Nameless King

Only two opponents were waiting for Wain on the first floor. They were massive Ents with long arms of tightly twisted roots. They slowly made their way toward them with menacing glances.

"The limit of the Fourth Chronicle, yeah...? Well, I have one great remedy against trees." Wain smirked as his aura intensified.

He waved his hand as a white mask and a long red coat appeared on his face as well as white gloves.

'Huh, you decided to finally remember me?' Black Sun Aristocrat said as a slight smile appeared on his face.

"Sure. What better way to deal with trees than fire?" Wain smirked before rushing forward.

His hands were covered in a dense layer of fire as he turned into a flash, instantly reaching one of the monsters. Wain's fist came down on the left Ent, causing a blast of dark flame that covered the monster's entire body.

The second Ent immediately attacked back with its long arms, that split into a multitude of spear-sharp roots. They headed toward Wain with great speed, but he just grabbed them with his hands and pulled the Ent toward him.

"Well, well, looks like you turned out a lot weaker than I thought, doesn't it?" Wain said with an excited look as a sphere of dark flame appeared between him and Ent.

Wain snapped his fingers as the sphere exploded, releasing a massive stream of flame outward. The fire completely burned Ent, leaving not even ashes of it while the first Ent tried to deal with the aftermath of Wain's blow.

"Agh... That was too easy, though considering you're first-level guard, it had to be, right?" Wain complained lightly while shaking his head.

He walked over to Ent, clenched his hand into a fist, and attacked. His hand turned into a blur as a moment later it slammed into Ent's body, crushing the sturdy wooden armor under pressure.

Bam.

Ent flew sideways, hitting the wall with his back while the flames slowly brought his life to an end.

'Hey, how long roughly do we have to walk to your shard?' Wain asked as he looked up.

'Floors five or six... It all depends on how high they are. The only thing I know for sure is that the shard is at the very top.' Gladius said in a confident voice.

"Fine." Wain nodded before jumping forward.

...

Crack. Crackle. Crackle.

Many miles away from the tree, in the midst of the flaming forest, sat a man with an unusual aura. His legs were crossed and his eyes were closed while particles of ash flew aside.

He had short white hair, amber eyes, and a simple white mantle covering his athletic body, covered with many scars.

After a while, he opened his eyes as his gaze strayed forward, straight toward the shining tree that seemed infinitely away from him.

"There...? Damn... It's pretty far away, but it looks like there's no choice." The man muttered before slowly rising.

Step. Step. Step.

Suddenly a tall man with long white hair emerged from the forest, and someone with flaming arms followed him.

"Damn... My Lord, it's really hot in here." Krakos said while looking around.

"Well, it can't be otherwise." Alucard uttered with a calm look as he approached the man.

The man looked at him and said with a smirk on his face, "Mr. Immortal. I didn't expect you to be the first one I met."

Whoooooooooosh.

Suddenly a silhouette appeared behind the man that seemed always to be by his side. It was a girl with ashy hair and unusual gray eyes. A bright white flame emanated from her robe, causing the air around her to burn, thereby distorting space.

"Sir. What shall we do?" The girl asked with a serious look as her gaze pierced Alucard.

"Hah, Gael, she's pretty brave. Although, one would expect nothing less from your assistant." Alucard said with a smirk on his face, "However, I take that as disrespectful."

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Alucard's gaze became as cold as millennia of glaciers as a powerful pressure came over the girl in ways she could never have imagined. A wave of trembling went through her body as her heart began to beat many times faster.

Whoooooosh.

The man waved his hand as several particles of ash swept in front of the girl, releasing the pressure.

At the same moment, the girl dropped to her knees and grabbed her throat, trying to catch her breath with her eyes wide open. Even though it was an ordinary look, she felt as if she had been imprisoned without water, air, or food for weeks.

"Hahahahahaha, Alia, you have amazing abilities, but you're still a long way from the level of the Progenitor. Well, this will be a good lesson for you. Those who are stronger should be treated with respect unless, of course, you want to die." The man laughed as though nothing dangerous had happened.

"I'm sorry... I'll remember that..." Alia said in a quiet voice as she was still struggling to speak.

"Gael... You're going to go there, aren't you?" Alucard asked pointing toward the shining tree.

"Yeah... Finally, the barriers have been removed and there's a reason to come out of meditation, but unfortunately, there's nothing interesting going on right now. I'm tired of waiting." Gael said while shaking his head as he waved his hand.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Space distorted as if something was crumpling it and a sword began to appear in Gael's hand. The weapon was gradually created from particles of ash that appeared out of nowhere and headed toward him.

"Wow... That's impressive." Krakos said with a dazed look, "Although, I wouldn't expect anything less from the Progenitor of Ashens, Gael, the Invincible."

"Gael... Your instincts are top-notch. You sense that something interesting is about to happen there, but you shouldn't go there." Alucard said as he took a deep breath.

He'd already drunk Wain's blood once, so now he could sense where he was even if it was too damn far away.

"Yeah... That's not your level at all. It would be boring and pointless for you." Alucard said as his hair trembled slightly.

Gael was silent for a while, then he swung his sword as the tip was at Alucard's neck and with an ice-cold look said, "In that case, maybe you can entertain me?"