Songs in the Void: A Multiversal Score

Arifureta Universe, Tortus, Heiligh Kingdom, Ur Village. 

In the mountain ranges north of the Village of Ur, Yukitoshi, in a clearly irritated mood, was casting his [Black Magic] on every magical beast he came across. Yet, despite his irritation, he wore an unsettling, unhinged smile on his face. And if one were close enough, they would be able to hear him muttering to himself between the chants needed to cast his magic. 

"Damn it, why did that guy come with us?" Yukitoshi asked himself after putting another magical beast under his control. "If it wasn't for him, I'd have a lot more of these monsters in my army by now. And then there's that Soramoto… Why isn't he dead? With those two and that idiot Amanogawa, there's no way I'll be the hero of this story." 

While continuing to mutter to himself, Yukitoshi continued casting his magic. However, after about an hour, he got an uneasy feeling. As if he were being watched. And he did not like that feeling, not at all. 

"Who's there?" Yukitoshi asked loudly. "I'm a member of the Hero's Party! If you are planning to attack, just know that the whole Hero's Party will hunt you down if you hurt me." 

At the same time, all the monsters Yukitoshi had mind controlled began forming up around him. Even the ones that were further away were also rushing to protect their master. 

'Damn it! Why are these stupid monsters taking so long to get here?' Yukitoshi thought to himself while frantically looking around his surroundings. 'Useless beasts!' 

If only Yukitoshi knew, nearly a third of the magical beasts he had charmed had been killed by Tatsuo, Sumire, James, Aletia, and Shea while they were tracking him, there's no telling what kind of tantrum he would have thrown. 

"Oh, is that so?" A male voice, seeming to echo from everywhere at once, asked in an amused tone. "That might make things dangerous for me, then." 

The tone of the voice that made it evident that it did not take Yukitoshi's threat seriously caused him to grit his teeth in anger. However, he did not make any sudden moves since he had no idea where the owner of the voice was. 

"Stop acting like a coward!" Yukitoshi shouted, trying his best to goad out whoever was talking to him. 

"You think I fear you?" The voice asked, the amusement in its tone even thicker now. "Oh, what I would give to live in the same world as you. Why would I, the strong, fear you, the weak, in this situation?" 

Hearing that, Yukitoshi gritted his teeth even harder. 

"But worry not, young man." The voice continued, happy to see Yukitoshi's frustration. "I have not come here to fight you. Instead, I have come to offer you an opportunity." 

"Right… And why would I accept anything from a person who is too afraid to show themselves?" Yukitoshi asked indignantly. 

"I see." The voice replied, a hint of contemplation in its tone. "That, indeed, does make sense. I would not trust a disembodied voice, either." 

And just like that, a figure stepped onto a nearby tree limb from behind a tree. This figure, like the voice suggested, was male. A middle-aged man with brick red-colored skin, swept back steel grey hair, bluish-green eyes, and pointy ears. 

The man also wore a set of green clothes that looked like they were suited for a noble with a deep blue, hooded cloak over top of his attire. However, what the man wore was of little consequence to Yukitoshi, as he was more concerned with the color of his skin. 

"You're a demon!" Yukitoshi exclaimed while going on high alert. 

"I am." The Demon replied with a gentleman's bow while his right hand was placed over his heart. "You may call me Reiss. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." 

Hearing such a polite greeting, Yukitoshi did not know what to make of it. However, he was not in a hurry to start fighting, either. On top of still being a little scarred from what happened back in the Orcus Great Labyrinth, their instructors back at the Royal Capital had also drilled into them how much stronger Demons were than humans.

However, Yukitoshi forgot that the poer difference was only applicable to normal humans. As one of the Summoned Heroes, he should be able to hold ihis own if he were to decide to fight… For a little while, at least.

"What do you want?" Yukitoshi asked while commanding his enslaved beasts to move in front of him and surround the tree where the Demon, Reiss, was standing. 

