their gazes swept over the trio, stopping first on Videl’s armor with open contempt.

One guard snorted. ”Village trash.”

Then their eyes shifted.

Videl’s tall, graceful figure beneath her light armor.

Lane’s quiet beauty, her young body already shaped with dangerous curves.

The guards’ stares changed—no longer disdainful, but hungry.

They didn’t bother hiding it.

Victor felt it instantly.

The air around him darkened.

His killing intent erupted.

It was invisible, but it crushed like a collapsing sky.

The two guards froze.

Their knees buckled.

Their faces drained of color as terror seized their hearts. A hot stench filled the air as both men lost control of their bodies. Shaking violently, they dropped to their knees, sobbing openly before the three youths.

Videl knew immediately who was responsible.

She grabbed Victor’s arm, panic in her voice. ”Victor, what are you doing?!”

His golden eyes burned.

”These two looked down on you. Worse—they looked at you and Lane with lust.” His voice was low, vibrating with suppressed violence. ”No one—no one—not even the gods themselves—is allowed to look at you that way. Only I am allowed to do that.”

His gaze turned cold.

”You both belong to me. You are mine. Anyone foolish enough to touch—or even think of touching—what is mine deserves death.”

The words struck both girls like lightning.

Videl’s heart trembled. His possessiveness frightened her—and yet, beneath the shock, something warm bloomed in her chest. She felt protected. Claimed. Safe. A dangerous sweetness stirred that made her want to cling to him.

Lane’s stoic mask cracked just slightly. A faint blush colored her cheeks. Being called his woman made her heart race—but the familiar ache followed. She knew a man like Victor would never belong to only one.

And yet... neither of them wanted him any less.

Videl tightened her grip, voice urgent. ”Victor, please calm down. They only looked. If they tried anything, I would have been the first to strike them down. I’m disgusted too—but we’re in an unknown city. If you kill them, you won’t be able to join the Adventurers’ Guild. What would Uncle Leon and Aunt Anna think?”

Her eyes pleaded with him.

Victor clenched his fists.

He hesitated.

The former Demon Lord Anos would have slaughtered them instantly—even if someone he cared for stood in the way.

But now...

This human heart was a weakness.

And worse—he cared too much about the foolish girl gripping his arm.

If he attacked, she would try to stop him—even at the cost of her life.

A hero’s instinct for self-sacrifice.

How troublesome.

He exhaled sharply. When my system awakens again... I’ll cut your ties to destiny first.

Finally, he spoke.

”Fine. I won’t kill them.”

Videl sagged in relief.

The guards, still kneeling, stared at Victor as if he were a demon.

”But they will be punished,” Victor continued calmly. ”That is the best compromise. If you stop me even from that—I won’t listen to you.”

Videl swallowed and nodded.

Victor smiled faintly.

He stepped forward.

The guards trembled harder as he crouched before them.

”You should have died today. But because of the girl I care for most...” He pointed at Videl. ”...you live.”

His eyes hardened.

”For looking at my women with lust, I will take one eye from each of you.”

The guards tried to scream.

No sound came.

”Don’t worry,” Victor said softly. ”This will be quick.”

And exquisitely painful.

His fingers moved.

A sudden rip echoed twice through the damp space. Wet noises cracked open the silence one after another.

From beyond the gate came shrieks of guards, then silence as bodies fell into crimson puddles on the stone.

A spark jumped to life, searing the eyes carved into Victor’s hand. Flames danced for just an instant before fading completely.

”Hmph. Weak.”

Into the gates he stepped, after turning away.

Lane moved right behind, no pause at all.

Still standing there, Videl felt unsteady, rattled by how harsh he’d been - yet aware, deep down, that his actions made sense. Lowering herself to the ground, she murmured a small healing charm, closing the cuts on the guards just enough to halt the bloodflow.

After her, Victor led on toward Fantom City. She breathed out low, watching how life had bent both their paths so strangely.