The Burning Fiend

Life within Reynolds's island seemed to become an isolated small world untouched by time and with a relaxed and cheerful environment, it was an usual sight to find three beautiful women playing or talking together or four beautiful women sparring together near the lake.

Another three years passed and Windsor had become a warrior saint but she would need at least another 40 years to become a saint magus. Jenne had managed to reach peak rank 8 as a warrior and rank 8 as a magus in both water and death magic, but her progress will be slower due to her average affinity to water and that the death magic took a long time to advance even with talent.

Rosarie had reached rank 4 on qi during this time and decided to reach the saint level as a warrior and master the realms of wielding weapons before going back to pondering the laws thinking of it as a fresh start, she was a new person after leaving the Frozen Goddess Shrine and was fully enjoying the slow life within the island.

Koral progress was impressive as her fusion of the 'Flame Body' and the 'Fire Elemental Essence' was progressing at a satisfactory pace and Reynolds thought that she would become a deity within 20 years. She was the most motivated one of the girls regarding her own training but still took time to train with them every day. Bolt had returned trembling as a peak rank 9 magical beast and hid behind Windsor in fear of being eaten by Koral but she seemed content by just ignoring the disappointing fur ball.

Reynolds keep receiving news for the Dawson Conglomerate so he was aware of the situation of the world and what his friends and family were doing, today he was reading the report on the garden while sipping wine in a good mood.

"... The Dungstan Clan relocated the main family out of the O'Brien Empire Capital to their main territory leaving only administrative personel within the Capital."

"... George had resigned from his position as government official to concentrate on his training and moved to his family property outside the Yulan Empire Capital."

"... The mansion of the Founder of the Baruch Empire was relocated near the Forest of Darkness where a small castle was created and it was forbidden to built a city around it".

The fragrance of the wine seemed more appealing after reading the report. 'It seems that they followed my advice and they would be exposed to less danger as things are'. He thought relaxing taking a moment to look at the girls training near the lake before making his way to the training chamber.

His saint body had become slightly proficient on eroding souls, the refining process was extremely slow but he had gained entrance to the edicts of death, he did not know how long it will take for him to reach the Demi God level but he was optimistic. However his progress on the edicts of life had met an unexpected surprise while practicing the soul refinement, due to his grey mist being so overbearing causing the destruction many souls he gained glimpses of the most significant moments the owners of those souls experienced before dying.

Sometimes it was a happy moment like the birth of a child or a marriage ceremony after years of pursue and others he found himself immersed in a extremely sad memory as losing a loved one due to sickness or under the cruel hands or another person. The cruelty and innocence on those glimpses of memories had helped him gain entrance into the aspect of illusion of the edicts of life as it resonated with what Catherine had explained to him before she entered the Necropolis of the Gods.

Reynolds was extremely satisfied with these two achievements but what made him even more happy was that two days ago by uther coincidence he found the point of convergence between the 'Fire Elemental Essence' and the law of 'Heat' and a new world seemed to open in front of him. It was only an entry to the realm as his understanding of 'Heat' was still too low, but he could see how the fusion of this two laws would be much stronger than the fusion of the 'Fire Elemental Essence' and the 'Flame Body' once he reached a similar understanding on both cases.

But he also understood that when he could see himself fusing the 'Fire Elemental Essence' and the 'Flame Body' within 80 years, it would take him nearly 500 years to achieve the same result with the other fusion. 'I hope that after receiving the baptism of the Elemental Laws once I become a Full God my visualization ability increases... at least I would be able to consume more refined souls as I have already reached the limit of a Demi God in soul terms at least'. He smiled at his own greed, he still have around half the souls he had harvested within the Necropolis of the Gods trapped on his purple fire and he knew that if he took them out they would dissipate immediately so the refined soul essence remained untouched waiting for when he either became a Full God or manage to create a new divine avatar.

He looked at the crystal orbs containing white mist and his smile grew after noticing that he had only wasted a tenth and his skill was already improving, he wondered if he would become a Demi God by the time he managed to refine the soul essence into a golden mist, he shaked his head clearing the distracting thoughts and immersed himself in refining the white mist releasing the grey mist on his right hand in an almost loving way and he smirked as the screams of the pitiful souls filled the training room.

---

A sinister man covered in black robes was floating over what used to be Dawson Conglomerate Main Headquarters, he had just escaped from the Gebados Prison Plane after searching for a few years when he noticed that Dylin, Muba and the Great Warlock have disappeared from the area they shared as territory.

He avoided Muba as their power was similar and had no way to control him, Dyllin had been the strongest of them and he would not dare to go to him either. But the Great Warlock was weak and his soul was wounded a long time ago, he was sure that he would start collecting souls and refine them to heal his soul and become stronger.

After escaping from the Gebados Planar Prison he collected information and learned that 5 years ago the Dawson Conglomerate and other consortiums were collecting slaves and sent them here, he was sure that the Great Warlock would be here but he found that this facility was almost abandoned and no slaves were present. Frustrated he found a clerk and used his divine field to gain control of him in order to obtain the information he needed.

"What happened here? Wasn't it suppose to be here where the slaves were kept? Have you heard of the Great Warlock?" His cold voice showed his frustration but the middle aged clerk showed no reaction as he was already under his control.

"After Master Yale started the slave business and killed those who were against his strategy, including his father and brothers, it was indeed here where the slaves were collected and killed. But three years ago a man, who Master Yale called fouth brother, appeared and Master Yale returned to his previous self making everyone believe that he had been possessed and the mysterious fourth brother had save him. The slave trade stopped and the Dawson Conglomerate Main Headquarters were relocated. I have never heard of anyone called the Great Warlock".

The sinister man was shocked as he understood that the Great Warrior had done as he had expected but the fool had been killed by some because he had slaved this Yale, and this mysterious person wasn't one of the two deities known on the Yulan Continent.

"Do you have more information on this mysterious fourth brother?" The clerk moved to another office and started looking through the records for a while before returning. "Reynolds Dunstan from the O'Brien Empire, he graduated from the Ernst Institute as a magus of the 6th rank along with Linley Baruch from the Holy Union. They both shared dormitory with Master Yale and George Walsh who came from the Yulan Empire. Reynolds become a Saint around 20 years ago but this information is unclear as he usually remain in seclusion."

The sinister man remained silent for a while. 'It seems that this Reynolds is already a Demi God and was strong enough to kill the Great Warlock without causing a commotion, so the difference in power should be great. It would be better to avoid him along with the other two deities for a while... Damn him! How am I suppose to find someone to refine souls for me?' He controlled his anger and said. "Give me all the information you have on this Reynolds, the War God and the High Priest".

The clerk returned to the archives and started gathering scrolls and files complying to the orders given to him.

---

Time continue to move forward but it seemed to avoid the small island within the Forest of Darkness where Reynolds lived in seclusion with his wives alternating p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e with training creating a happy routine and only leaving for short periods of time to visit his three brothers and his mother.

Two years later Reynolds startled as he felt that the Elemental Laws were descending not far from the Forest of Darkness, he was curious and directed his divine sense towards the distance and found that the old man he had met on the Necropolis of the Gods had managed to reach the deity realm and he had just created a divine avatar, he was startled when the divine sense scanned through him and Reynolds chuckled amused. "Desri, right? Congratulation on becoming a Demi God, I did not mean to startled you... I was just curious of whom had caused the Elemental Laws to descent. Well I will leave you alone as you surely have many things to understand". He retrieved his divine sense and smirked thinking that this third brother had been defeated by the old man and laughed deciding to tease him next time they met.