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WIP Timeline
Every day is a Blindingly Dark Black Day Saga-
Starting us off suitably depressing with that title. A short introductory saga which is mostly focused around Rex formulating a plan to murder a man in his hometown to obtain an especially valuable cheese wheel, between scavenging amongst the ruins that surround the town with a team that barely tolerates him. Everyone else in the region is a blue-eyed blonde, while Rex is black haired and black eyed. This, plus his demeanour, earn him the name Black Dog- the area was so heavily reliant on his mother that when she died, and he could not take up her responsibilities (at the age of seven) the people there took out their frustrations on him. Mel is also introduced, the only person alive that cares about Rex and an incredibly tough young woman about his age that was his mother's last student. Rex is distant with her, believing it all lip service due to Mel's connection to his mother. That he fully completed the plan and intended to go through with it, is something Rex thinks back on often throughout the years. Fortunately, Rex does not go through with it. He delays himself by one day, which happens to be the day his team dies, and he receives the Hero Medal. Because of this, Rex credits the medal with saving his soul.
Leaving the Nest Saga-
Now in possession on the Hero Medal and believed dead, Rex decides to capitalise on the fact. He invents a new identity as Castle ( a reference to his mother's nickname of 'Queen' ) as a masked mercenary who has just come to the region. Rex decides to test his limits to see if the medal's selection could be correct and increase his resources for the journey ahead. To that end, he seeks to complete every local bounty on his own and quickly proves to be more capable than he believed himself to be. He routinely encounters Mel, who runs the bounty office with her family, the only person who cares he's dead- and actually vows revenge on his behalf. The saga culminates in a battle in the stronghold of Valefor, the leader of the local monsters. Valefor, despite being elderly and struggling with old injuries, proves to be vastly more potent than his underlings and is Rex's first encounter with a demon. His life is inadvertently saved by Mel, who comes to avenge Rex's death and instead finds him alive. Valefor, as he dies, comments about how he was planning to 'head West anyway' and upon death, a bright light bursts from his body and flies in that direction. Mel now refuses to leave Rex's side, which he begrudgingly allows due to her strength (and because he finally believes, at least a little, she's his friend).
Holy Mountain Saga-
Mel and Rex, in an attempt to avoid monsters, pass close to the Holy Mountain, a place supposedly the gateway to Heaven. Monsters and humans are kept from stepping on it by a monumentally huge and powerful spirit, a Kirin. This goes horribly wrong when a mysterious being battles the Kirin, the fight shaking the earth and burning the sky. The tip of one of the Kirin's horns is broken off and lodges itself in Rex's heart. This fragment becomes Indrik.
East Bound and Feeling Down Saga-
Now that he has achieved all he can in his local region, Rex and Mel set out. Rex has already formulated his overall goal of strengthing humanity and creating a global network to link them. He still thinks that true peace between monsters is impossible and instead seeks to make the balance so close they cannot war on each other any further. To both increase their strength and find allies, the pair travel all over their home continent, Yllria, in a series of adventures. They don't pick up anyone who travels with them but do leave behind a trail of associates, many of whom they help overcome some issue of theirs. Rex often operates under an alias, most commonly Castle, but sometimes others. Rex actively avoids the West of the continent, due to Valefor's words, but finds many monsters are heading that way. During this saga, Rex poisons what he believes to be a monster stronghold to save himself some travel time by going around it. Only one monster survives; an unusual one for the region with an appearance similar to a dog. Rex has a discussion with the monster as it dies, questioning him and his motives- In the end, Rex confesses to the monster they all died for nothing more than convenience and that the justice the monster calls for is nothing but a comforting idea. Rex lets it live as it is no threat to him.