"Like I said, I assure you, I mean you no harm." Reiss reiterated. "Instead, I'd like to offer you an opportunity. And opportunity to gain riches and glory, the likes you could never get while staying on the side of the humans. Especially with such an incompetent hero." 

In response, not only did Yukitoshi grit his teeth a little harder, but he clenched his fists hard enough that his fingernails dug into his palms and drew blood. 

"Damn that Amanogawa!" Yukitoshi shouted, after not being able to hold back his jealousy any longer. "Why? Why did it have to be him? I'm much better suited to be the hero than he is. Damn it! It's not fair! It's so not fucking fair!" 

Along with shouting his grievances at the top of his lungs, Yukitoshi also stomped around the little opening he left himself after he made his enslaved beasts protect him. And when Reiss saw the way he acted, the Demon smiled from ear to ear. 

"Exactly." Reiss said, doing his best to stroke Yukitoshi's ego. "From what I can tell, there is probably no otherworlder more suited to being a hero than yourself. I mean, how many people can gather an army for themselves the way you can? And any nation who was able to gain your assistance would be much better for it, wouldn't they?" 

"Exactly!" Yukitoshi shouted. "That's right! I'm the one who should be the hero." 

"And what I'm offering you is the opportunity to be the hero you should have been from the start." Reiss said. 

Yukitoshi, so hung up on his jealousy at being nothing more than what he would describe as a side character, jumped on the words of the Demon in front of him. 

"Does that mean you'll kill Amanogawa for me?" Yukitoshi asked with anticipation in his eyes. 

"Unfortunately, that would not have the effect of making you a hero." Reiss said while shaking his head in mock apology. "Instead, that would only make those who treasure the hero rally against you." 

Hearing that, Yukitoshi was taken aback. However, it did not take long for him to start gritting his teeth again, thinking that the Demon was mocking him. However, just before he could give the order for his enslaved beasts to attack, Reiss spoke once again. 

"Instead, I am giving you the opportunity to become the Hero of the Demon race." Reiss said while spreading his arms wide in a theatrical manner. "And once you become our Hero, we'll support you with everything we have to aid you. We'll help you make those foolish humans understand what a mistake they have made to prop up such an incompetent as their hero. And in the end, you will have all the glory, all the riches, all the women you could possibly desire…" 

While Reiss continued to heap promises and undeserved praise upon Yukitoshi, the young, wannabe hero soaked it up with a smile that grew more and more unhinged spreading across his face. Just imagining become a hero was making him shiver in excitement. 

However, neither Yukitoshi, Reiss, nor any of the magical beasts in the surrounding noticed that there was a third person listening to all this drivel. 

"Wow… This guy must really like the sound of his own voice." James, with a magical recording device that Tatsuo created with the use of [Magic Circle Creation] and [Creation Magic] in hand, whispered to himself while listening to Riss and Yukitoshi. "And Shimizu must be even more far gone than I thought. The humans and demons have been at war for centuries. Why in the hell would he think that the demons would ever accept him as their hero?" 

When he finished thinking aloud, James shook his head in disappointment. However, when he heard Reiss finally throwing out more than just disingenuous praise, he snapped to attention once again. 

"However, to become the hero of the demons, there's a test I would have to ask you to complete." Reiss said, his tone taking on a much more serious air. 

A moment after Reiss said that, Yukitoshi was able to snap out of his fantasies of a heroic future. Then, he replayed the words he just heard in his head once again. And once he internalized the words, he looked at Reiss with a serious expression on his face. 

"And what do you need me to do?" Yukitoshi asked in a solemn tone. "It makes perfect sense that you would want to test my abilities to see if I am truly worthy of the title of a hero. But no matter what you ask me to do, I will see it done." 

'What a drama queen.' James thought to himself. 

Reiss on the other hand, nodded his head in satisfaction. 

"What I need you to do is kill that woman, the magical farmer, Hatayama Aiko." Riss said, his tone deadly serious. "Her magic is becoming a nuisance to the Demon Lord. Also, destroy the Village of Ur. If you can do that, then the title of hero will be yours." 

