Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit

Raven spread out his wings and zipped out of the building as the flames spread fiercely, burning the structure down rapidly.

As he emerged out into the open, getting some distance from the building before turning around, he took in the sight of a massive purple blaze raging, thick plumes of smoke billowing out of the window as cries of pain rang out from inside.

"You damned bastard!" Suddenly came a voice from his left, as a barrage of ice projectiles came shooting towards him.

Raven swiftly turned across and unleashed a blazing wave of flames from his mouth, melting the projectiles before they could reach him, puffs of steam bursting out as his flames evaporated the ice projectiles.

"Well, I mean, you're not wrong...technically speaking, I am a bastard. Looks like you managed to get out of the building before you could get roasted to death. Now, let's see, you're the First-Class Knight Pelt Opal, is that right? You're the son of Viscountness Redd Opal, the Noble in charge of this town, who's been extortionately taxing the townspeople here," Remarked Raven coldly.

"And? What's wrong with that? Commoners are nothing but trash, any meagre wealth they possess is in much better hands with us," Scoffed Pelt in response.

He was in his late-thirties, with purplish blonde hair that was parted in the middle, light orange eyes, a thick chin beard, a pale complexion, and he was fairly tall with an athletic build.

"You damned Commoner! How...how dare you!? You'll pay for this, I'll fucking kill you!" Suddenly came an enraged voice from the entrance of the Knight outpost, as the Vice-Captain appeared with a seething look on his face, several burnt patches over his arms and face.

"Wow, talk about pathetic...you're a Teleporter, not to mention a Vice-Captain, and you took this long to get out of there? Though, I suppose I should give you some credit for not dying," Scoffed Raven tauntingly, before Shrike let out a furious roar as he drew out and flung several needles towards Raven, who swiftly unleashed a sharp, powerful roar to blow the needles away as they closed in on him, before he sensed Shrike teleporting behind him.

"Die, you lowborn scum!" He snarled as he drew out a dagger and whipped it across at Raven's back, before his eyes widened in alarm as Raven grabbed his wrist with his tail before the blade could reach him.

Shrike winced in pain as Raven then tightened his grip, constricting his tail sharply, before turning his gaze to the left as Pelt came charging in, forming ice spikes over his knuckles as he shot towards Raven.

As he began to close in, Raven swiftly pulled Shrike off his feet using his tail, before flinging the Vice-Captain at Pelt with a powerful flick of his tail.

Pelt's eyes widened in alarm before he quickly leapt out of the way, narrowly avoiding his superior, who hit the ground with a thud and skidded away painfully, before Raven senses another presence behind him, rapidly closing in.

He swiftly spun around, to see Nile Voner, the only Commoner in the Third Squad, sprinting towards him with a pair of large axes in his hands.

He leapt forward as he closed in, swinging his right axe straight down towards Raven, who sprang back to evade the slash, before Nile swiftly zipped forward and whipped his left axe across at Raven's chest, inflicting a shallow cut across his scales and drawing a couple of thin trickles of blood, before Raven backed away and got some distance.

"Huh, interesting, this is the first time I've seen a Pulverizer using dual weapons. Hm, or maybe he has his own unique Template instead, like a cross between Pulverizer and Dual Blader?" Wondered Raven, healing himself as Nile narrowed his gaze at him and began to charge at him again.

"Stay out of this, Commoner! Accepting assistance from the likes of you would be nothing short of a disgrace, especially since your Magic Power is so pitifully low, even for a Commoner!" Snapped Shrike, halting Nile in his tracks.

There was some truth to what he said, Nile barely had any Magic Power to speak of. While he possessed Ice Magic, his Magic Power was so low that he only had enough Mana to cast three or four Level 1 Spells before he'd run out of Magic Power.

"Yeah, stand back and watch in awe of our superiority, I'd rather die than fight alongside you," Added Pelt with a look of disdain.

"But I-...alright, then. Go ahead, be my guest," He replied through gritted teeth, before stepping back with a look of frustration.

"Uh...are these idiots for real? They stand a much better chance if it's three on one, not to mention, he's not a target, so I wouldn't be able to go all out if he fought alongside them. Well, whatever, it makes my job a hell of a lot easier," Raven shrugged to himself in bemusement.

"Now, then, you damned freak...it's about time someone finally puts you in your place and-...," Began Shrike venomously, before he was cut off as a deafening explosion rang out in the distance, a flash of dark red bursting out in the direction it came from, as a massive sphere of red energy erupted around the area where the church was.