Tournament Arc is Inevitable Saga-
Rex finally heads West only when he hears that someone has claimed to be the hero chosen by the Hero Medal and has begun a tournament to select those worthy of being his companions. Aware it cannot be true, Rex decides to usurp the competition to his ends. He and Mel defeat the favourite, a famous gladiator, before the contest begins as Rex believes his entry has caused potential candidates to not bother due to his reputation. Equally, when he is defeated, his prominence causes those seeking revenge on his behalf to enter. Finally, Rex invites several of his allies to compete to test their strength and fame. Rex himself chooses not to compete, entering a Phantom of Castle instead. The event comes apart when it the same dog monster Rex spared earlier attacks. Rex is unwilling to fight it now it is at full strength and protect the other contestants, but Mel demands the chance to land just one punch. Rex arranges it, and Mel puts all her heart and soul into that one punch, awakening her Human Power and defeating him. Rex, no longer taking chances, kills the defenceless monster. A tiny light escapes its body and flies East. The mystery of the fake Hero Medal has to wait.
Making a Friend is a Saga-
The forceful awakening of Mel's Human Power harms her, her body breaking apart under its power. Attempts to heal or prevent it seem useless. Rex has her unleash Human Power into him so he can try and work out how to overcome it himself, then teach her the way. Rex seems stuck in the same situation but has a weaker body and thus is worse faster. When he gives in to despair the power fades- as Human Power is directly related to one's fighting spirit, which Rex lacks but Mel has an infinite supply of. Rex eventually manages to calm Mel with a heartfelt confession she is his friend and a promise he'll protect her- since she believes in him, she stops fighting, comfortable she's saved. Rex becomes a better person by accepting Mel's friendship and his ability to be a friend and Indrik grows.
Journey To The West (Interrupted) Saga-
Now having seen two lights from dead monsters head West, Rex decides to travel that way at last. The further West they go, the more monsters they encounter, and there appears to be a migration going across the sea. There are a few adventures of the week sort of stories similar to the East Bound and Feeling Down Saga, but the crux is a battle on the coast as it becomes clear the 'West' refers to a location across the sea, probably the continent of Dreem. Rex and Mel disrupt the monster migration, but when they try to cross the ocean themselves, a massive sea battle between unknown forces drives them to the small island of Brighten.
I'll See You in a Year Saga-
Brighten contains one of the last and most respected magic schools in the world and is famed for its knights- on their arrival, Rex and Mel witness the strength of both when monstrous intrusion is repelled. They decide to separate for a year and learn all they can from their respective specialities. Rex believes he will be able to enter the school thanks to his real-world experience, but during the entrance exam is deemed a 'mana head' (as in a magical muscle head) due to the tests misinterpreting his entirely unique magical style as brute-forcing his way through. Only one person, a prodigal student, recognises he's doing something altogether new and agrees to train him enough in traditional magic to pass the exam if she shows him how his magic works.
Meanwhile, Mel obtains a list of the hundred strongest knights in Brighten and sets out to duel each one- but being Mel, she chooses to go up against the top first, in case the rest are not worth her time. Her first duel, which she is losing, ends short when the top knight realises Mel is also a disciple of Helen Arany and Mel convinces her to teach her more. That the top knight suggests Mel's original plan, as it is the sort of thing Helen would set as a test, starts to cement the idea Mel is the true Arany Stylee successor.
Both Rex and Mel succeed in their training, but hit bumps. In Rex's case, it is that encountering a former Demon Lord named Stolas, vastly stronger than Rex, that wishes to 'know everything' and repeatedly arrives to battle, ending the fight whenever he is shown something new. Mel's biggest problem is being unable to complete the first, most simple training method used by Helen to train disciples, despite being able to achieve more advanced ones. This makes her techniques lack a decisive edge. Rex manages to trust in his strength and Mel to restrain hers and both finish what they thought would take a year in six months. They meet on the road when they travel to surprise the other.
One year one from the beginning of the journey, the pair have become mighty warriors with extensive influence and contacts throughout their home continent and numerous achievements under their belts. At last, they leave Brighten to journey to Dreem.