Hearing that he would need to kill Aiko, Yukitoshi hesitated, an apprehensive expression marring his face. However, that hesitation only lasted for a moment, as a resolute expression replaced the apprehension, his desire to be a hero easily winning over the comradery and sentiments from the past. 

"I understand." Yukitoshi replied. "I'll amass a great army of monsters. Then, I'll lay siege to the Village of Ur. And when I'm done, nothing will be left standing in my wake. Not even Ai-Chan-Sensei" 

'*Sigh* And this is what happens when Chuunibyou is taken to the extreme.' James thought to himself with disappointment. 

"Excellent." Reiss said with a satisfied nod. "And to aid you, I will send a squad of the Demon race's tamed monsters to join your army. This too, will be a test for you. We need to see how well you can command more powerful monsters." 

'And when you're done, those monsters will rip you to shreds.' James thought to himself. "What a dumbass fucking moron.'

"Yes, I understand." Yukitoshi replied resolutely. 

"Then, I'll be---" Reiss said, ready to return to Demon territory to gathered the necessary monsters. 

"I just hope that's enough to deal with the others…" Yukitoshi muttered. 

"What others?" Reiss asked, his expression turning solemn in an instant. 

"Well, there were three people in our group that were stronger than Amanogawa from the moment we were summoned." Yukitoshi explained, hoping that he would receive stronger monsters to add to his army. "First is Alaverus. He's been the strongest from the beginning. Then, there's Soramoto and Minami-Sensei. They had disappeared for a while. But they said they conquered the abyss below the Orcus Great labyrinth." 

'Shit!' James exclaimed in his head. 'I know I should have expected this little bastard to sell us out, but damn….' 

"I see." Reiss said in a dark tone. "It would seem our information was incorrect. I need to report this to the Demon Lord. Anyone able to conquer a Great Labyrinth is a serious threat." 

Reiss then stopped to think for a few more moments. Then, after getting his thoughts in order, he nodded his head before looking towards Yukitoshi once again. 

"Continue to amass your army, young hero." Reiss said solemnly. "I will return once I've received orders from the Demon Lord. And when I come back, I promise you, you will have the necessary assets to deal with the irregular beings while dealing with that woman and the village." 

Then, without giving Yukitoshi the chance to respond, Reiss turned around and jumped from the limb he was standing on before vanishing into the distance. After that, Yukitoshi saw a large magical beast rise into the sky with Reiss standing on its back. 

'Yeah, the hell I'm gonna let you notify the Demons about me, Tatsuo, and Sumire.' James thought to himself while rushing to follow Reiss. Then, with a glint of killing intent sparkling in his eyes, James continued his thought. 'You'll never make it out of this mountain range.' 

With that, James left the area with Yukitoshi completely unaware of his presence. And even faster than the flying magical beast that Reiss was riding, James distanced himself from Yukitoshi. Then, once he had overtaken the magical beast, James unfolded his wings and shot up into the sky. 

"This is unsettling." Reiss thought to himself while flying atop his magic beast steed. "How is it possible that we have no information on these irregulars? The Demon Lord will definitely need to hear about this as soon as possible." 

*Screech!* 

Interrupting Reiss' thoughts, the magical beast he was riding came to an abrupt stop, flapping its wings to stay hovering in midair while looking at something in front of it with caution. 

"What is it?" Reiss, who had been deep in his thoughts, asked while looking up to see why the magical beast stopped. "Huh? Who… No, what are you?" 

Floating in midair, with a pair of large, red draconic wings flapping to keep him afloat was a young man, James, in the way of Reiss and his mount. 

"Oh, me?" James asked with a playful smile on his face. "I'm one of those irregulars you were talking about with my traitorous classmate. James Alaverus, at your service." 

"What?" Reiss asked as he went on high alert. "You're a dragonman? But how is that possible? All those summoned from the other world should have been humans." 