The ground rumbled violently as a towering cloud of dust rose up over the buildings, stunning the Knights as the sphere of explosive energy began to fade.

"Wh-what just-...?" Stuttered Pelt in shock, before trailing off as Raven rapidly shot towards him the instant Pelt took his eyes off him.

Pelt stumbled back in alarm before raising his right hand and firing out a rapid spear of ice towards Raven, who easily evaded it by swerving across, before putting on a burst of speed with a powerful flap of his wings and closing in on Pelt, whose eyes widened in alarm.

He drove his right fist up in desperation, his punch whiffing as Raven abruptly halted for a split second, before swiftly reaching out as Pelt's fist hit nothing but air, grabbing his throat before he could react and extending out his claws, eliciting an agonized, choked gasp from the Knight, blood pouring out his mouth.

"Come on, aren't you a Martial Artist? Why would you abandon your technique like that?" Sighed Raven, before unleashing a devastating burst of lightning from his claws, a sharp sizzle ringing out as he scorched the blood inside Pelt's throat, before his eyes exploded.

Bursts of smoke erupted out of his mouth and nostrils, his shoulders slumping and his body going limp as Raven's lightning fried his head from the inside.

"Damn you!" Exclaimed Shrike as he teleported behind Raven and slashed at his back with a dagger.

Raven swiftly spun around and raised Pelt's corpse in front of himself, Shrike's dagger slicing his stomach open before Raven tossed the body away and fired out his beams at Shrike, who quickly locked his gaze onto Raven before swapping places with him.

Raven's beams hit the side of a nearby building and drilled a couple of small holes through the concrete, before he grimaced slightly as he felt a couple of needles hit his lower back, before Shrike teleported several meters away.

"Hahaha, it's over for you now! Those needles were laced with a lethal poison, you'll succumb and die a painful death in a matter of seconds!" He jeered gleefully.

"Not to rain on your parade, but I'm immune to any form of toxins...and even if I wasn't, I'm a Recovery Mage, nullifying such a substance would be child's play. Also, is it just me, or are you weaker than your younger brother? I fought him a while back, and he was much more of a challenge than you are, despite also being a Teleporter, not to mention holding a lower rank than you do," Replied Raven as he pulled the needles out and tossed them away, smirking as the cheerful, triumphant look on the Vice-Captain's face disappeared.

Shrike was the older brother of Arren Rowser, the Teleporter and First-Class Knight of the First Squad who had fought Celia and Raven in Garnet City, and was currently fighting against Lexia. And unlike his older brother, Arren didn't share the same prejudice towards Commoners.

"You cocky little shit. Don't you dare compare me to that naive, idiotic fool...," He growled, before teleporting to Raven's left and whipping his blade across at his side.

Raven swiftly grabbed his forearm with his left hand before the blade could reach him, sharply tightening his grip and fracturing the bones in Shrike's forearm, eliciting a wince of pain before Raven opened his mouth and unleashed a deafening sonic screech at Shrike, severely dazing him as the high-pitched, ringing wave of noise engulfed him.

Blood poured out of his ears as his eardrums ruptured, nearly knocking him out as he gasped in agony, his head spinning as his vision blurred sharply, his ears ringing painfully.

Raven then placed his hand on top of Shrike's head, partially healing his eardrums, just enough so that he wasn't completely deafened.

"Are you really a Vice-Captain? Not counting the Inquisitors, you're probably the weakest Assassin I've ever fought," Smirked Raven as he tightened his grip on the Shrike's head, his claws digging in and drawing out trickles of blood, before he drove the claws on his other hand towards Shrike's face.

He then swiftly halted and sprang back as Nile sprang up to his left and swung one of his axes up at Raven's arm, missing as Raven managed to react in time.

"I-I don't n-need your help, f-fuck off...," Uttered Shrike shakily, struggling to get back up but it was no use, he couldn't muster up so much as an ounce of strength.

"Yeah, why are you helping this piece of shit? I can't imagine you're particularly fond of him," Responded Raven in surprise.

"Don't get the wrong idea...it's just that I'll get a lot of shit if I just stood back and watched as the Vice-Captain was killed. I'd prefer not to have to deal with that," He replied with a huff, before he swiftly shot towards Raven, who unleashed a cloud of mist from his mouth.

Nile held his breath before swinging his axes out with all his strength, generating intense gusts of wind and blowing the mist away before he got low and leapt forward, closing in on Raven and whipping one of his axes across at his knees.