Journey To The West Gets Fucked Again Saga-
That shit gets shot down right quick. A similar substantial naval battle to the first interferes with their attempted crossing. Now vastly more powerful and confident, Rex and Mel get between the two sides. While at first, it looks like the pair will be able to put a stop to the whole thing, just the two of them, Rex gets one-shotted curb-stomped when a new ship arrives, and a woman leaps from it to deck him.
It turns out to be "Treasure Chest" Dite Starr, probably the strongest person in the world. Mel impresses her by not running, but it is when she declares she won't let Dite hurt Rex that Dite stops fighting. She, after all, reasons there can't be that many people with a name as unfortunate as Rex Arany, and she was Helen's best friend. The enemy force escapes while Dite is distracted by fawning over the injured Rex, further injuring him in the process. They have a few brief adventures with Dite, who then escorts them across the sea to Dreem at last.
The Highway of Hell Saga-
As they cross Dreem, they travel the terrifying route 666- the fastest way but controlled by the demons Agares and Vassago. Numerous adventures along the highway later and with Rex, Mel and several of their allies defeat the demonic forces and improve the infrastructure of Dreem immensely, allowing humans to begin travelling across Dreem.
Rex Makes Some Awful Decisions Saga-
During the Highway Saga, Rex encounters one of the Four Noble Weapons, the human's most significant defences created during the cataclysmic war. The quantum supercomputer, Machine Sage Ziz. This leads to his big 'do my job for me' plan revolving around how he wants to get his hands on pre-apocalypse superweapons. But they're a) really well defended to this day b) their computer systems won't allow him access to their data and c) after a few hundred years they're not entirely up to snuff. He finds out they have emergency situation protocols, that if a Demon Lord is on the location, they allow any human to use them. This was to prevent a situation where a Demon Lord attacks, the leadership dies, and it's destroyed without being used. So when he looks for a suitable candidate and finds the dog monster from before, now a demon given the name Naberius, wheels begin to turn. Rex arranges for him to gain fame enough to be crowned a demon lord.
This is followed by tricking Naberius into believing Rex has already obtained control of the superweapons, lets him fight his way through the defences and just steals all the data he needs to make his own versions. Doesn't matter his nemesis destroys the old, falling apart versions. Which means his Naberius gets really good at fighting, got a practice run on those old versions and has reason to be really pissed at him.
Rex Almost Kills Everyone Saga-
Combining the four weapons produces a seriously terrible time for everyone. The Four Noble Weapons were- the super colossus robot, Behemoth, the supercomputer Ziz, the time-space manipulator Leviathan and enslaved super demon, Death River. Death River had undergone a mental breakdown and delusionally believed he was the pre-war teenage girl Sanzu, who dreamed of being an idol. Rex became genuine friends with Sanzu, but this didn't stop Rex exploiting her. In particular, her ability to sing the Death Song, a song which lulled all who hear it to slowly lose the will to live to the extent their soul fades into the underworld, making it effective even on demons. Unless, that is, they love death or do not fear death. Of Rex's allies, few meet that criteria. Both Rex and Naberius do. In Rex, it merely gives him the pleasing feels of his death-defying thrills. For Naberius, noble enough to fight to the death for his cause, it has no effect. Everyone is shocked that Mel is effected. Rex's goal, to create a single superweapon that could make conflict pointless, required Sanzu to pilot the machine and use the powers of the Death River's body.
Yeah, that didn't work out. Forced to confront the truth, Death River entered a delusional state and sought to make Sanzu's dream come true- to have everyone hear Sanzu's song. Which would kill pretty much everyone. Good job, Rex.
Nemesis Team-Up is Also Inevitable Saga-
Now faced with accidentally killing most of the world, Rex is able to convince Naberius to help him stop Death River. With a small team made up of Rex's allies and Naberius' followers that were immune to the Death Song, they launch an assault on the Death River robot. Though successful, Sanzu dies in the process, and Rex loses an arm. That he failed Sanzu by using her as a tool becomes one of the heaviest guilts he carries for the rest of his life.
