After that last little display at the Great Rock, Erebus was feeling himself. Really taking in this new pace, he felt more fluid, perhaps even more dangerous than before. No one had ever seen him use these weapons and live to tell the tale. There was something delightful in that for him, was he going mad? Perhaps losing himself to everything in between. The thoughts were enough to conjure an expression of doubt.

“... Whatever. If gladiators can’t stand to power, maybe the monsters can give a better challenge. Besides, I have to push myself, or I won’t be able to defend my guildmates...”

Erebus thought about the belonging he finally had, and how with Odin’s death everything seemed to just slip away. It was true Erebus was alone, even if he had his guild. But at least with Odin around, things were balanced in this realm. Now or rather– at this time– the darkness was weak.

Unless, Erebus could become darker that is… Unless he projected the shadow with evil deeds. Symbolize the side they cast you as, thought Erebus.

He would hope that to be enough, just the thought of wrecking someone’s day is often enough to shoo them off his trails. Now he would be the enacter of carnage in a literal way. Now– he would be the hunter. But everything had to be just right though. Just– perfect. Strategize all potential weaknesses and eliminate them…

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The question was what creature was attacking the fisherman and tourist in Astera. Erebus had found the serpents before, but they proved to be inferior entities. Whatever was causing the myth now was something else all together. A creature perhaps more powerful than a measly beast. Erebus could be looking at a humanoid intelligence, or at the very least… Something conscious of itself and the strength of it’s prey.

Stepping off of his winged mount, the dark one wore a hood, concealing his head, and his helmet further concealed his face. Erebus was already a far known and highly notorious name in Fiore. To try and ignore that fact at this stage was inadvisable. Erebus wanted people to know, and so gathered himself and dropped to the ground off the beachside, from there he swiftly jogged the side of the water, and would collect analysis on the perimeter. Namely, the roads were empty near the Docks, when word of his arrival leaked, the nightmare was at the scrutiny of his infamy, people boarded up their windows when he was mentioned– they considered him like chaos. Because of this Erebus simply huffed, he didn’t need the praise of others as he saw it as a distraction.

The adventurer walked up to the sign-up board; details and coordinates of recent sightings was enough to investigate the area. His mount had already taken off, but luckily the location wasn’t too far from where they already were– hence why they were out here to begin with. Erebus decided to borrow a speed boat and go out alone, despite warnings of just what exactly this beast was. Incomprehensible, and large enough to surprise you with it’s speed. The thought of that being somewhere in Astera seemed a farce but Erebus knew better, he could put two and two together and deduce the serpentine creatures in the cove were this things main meal course. Without many of them left it’s possible the monster has targeted groups of humans to quell it’s hunger.

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The time was approximately seven in the morning, and the water was blanketed by a mystic fog. Erebus remembered the detail like it was yesterday. It was quiet out there, not even a splash which he found peculiar as well. He cranked a lever up, and the boat came to a silence. His vehicle floated on the open water.

The boat was a typical red color, reminding Erebus of his first quest out here with Caius. Such an inspiring guy, Erebus hoped to see the demon in action– noting that he pre-dated his time a bit. In reality, Caius did say he knew another Erebus.

Just like Yumi had. The thought pondered the weapon master. He figured it could be a coincidence– surely he needed more evidence right?

But then– whenever Erebus tried to recall his childhood, he couldn’t. He just remembered being talented, but for reasons that weren’t clear to him then… or even now.

“Perhaps, I will never know who the other Erebus is.” he muttered. (“He wasn’t any better, but maybe that IS better.”) Erebus turned the boat off, lowering it’s anchor and tying the sail. He started by equipping some scuba gear, namely the oxygen tank. Then he dived over the boat’s edge, a light was fastened to his forehead, providing a bit of sight under his goggles. The reason he chose this spot was based on more than just the stillness; however, a GPS was in his hand, touch screen and waterproof, the device would work as a sonar tracker. Leading him towards anything unusual as it occurred.

The warrior made off, hunting his beast. The rocks were a faint green, but overall everything was pretty clear. The further his body went however, and the darker his setting became. Around sixty meters he was as far as he could withstand and endure. Swimming further was more painful than it had to be and the question of whether he could swim back up was questionable at this depth. So instead, he swam forward, just patrolling the deep. Suddenly, the device in Erebus' hand turned on with a pulsing light.