Raven swiftly sprang back, before Nile zipped up like a spring and slashed his other axe up at Raven's face, who tilted his head back to evade it, before quickly raising his right hand as Nile swung his left axe forward.

Raven caught the blade of the axe with his hand, the edge of the blade digging into his palm before he quickly turned his head across to the left and opened his mouth, snapping his jaws shut and catching the other axe between his teeth as Nile swing it across to the side of his neck.

Nile then quickly sprang back as Raven coated his entire body in lightning, getting out of the way before he could get electrocuted, before backing away warily as he eyed Raven with a cautious look on his face.

"Well, isn't this funny...you're actually stronger than your Vice-Captain over there, aren't you?" Laughed Raven in amusement, as he healed the cut across his palm.

"Wh-what the hell did you just say...!?" Snarled Shrike, his entire body trembling as he strained to try and get back up, but he was too disoriented to muster up any strength.

"What, did I stutter? You would've stood a semblance of a chance against me if you'd just ignored your prejudices and fought alongside him...but your arrogance and pride didn't let you, and soon enough, you'll die as a result," Raven stated coldly, before turning his gaze forward as Nile shot towards him rapidly.

He turned his body across as Nile leapt forward and swung his right axe straight down, before whipping his left axe straight up, the edge of the blade grazing Raven's right forearm and drawing out trickles of blood before Nile quickly crossed his axes in front of himself as Raven drove his right fist forward, a sharp clang ringing out his his fist slammed onto the crossed axes, Nile's feet skidding back a bit upon impact.

"D-damn, he's got some serious brute strength, it won't be pretty if he lands a direct hit on me," He thought to himself with a grimace, before racing away as Raven fired out a cloud of mist towards him.

He kept his distance while staying on the move, before swiftly sprinting towards Raven again as the mist dispersed, weaving across as Raven unleashed a barrage of scorching purple fireballs towards him, evading them before suddenly flinging his left axe towards Raven with a rapid spin as he began to close in on him.

Raven quickly turned his body across in response, the axe flying past the front of his chest before he turned back towards Nile, who swiftly got low and whipped his right axe across, inflicting a shallow gash across Raven's right leg, before Nile shot past him and towards the axe he'd flung, which was lodged into the ground.

He grabbed the handle as it got within his reach and yanked it out of the ground, before spinning around as Raven came zipping towards him, swinging one of his axes across as Raven slashed at his chest with his claws.

Nile deflected Raven's slash as his axe collided against his claws, cracking them before he flung his other axe forward with a sharp flick of his wrist.

Raven's eyes widened slightly before he twisted his upper body across, grimacing as the axe sliced through the top of his right shoulder, inflicting a deep gash across that spot, blood pouring out.

Nile then leapt forward and swung his other axe at Raven's stomach, before his eyes widened in surprise as Raven let it hit him, the blade of the axe cutting through his scales and starting to bore into his stomach before he swiftly reached out and grabbed Nile's wrist.

"You really are strong, probably the strongest in your squad...well, not that that's saying much," Remarked Raven with a grimacing smile, before he opened his jaws and unleashed a burst of mist.

Nile quickly held his breath, but he was too slow to react, having already inhaled some of it, a faint look appearing in his eyes as his legs wobbled.

Raven slightly extended out his claws and pierced them through Nile's forearm, injecting a bit more of his venom into him, before taking it a step further by activating the Drowse Spell.

Nile let out a sleepy groan and stumbled back as his eyelids fluttered shut despite his best efforts to keep them open, before he lost his grip over his axe and collapsed onto his knees as his weapon hit the dirt with a clatter, falling over and hitting the ground as he succumbed to the venom and got knocked unconscious, starting to snore before his body even hit the ground.

"And that just leaves you," Remarked Raven, turning his attention to Shrike, who flinched before desperately starting to crawl away in terror.

"N-no, stay back...g-get away from me, you abomination!" He cried as he scrambled away shakily, Raven following after him with a look of disgust.

"You damned coward," He uttered disdainfully, before spreading out his wings and flying up into the air, before rapidly swooping down towards Shrike, slamming his feet onto the middle of the Knight's back, a loud crunch echoing out as his spine snapped in half, an agonized yell of pain ringing out.

Shrike coughed out blood with an excruciating wheeze, cracks spreading out across the ground below him as his blood seeped into the dirt.