The River Saga-
Rex is blown clear of the Death River robot. Missing an arm and in a state of shock, he floats down a river with no intention of getting out. Just allowing himself to drift as he contemplates his failures and considers just letting nature swallow him. His allies look for him, except for Mel who blames herself for not being able to participate. She decides to overcome her fear of death by going alone to Masked Mountain, one of the most dangerous places in the world. Just as it seems Rex is about to sink and drown, after days of drifting, he is hauled out of the water... By Naberius.
Just a Rat in a Cage Saga-
Naberius holds Rex prisoner, intending to execute him in a duel to the death when he has recovered from his wounds (Naberius' whole deal is he's nobler than he is smart). During this time, Naberius and Rex often converse, as Naberius wants to understand how someone can be like Rex. Rex is just as inspired to be better by Naberius as his followers were, especially when Naberius refuses to follow an order given by the Demon Emperor to kill him as Rex is helpless. Naberius does obey a summons to explain himself and agrees to bring the Hero Medal with him. Rex, who had been fully recovered for some time and hiding his returned strength, takes this chance to escape.
Breaking Out is Hard to do Saga-
Rex, knowing he'll need to battle Naberius one on one to get the medal back, realises he's not strong enough or used to his one-armed state. He decides to take the risk of deliberately allowing himself to enter his battle thrilled persona repeatedly, which often results in him increasing his power or developing his techniques. Rex battles his way out of Naberius' fortress, defeating each of Naberius' party in strength order. When Rex escapes, now stronger than ever, he tracks Naberius to find him battling Rex's allies. Reclaiming the medal, Rex doesn't take the opportunity to kill or capture Naberius. He considers it repaying the debt of saving him from the river and instead leaves Naberius where he is. Unfortunately, this severely grates the honour obsessed Naberius who believes being spared an insult meant to demean him, as he did not surrender. Shortly after that Mel returns, having found another of Helen's apprentices on the mountain and grown massively stronger.
Maybe I'm Not So Bad Saga-
Rex starts to make plans to seek out the four boons of a hero, gathering information and leads. In the process, he revisits many of the places he had already been and sees the good he's done as part of his scheming- and while the scheming didn't exactly pay off the good remains. He starts to put together a unified organisation of humanity, rather than merely having a loosely connected network link to him. They still mostly work out of view, aware the world is mainly hostile to attempts at global unification these days and to avoid becoming targets for monsters.
The Fake Heroes Saga-
Rex, now ready to start taking his hero position seriously, discovers that several others have started claiming the title themselves as before. Now that is it no longer an isolated incident, he investigates more thoroughly. Rex starts making contact with these heroes, finding they have medals of their own- Rex's development starts to be at risk, as he fears his medal is just another fake. Rex tests a few of the fake heroes, and they begin to clash with Naberius too. As it becomes clear the heroes seem to have been deliberately selected to cause grief between humans and monsters, Rex starts to destroy their medals and Naberius begins to feel that humanity is cursed, inherently self-destructive and prone to madness. Each time a medal is destroyed, a small light leaves it and is absorbed by his own- the medal is restricted in what she can tell him, but reveals at least that each one is the soul of a previous hero and that every hero's soul sleeps within the medal... Or at least, they should. She cannot tell him why these ones are not.
Intermingled in this saga are Rex's attempts to force himself to gain the heroic boons and the disasters that follow.
What I'm Meant To Be Doing Saga-
Naberius, now convinced that ending humanity would be an act of kindness towards them, begins his own plans. As Rex grows more like a hero, Naberius grows more like a demon lord. He retains his powerful sense of honour and justice but becomes more misguided in what it means to live up to those things. At last, the pair are starting to reflect a more traditional hero and demon lord dynamic, as Naberius begins to gather forces to enact a plan Rex must foil. The pair cross swords briefly, in which this is foreshadowed but Rex is unable to work out entirely what Naberius is planning.