"Well, you're about half correct." James said while shaking his head and slowly drawing one of the katana on his left hip. "You see, I'm half human. But I'm no dragonman. But how 'bout this? You can call me by my title… Until you die, that is." 

Reaching the end of his speech, James pointed the tip of his katana at the spot between Reiss' eyes. And as he watched Reiss start to agitate his magic power to cast a spell, James' smile widened. 

"You can call me the Red Dragon Emperor." James said as the blade of the katana began to glow in a dusk pink color. "[Scatter, Senbonzakura]." 

With James' chant, the blade of his katana broke down into a thousand cherry blossom petal-shaped blades that shot forward at high speed. 

"[Rupture]." Reiss chanted an instant later. 

With Reiss' chant, the moisture in the air was quickly condensed into a high density blob of water. However, before it could shoot a stream capable of cleaving through a boulder, the petal-blades James released cut through it, causing water to splash all over Reiss and his mount. 

"What?" Riess asked in a dumbfounded tone. "How?"

However, before Reiss could question what he just saw any further, the petal-blades circled back, each one piercing through is body and leaving paper thin holes in his body with tiny amounts of blood trickling down his body and staining his clothes. 

Then, the petal-blades returned to the hilt James still held in his right hand and reconstituted the blade. An instant later, James flapped his wings, shooting himself forward at the magical beast. Along the way, he sheathed the katana, as well. Then, once he was close enough to the panicking beast, he drew his katana once again. 

*Shing!* *Shing!* 

However, instead of just drawing one of the blades on his hip, James used his left hand to draw the second one in a reverse grip, as well. Then, he flew past the magical beast before sheathing both blades again. 

A moment later, both Riess and the magical beast were split into four quarters that released a large amount of blood before the eight pieces of bone and flesh fell from the sky and crashed into the ground. 

"Well, that's half of the problem taken care of." James muttered while watching the pieces of Reiss and the magical beast fall from the sky. "Now, since I got the necessary evidence, I just need to go and capture Shimizu. Then, we can take him back after we talk to the dragon lady." 

["Just make sure you don't' draw her attention."] Ddraig said in a cautious toen. ["I don't think the estate can handle another pervert like Ayame."] 

"*Sigh* I know." James said while shivering in terror. "I'll just let Tatsuo deal with her. He's been taking the lead on this entire mission. So, I'll let the leader deal with her just like he should." 

["good decision."] Ddraig replied. 

Nodding in agreement, James turned around and headed back to where he last saw Yukitoshi. Then, from high above, he released [Senbonzakura] once again to kill all the mind controlled beasts. 

And while Yukitoshi was confused and shouting for the coward who just attacked him to show himself, James rushed down and snatched up Yukitoshi before running off towards the camp Tatsuo and the others set up. 

"Huh? Alaverus?" Yukitoshi asked in a confused tone. "What the hell are you doing?" 

"Oh, nothing really." James replied casually while continuing to run. "Just bringing in a traitor. And before you try to defend yourself, I got a recording of your whole conversation with that Demon before I killed him after he left you alone. So, just stay quiet and wait to be dealt with. Okay, Mr. Demon Race Hero?" 

Hearing that, Yukitoshi's eyes opened wide, his pupils dilated, and his mouth went dry. Then, his expression turned to one filled with resolve before he opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue. 

"Nope!" James said condescendingly as he used a finger to jab a particular nerve cluster that would paralyze Yukitoshi. "There will be none of that. I mean, if you killed yourself by biting off your tongue, you'd probably end up spraying blood all over my clothes. And with you dead, who would pay for my dry cleaning?" 

Though Yukitoshi wanted to rage and scream at James for messing up his chance to be a hero, thanks to James' paralyzing strike, the only thing he could do was lay over James' shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Then, when James returned to where the black dragon was sleeping and Tatsuo and the others had setup camp, Tatsuo sprinkled some strange spores all over him, and he would remain paralyzed until everyone met up with Aiko and the others.