Raven then locked his gaze onto the back of Shrike's head, before firing out his beams at a deliberate low-intensity, eliciting a scream of pain from Shrike as the beams burned through his hair around that spot, before scorching his scalp and boring into his skull, slowly and steadily drilling through to his brain.

Raven then placed his right foot on the back of Shrike's neck, firmly pressing down to keep his head in pace, right as his beams drilled through the Knight's skull and shot into his brain, killing him.

Raven then stepped off him as his body went limp, shaking his feet to get some of the blood off, before lifting his gaze towards a nearby alley as he picked up a familiar scent...

"Hey, looks like you're all done here, guess I arrived too late to help out."

"Hey, Celia. No worries, things turned out a lot easier than I expected over here...I take it you finished up your part of our mission too? I heard that huge explosion earlier, did everything go according to plan?" He asked her, as she strolled over and stretched her arms up.

"More or less. I blew up the entire church and the Inquisitors along with it, so we're done here. Unless you wanna go after the Viscountess in charge of the town too?" She suggested after a brief pause.

"Hm...no, we shouldn't push our luck. We may have gotten a lot stronger, but we shouldn't get cocky...we've accomplished what we came here to do, so let's get out of here while we're ahead," Replied Raven with a shake of his head, after taking a moment to mull it over.

"Yeah, that's probably the smart thing to do," Nodded Celia, as she took out a Spell Card and took hold of Raven's arm, before running her Mana through it and teleporting the pair away.

Meanwhile, in Malachite Town...

As Aster stepped towards Ravella, he turned his gaze to the left as the sound of footsteps approaching echoed out, before the trio of Knights came into sight.

"Tacitus, hold them off, would you?" Requested Aster, before he shot towards Ravella, who swiftly swung her whip across towards him.

He fired off a telekinetic blast in response, knocking the whip back before it could reach him, before forming a telekinetic wall in front of himself as an arrow of light came shooting towards him, cracks spreading out across the middle of his wall as the Spell collided against it.

"Don't you ignore us-...!" Began Jacks, before trailing off and springing back as Tacitus shot towards him and swung his sword down, slamming it against the ground with a devastating impact, the ground breaking apart as the impact triggered a small but intense shockwave.

Tacitus then swiftly raised his blade and swung it across as blasts of both Dark and Light Magic came shooting towards him, slicing through the incoming projectiles, before his gaze darted across to either side as Diar and Dox zipped in towards him from either direction.

As they began to close in and simultaneously unleashed piercing bursts of dark and light in towards him, Tacitus swiftly bent his knees and leapt up as high as he could, narrowly evading the Spells before raising his sword as they collided against each other and canceled out, the pair's eyes widening in alarm as Tacitus's sword began expanding, doubling in size before he swung it down at full force, a deafening crash ringing out as he slammed it down, shattering the ground apart like a pane of glass, triggering a powerful shockwave that blew the two Knights away as a couple of startled yells rang out.

As the two of them got sent flying back, Tacitus glanced ahead as a sonic screech came shooting towards him, quickly getting behind his sword, using it as a shield before shrinking it back down as the Spell petered out.

"Whew, close one," Tacitus sighed quietly, as he swung his sword across to blow away the dust around him.

"He's strong...it's clear from the impacts that his sword is extremely heavy, and yet he's swinging it around like a twig. They're both so powerful, probably at least close to the level of the Captains, they've definitely gotten a lot stronger than prior reports have indicated...if they weren't trying to avoid killing us, we might already be dead," Jacks thought to himself with a grimace, as a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face.

Meanwhile, not too far away...

"[Light Spear Scattershot]," Chanted Ravella blankly, unleashing a barrage of large, rapid light projectiles at Aster, who swiftly raced away, whipping his black blade across as one of the projectiles closed in on him, the blade consuming the Spell and transferring the Mana to Aster.

He then began to raise his hand towards her, before quickly shutting his eyes and forming a defensive telekinetic dome around himself as she swiftly unleashed a blinding flash of light, before Aster felt several powerful strikes hitting his telekinetic barrier.

He opened his eyes right as the barrier shattered, turning his body across as a rapid light projectile came shooting towards him, grazing the front of his armor over his chest before he sprang back as she shot forward and swung her whip straight down towards him, a sharp crack ringing out as it struck the ground where he'd been standing.

"She's a lot stronger than I expected...hm, maybe the brainwashing made her able to train more efficiently? She's also making a conscious effort to keep her distance, her battle sense is quite sharp too...alright, then. Time to turn things up a notch..."