Starting us off suitably depressing with that title. A short introductory saga which is mostly focused around Rex formulating a plan to murder a man in his hometown to obtain an especially valuable cheese wheel, between scavenging amongst the ruins that surround the town with a team that barely tolerates him. Everyone else in the region is a blue-eyed blonde, while Rex is black haired and black eyed. This, plus his demeanour, earn him the name Black Dog- the area was so heavily reliant on his mother that when she died, and he could not take up her responsibilities (at the age of seven) the people there took out their frustrations on him. Mel is also introduced, the only person alive that cares about Rex and an incredibly tough young woman about his age that was his mother's last student. Rex is distant with her, believing it all lip service due to Mel's connection to his mother. That he fully completed the plan and intended to go through with it, is something Rex thinks back on often throughout the years. Fortunately, Rex does not go through with it. He delays himself by one day, which happens to be the day his team dies, and he receives the Hero Medal. Because of this, Rex credits the medal with saving his soul.
Leaving the Nest Saga-
Now in possession on the Hero Medal and believed dead, Rex decides to capitalise on the fact. He invents a new identity as Castle ( a reference to his mother's nickname of 'Queen' ) as a masked mercenary who has just come to the region. Rex decides to test his limits to see if the medal's selection could be correct and increase his resources for the journey ahead. To that end, he seeks to complete every local bounty on his own and quickly proves to be more capable than he believed himself to be. He routinely encounters Mel, who runs the bounty office with her family, the only person who cares he's dead- and actually vows revenge on his behalf. The saga culminates in a battle in the stronghold of Valefor, the leader of the local monsters. Valefor, despite being elderly and struggling with old injuries, proves to be vastly more potent than his underlings and is Rex's first encounter with a demon. His life is inadvertently saved by Mel, who comes to avenge Rex's death and instead finds him alive. Valefor, as he dies, comments about how he was planning to 'head West anyway' and upon death, a bright light bursts from his body and flies in that direction. Mel now refuses to leave Rex's side, which he begrudgingly allows due to her strength (and because he finally believes, at least a little, she's his friend).
Holy Mountain Saga-
Mel and Rex, in an attempt to avoid monsters, pass close to the Holy Mountain, a place supposedly the gateway to Heaven. Monsters and humans are kept from stepping on it by a monumentally huge and powerful spirit, a Kirin. This goes horribly wrong when a mysterious being battles the Kirin, the fight shaking the earth and burning the sky. The tip of one of the Kirin's horns is broken off and lodges itself in Rex's heart. This fragment becomes Indrik.
East Bound and Feeling Down Saga-
Now that he has achieved all he can in his local region, Rex and Mel set out. Rex has already formulated his overall goal of strengthing humanity and creating a global network to link them. He still thinks that true peace between monsters is impossible and instead seeks to make the balance so close they cannot war on each other any further. To both increase their strength and find allies, the pair travel all over their home continent, Yllria, in a series of adventures. They don't pick up anyone who travels with them but do leave behind a trail of associates, many of whom they help overcome some issue of theirs. Rex often operates under an alias, most commonly Castle, but sometimes others. Rex actively avoids the West of the continent, due to Valefor's words, but finds many monsters are heading that way. During this saga, Rex poisons what he believes to be a monster stronghold to save himself some travel time by going around it. Only one monster survives; an unusual one for the region with an appearance similar to a dog. Rex has a discussion with the monster as it dies, questioning him and his motives- In the end, Rex confesses to the monster they all died for nothing more than convenience and that the justice the monster calls for is nothing but a comforting idea. Rex lets it live as it is no threat to him.
