(MC POV)

I knocked on the alchemy room's door before entering, finding it filled to the brim with smoke.

"What the… Brendan?" I called out, instinctively taking a step back away from the door to avoid the smoke.

No answer.

"Brendan? Liehui?" I called out again, louder this time.

Still no answer.

I hurriedly summoned an air bubble around me before pushing my way through the smoke, trying to find my disciple and his servant within.

Perhaps this was the accident he was talking about?

Damnit, I hope this is nothing serious.

Still unsure of what this smoke was, I decided to just contain it within the house in case it triggers something or was linked to what Brendan was trying to do.

At least it seemed to be floating a distance above the ground so if Brendan and Liehui had collapsed, they would be free from breathing it in.

I made my way deeper into the room where I knew the cauldron was, expecting to at least see the two of them there.

Unfortunately, the area was completely empty.

There does seem to be signs of a struggle though, judging by the broken vial on the ground and the overturned table and chair.

It looked more like whoever that was here was trying their best to get away from the cauldron.

Seeing that the doors and windows were closed shut, it's a little hard to say if they were successful in doing so.

Odd.

Don't tell me he accidentally made a portal to some other dimension in his cauldron?

I'm actually not even sure if it's possible to make such a thing without meaning to in the first place but hey, anything is possible.

Now that I'm paying more attention, the cauldron seems to still be spewing out smoke without any signs of stopping.

The fire underneath it was already extinguished so this shouldn't be happening…

I decided to at least check the reagents first to get an idea of what Brendan had been trying to make.

Oh, nevermind, most of them were already smashed or burnt, can't even tell what they were originally anymore.

Maybe… I'll… Hmm… Of course, the smoke right? Why didn't I think of that?

I reached out one of my hands and curled it into a fist, 'grasping' some of the smoke within.

Huh… It's just normal smoke without any other properties? Weird. Or is there some kind of traceless substance within it?

Without anything else to go on, I guess I'll have to go straight to the cauldron itself and find out what exactly happened here.

Ensuring my shield was still up, I waved aside as much of the smoke as I could before peering inside.

What I saw shocked me.

It was completely empty.

Then what the hell was spewing out all that smoke?!

I used some Air Quarks to push the rest of the smoke out of the cauldron, confirming it was indeed empty.

No wait, there's actually something in there? Something black and cylindrical in shape?

I reached my hand in and grabbed the object, pulling it out.

Huh… It's a claymore. What the hell is a claymore doing in… Wait a minute.

I looked around and realised I was no longer standing inside the alchemy room and instead in some kind of throne room that I do not recognise.

"Ah, so the hero who wields the holy sword has finally appeared!"

I looked towards where the voice came from, becoming more confused to find Elaria sitting on top of it.

She was wearing the clothes she had when I first saw her, complete with a black sceptre and a black crown resting on top of her head.

Interestingly, her throne looked like it was made of swords crushed together into the shape of a chair.

"O Hero! Please save me~"

I shifted my gaze to the new voice to see Lian Li stuck in a golden cage that hung in the air.

It took me a while to realise she actually had a pair of golden wings sprouting from her back as well.

"Ahahaha! Your hero won't be able to save you this time! You are here to offer your sword to me, the Queen of Darkness, aren't you?!" Elaria laughed.

"Ara, ara? A mere pretend demon lord trying to one up me? Hero belongs to me and no one else~"

Where did Manami even come from? Pretty sure the spot beside me was empty just a few moments ago?

Oh what? Since when was I wrapped up in her tails? Either I was really not paying attention or my fox disciple got really good with manipulating her tails.

Before I could even try to wriggle out of Manami's tail prison, the wall on our right shattered to reveal Kiyomi standing there.

"That is enough sister. I'm done playing second fiddle, Hero is mine."

"Ufufufu~ The little sister thinking she can surpass her elder sister? Very well, I shall indulge you~"

I was unceremoniously dropped back on the ground before Manami lunged at her sister, the two of them flying out of the room in an explosion of fire and ice.

I wanted to go ahead and try to stop the fox sisters but a hand had latched itself onto my arm, jerking me back.

"O Hero! I knew you would come for me!" Lian Li cried, suddenly hugging my waist.

I looked up to see the cage she had been in before was completely destroyed. Did she even need my help?

Elaria was now stamping her foot on the ground and pouting, "Nooo! Hero is mine! I made the holy sword for him!! This cannot be!"

As though on cue, Diao Chan then appeared from a side door dressed in some sort of leather bondage outfit with a whip in her hands.

"Now, now, Queen of Darkness, you've been a very bad girl. It's time for your punishment~ Bend over for me~"

Elaria actually obediently bent over and let Diao Chan whip her bottom, crying out with each strike on her bottom.

Just when I thought this place couldn't get any weirder, the front door was busted down by Eris, the claymore she held in her hands looking exactly the same as the one I had picked up.

I looked down to realise the sword that I was holding had actually disappeared.

"The real hero is here!" Eris roared, thrusting her sword in the air. "Now come to me, princess!"

Lian Li walked away from me and blasted Eris away with a bolt of lightning, screaming, "No! You are the fake hero!"

What the...

Right then, a small fairy appeared in front of me.

"Hero! You need to run! This place is not safe!"

Oh… It's fairy Brendan.

Before I could even question him what he meant by the place not being safe, the roof of the throne room was then ripped open, revealing a gigantic Cai Hong towering above us.

"Papa! Play! Play! Play with Cai Hong!"

I didn't even have time to react before the giant Cai Hong picked me up from within the throne room and flew away, the rest of my disciples screaming at me as I disappeared into the sky.

What the hell is this place?!

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