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It showed a dot on the screen. The dot didn’t move, but rather– sat on the edge of the sonar screen. It was quite fascinating to Erebus. He waited patiently for around two minutes to see if it moved. “Gotta make sure it doesn’t know that I know it’s there.” Understandably coming to a conclusion that if it was aware of him, it might act hostile. A few clicks, and the flashing light became dim, that way he might be able to find his way around here. He swam slowly in its direction, the red dot. The screen displayed a direct path towards the dot. However, ahead Erebus could only see about a meter or so ahead. He slowly turned the notch on his headlamp up, which could backfire, but there was simply no chance of survival without sight.

Suddenly a thud, deep in the trenches beneath was heard, and a roaring torrent the size of a large skyscraper erupted from the water. A colossal lizard, in it’s scaly hands. It was a Beluga Whale. Erebus flew with the rush of the water, and came down with the tsunami.

He whistled quickly whilst he fell, and like a blue wave, his mount caught him in midair. They flew out of range of danger, encircling the target.

Erebus hovered around the being like a helicopter. Just taking in the massive frame of the devil was awe-striking. Approximately 180m tall, and perhaps the strongest monster Ere had ever seen. He muttered something snarky about hating God and his wicked imagination before conjuring the weapons needed to fuck this Lizard.

First he pulled the snorkeling gear off his face, and then his glove, which showed his hand. In one crimson light, as static manifested the items to it’s champion, he gleamed with bewildered confidence.

He chose the gun, and Zabimaru appropriately, with a hateful sense of belonging in the tug of danger. He commanded his mount come within 35m of the beast, and that’s when all hell broke loose for the Grandmaster.

The lizard, brought it’s hand in fast to swap at Erebus, and in the meantime, bit a fat chunk out of the beluga whale, causing it to make a shrill screaming noise that deafened Erebus. He managed to leap from his mount, and sail through the sky, briefing his back touched the beast causing his G-force momentum to spin him as it moved.

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Erebus cackled with the devils– he unsheathed the monstrous Zabimaru and attached it to his belt and it metamorphosed into a monstrous serpentine. Now spinning, at such speed. The Snake slapped and cut into the giant over and over as Erebus eventually shot a bullet down that exploded at the creature's knee. Using the force of the wind from the bullet's darkness explosion, Erebus sent the snake back up the body of the beast.To which Erebus had Zabimari coil around the Lizard’s arm. He began firing shots up the torso to the head, from the forearm of the beast.

The Lizard ate the brunt of the damage but wouldn’t be rocked out of his home so easily. He began pounding his spare arm against the snake, causing vicious damage to the weapon, as Erebus watched it begin to crack and whittle beneath the monster's obliterating power. He needed to think fast, his time was just about over and there weren’t many options left.

BREATHING IN DEEPLY– HE CLOSED HIS EYES.

Erebus summoned Zabimaru entirely, and fell from the sky. However, just like he predicted, the monster wouldn’t just let him ‘’fall’’, a massive fist landed to the body which carried Erebus upward… An uppercut? His eyes flashed opened and the weapon he changed out for was the Spear of Destiny.

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Pulling himself over the Lizard’s knuckles was painful, Erebus maybe had broken ribs. He spat blood, and pointed the spear at the Giant Lizard’s maw. He adjusted from his prone state, and pounced. Firing off at blinding 75m/s speed, the spear was gouged straight into the eye of the monster, and as it swung it’s hand back to smash Erebus, he lunged. Making it pop itself with immense power, as he lunged Erebus spun in a 360 circle and shot an S-rank bullet toward the teeth of the monster, and cleanly missed, watching the bullet hit the creatures other eye… and then explode.

Erebus pretended that was the real plan and fell as the monster did.

He watched it sink, and swam back to the surface. From here. He went home, first to be paid, then home.After forgetting to return the boat, Erebus was cast a higher bounty, but as usual he paid it little mind or worry. Believing that he had a life to live, and that the only one allowed to stop him should face his very best potential.

That only made sense right? As the villain– you want the heroes to get their satisfaction. You want them to really earn it. At least, in Ere’s case, that was the whole point of even existing after he was used up in the first place. Why in the world, would he turn back now? He simply couldn’t.

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