Tournament Arc is Inevitable Saga-
Rex finally heads West only when he hears that someone has claimed to be the hero chosen by the Hero Medal and has begun a tournament to select those worthy of being his companions. Aware it cannot be true, Rex decides to usurp the competition to his ends. He and Mel defeat the favourite, a famous gladiator, before the contest begins as Rex believes his entry has caused potential candidates to not bother due to his reputation. Equally, when he is defeated, his prominence causes those seeking revenge on his behalf to enter. Finally, Rex invites several of his allies to compete to test their strength and fame. Rex himself chooses not to compete, entering a Phantom of Castle instead. The event comes apart when it the same dog monster Rex spared earlier attacks. Rex is unwilling to fight it now it is at full strength and protect the other contestants, but Mel demands the chance to land just one punch. Rex arranges it, and Mel puts all her heart and soul into that one punch, awakening her Human Power and defeating him. Rex, no longer taking chances, kills the defenceless monster. A tiny light escapes its body and flies East. The mystery of the fake Hero Medal has to wait.
Making a Friend is a Saga-
The forceful awakening of Mel's Human Power harms her, her body breaking apart under its power. Attempts to heal or prevent it seem useless. Rex has her unleash Human Power into him so he can try and work out how to overcome it himself, then teach her the way. Rex seems stuck in the same situation but has a weaker body and thus is worse faster. When he gives in to despair the power fades- as Human Power is directly related to one's fighting spirit, which Rex lacks but Mel has an infinite supply of. Rex eventually manages to calm Mel with a heartfelt confession she is his friend and a promise he'll protect her- since she believes in him, she stops fighting, comfortable she's saved. Rex becomes a better person by accepting Mel's friendship and his ability to be a friend and Indrik grows.
Journey To The West (Interrupted) Saga-
Now having seen two lights from dead monsters head West, Rex decides to travel that way at last. The further West they go, the more monsters they encounter, and there appears to be a migration going across the sea. There are a few adventures of the week sort of stories similar to the East Bound and Feeling Down Saga, but the crux is a battle on the coast as it becomes clear the 'West' refers to a location across the sea, probably the continent of Dreem. Rex and Mel disrupt the monster migration, but when they try to cross the ocean themselves, a massive sea battle between unknown forces drives them to the small island of Brighten.
I'll See You in a Year Saga-
Brighten contains one of the last and most respected magic schools in the world and is famed for its knights- on their arrival, Rex and Mel witness the strength of both when monstrous intrusion is repelled. They decide to separate for a year and learn all they can from their respective specialities. Rex believes he will be able to enter the school thanks to his real-world experience, but during the entrance exam is deemed a 'mana head' (as in a magical muscle head) due to the tests misinterpreting his entirely unique magical style as brute-forcing his way through. Only one person, a prodigal student, recognises he's doing something altogether new and agrees to train him enough in traditional magic to pass the exam if she shows him how his magic works.
Meanwhile, Mel obtains a list of the hundred strongest knights in Brighten and sets out to duel each one- but being Mel, she chooses to go up against the top first, in case the rest are not worth her time. Her first duel, which she is losing, ends short when the top knight realises Mel is also a disciple of Helen Arany and Mel convinces her to teach her more. That the top knight suggests Mel's original plan, as it is the sort of thing Helen would set as a test, starts to cement the idea Mel is the true Arany Stylee successor.
Both Rex and Mel succeed in their training, but hit bumps. In Rex's case, it is that encountering a former Demon Lord named Stolas, vastly stronger than Rex, that wishes to 'know everything' and repeatedly arrives to battle, ending the fight whenever he is shown something new. Mel's biggest problem is being unable to complete the first, most simple training method used by Helen to train disciples, despite being able to achieve more advanced ones. This makes her techniques lack a decisive edge. Rex manages to trust in his strength and Mel to restrain hers and both finish what they thought would take a year in six months. They meet on the road when they travel to surprise the other.
One year one from the beginning of the journey, the pair have become mighty warriors with extensive influence and contacts throughout their home continent and numerous achievements under their belts. At last, they leave Brighten to journey to Dreem.
Journey To The West Gets Fucked Again Saga-
That shit gets shot down right quick. A similar substantial naval battle to the first interferes with their attempted crossing. Now vastly more powerful and confident, Rex and Mel get between the two sides. While at first, it looks like the pair will be able to put a stop to the whole thing, just the two of them, Rex gets one-shotted curb-stomped when a new ship arrives, and a woman leaps from it to deck him.
It turns out to be "Treasure Chest" Dite Starr, probably the strongest person in the world. Mel impresses her by not running, but it is when she declares she won't let Dite hurt Rex that Dite stops fighting. She, after all, reasons there can't be that many people with a name as unfortunate as Rex Arany, and she was Helen's best friend. The enemy force escapes while Dite is distracted by fawning over the injured Rex, further injuring him in the process. They have a few brief adventures with Dite, who then escorts them across the sea to Dreem at last.
The Highway of Hell Saga-
As they cross Dreem, they travel the terrifying route 666- the fastest way but controlled by the demons Agares and Vassago. Numerous adventures along the highway later and with Rex, Mel and several of their allies defeat the demonic forces and improve the infrastructure of Dreem immensely, allowing humans to begin travelling across Dreem.
Rex Makes Some Awful Decisions Saga-
During the Highway Saga, Rex encounters one of the Four Noble Weapons, the human's most significant defences created during the cataclysmic war. The quantum supercomputer, Machine Sage Ziz. This leads to his big 'do my job for me' plan revolving around how he wants to get his hands on pre-apocalypse superweapons. But they're a) really well defended to this day b) their computer systems won't allow him access to their data and c) after a few hundred years they're not entirely up to snuff. He finds out they have emergency situation protocols, that if a Demon Lord is on the location, they allow any human to use them. This was to prevent a situation where a Demon Lord attacks, the leadership dies, and it's destroyed without being used. So when he looks for a suitable candidate and finds the dog monster from before, now a demon given the name Naberius, wheels begin to turn. Rex arranges for him to gain fame enough to be crowned a demon lord.
This is followed by tricking Naberius into believing Rex has already obtained control of the superweapons, lets him fight his way through the defences and just steals all the data he needs to make his own versions. Doesn't matter his nemesis destroys the old, falling apart versions. Which means his Naberius gets really good at fighting, got a practice run on those old versions and has reason to be really pissed at him.
Rex Almost Kills Everyone Saga-
Combining the four weapons produces a seriously terrible time for everyone. The Four Noble Weapons were- the super colossus robot, Behemoth, the supercomputer Ziz, the time-space manipulator Leviathan and enslaved super demon, Death River. Death River had undergone a mental breakdown and delusionally believed he was the pre-war teenage girl Sanzu, who dreamed of being an idol. Rex became genuine friends with Sanzu, but this didn't stop Rex exploiting her. In particular, her ability to sing the Death Song, a song which lulled all who hear it to slowly lose the will to live to the extent their soul fades into the underworld, making it effective even on demons. Unless, that is, they love death or do not fear death. Of Rex's allies, few meet that criteria. Both Rex and Naberius do. In Rex, it merely gives him the pleasing feels of his death-defying thrills. For Naberius, noble enough to fight to the death for his cause, it has no effect. Everyone is shocked that Mel is effected. Rex's goal, to create a single superweapon that could make conflict pointless, required Sanzu to pilot the machine and use the powers of the Death River's body.
Yeah, that didn't work out. Forced to confront the truth, Death River entered a delusional state and sought to make Sanzu's dream come true- to have everyone hear Sanzu's song. Which would kill pretty much everyone. Good job, Rex.
Nemesis Team-Up is Also Inevitable Saga-
Now faced with accidentally killing most of the world, Rex is able to convince Naberius to help him stop Death River. With a small team made up of Rex's allies and Naberius' followers that were immune to the Death Song, they launch an assault on the Death River robot. Though successful, Sanzu dies in the process, and Rex loses an arm. That he failed Sanzu by using her as a tool becomes one of the heaviest guilts he carries for the rest of his life.
The River Saga-
Rex is blown clear of the Death River robot. Missing an arm and in a state of shock, he floats down a river with no intention of getting out. Just allowing himself to drift as he contemplates his failures and considers just letting nature swallow him. His allies look for him, except for Mel who blames herself for not being able to participate. She decides to overcome her fear of death by going alone to Masked Mountain, one of the most dangerous places in the world. Just as it seems Rex is about to sink and drown, after days of drifting, he is hauled out of the water... By Naberius.
Just a Rat in a Cage Saga-
Naberius holds Rex prisoner, intending to execute him in a duel to the death when he has recovered from his wounds (Naberius' whole deal is he's nobler than he is smart). During this time, Naberius and Rex often converse, as Naberius wants to understand how someone can be like Rex. Rex is just as inspired to be better by Naberius as his followers were, especially when Naberius refuses to follow an order given by the Demon Emperor to kill him as Rex is helpless. Naberius does obey a summons to explain himself and agrees to bring the Hero Medal with him. Rex, who had been fully recovered for some time and hiding his returned strength, takes this chance to escape.
Breaking Out is Hard to do Saga-
Rex, knowing he'll need to battle Naberius one on one to get the medal back, realises he's not strong enough or used to his one-armed state. He decides to take the risk of deliberately allowing himself to enter his battle thrilled persona repeatedly, which often results in him increasing his power or developing his techniques. Rex battles his way out of Naberius' fortress, defeating each of Naberius' party in strength order. When Rex escapes, now stronger than ever, he tracks Naberius to find him battling Rex's allies. Reclaiming the medal, Rex doesn't take the opportunity to kill or capture Naberius. He considers it repaying the debt of saving him from the river and instead leaves Naberius where he is. Unfortunately, this severely grates the honour obsessed Naberius who believes being spared an insult meant to demean him, as he did not surrender. Shortly after that Mel returns, having found another of Helen's apprentices on the mountain and grown massively stronger.
Maybe I'm Not So Bad Saga-
Rex starts to make plans to seek out the four boons of a hero, gathering information and leads. In the process, he revisits many of the places he had already been and sees the good he's done as part of his scheming- and while the scheming didn't exactly pay off the good remains. He starts to put together a unified organisation of humanity, rather than merely having a loosely connected network link to him. They still mostly work out of view, aware the world is mainly hostile to attempts at global unification these days and to avoid becoming targets for monsters.
The Fake Heroes Saga-
Rex, now ready to start taking his hero position seriously, discovers that several others have started claiming the title themselves as before. Now that is it no longer an isolated incident, he investigates more thoroughly. Rex starts making contact with these heroes, finding they have medals of their own- Rex's development starts to be at risk, as he fears his medal is just another fake. Rex tests a few of the fake heroes, and they begin to clash with Naberius too. As it becomes clear the heroes seem to have been deliberately selected to cause grief between humans and monsters, Rex starts to destroy their medals and Naberius begins to feel that humanity is cursed, inherently self-destructive and prone to madness. Each time a medal is destroyed, a small light leaves it and is absorbed by his own- the medal is restricted in what she can tell him, but reveals at least that each one is the soul of a previous hero and that every hero's soul sleeps within the medal... Or at least, they should. She cannot tell him why these ones are not.
Intermingled in this saga are Rex's attempts to force himself to gain the heroic boons and the disasters that follow.
What I'm Meant To Be Doing Saga-
Naberius, now convinced that ending humanity would be an act of kindness towards them, begins his own plans. As Rex grows more like a hero, Naberius grows more like a demon lord. He retains his powerful sense of honour and justice but becomes more misguided in what it means to live up to those things. At last, the pair are starting to reflect a more traditional hero and demon lord dynamic, as Naberius begins to gather forces to enact a plan Rex must foil. The pair cross swords briefly, in which this is foreshadowed but Rex is unable to work out entirely what Naberius is planning.