[LSB] Chapter 119: Ending This

Julian’s senses were spiraling.

The daemon plane had gone eerily silent. The harsh wind still howled through the tower’s opening, yet the only sound that truly reached him was the low, rhythmic hum of the Black Box hovering before him.

MEGAN was speaking, but her words barely registered.

He was born in Artemia?

How was that even possible?

Humanity Engineering had spent years trying to pierce the magical veil protecting Artemia. Their only success had been sending altered human clones in organic, tree-like pods. The most advanced technology they had managed to smuggle through was a rudimentary built-in signal-slash-radio inside a clone’s brain.

Public reports claimed one of their main objectives was extracting materials from the planet—yet even now, they had failed completely.

And yet… somehow, Julian’s father had sent not just a baby Julian, but also his mother to Earth?

Had it been through magic?

Or was Humanity Engineering hiding something? Since it happened almost thirty years ago, that was when Otherworld was still being introduced to the masses—that meant there was a possibility that his father…

…worked for Humanity Engineering?

[It’s probably the latter, Julian!]

MEGAN’s voice finally broke through the haze of his thoughts, too persistent to ignore.

[I knew it! That pretentious cyborg is hiding an iceberg of secrets beneath all that friendliness and hospitality. Her and her entire company! They lure us in with free stuff, and then—bam! We’re just fish in a tank, Julian! Fish. In. A. Tank!]

“Hmm.”

[But… if you really were born in Artemia, I think that explains a lot.]

MEGAN flew out from his chest and landed lightly on his shoulder, tapping it several times and gesturing to him to focus on her.

"Vague answers, sure—but still answers. Think about it. Gaining the strength of your clone? Even the abilities? Shadow Blacksmith? Your Perception stat increasing wildly, even though you’re not doing anything?"

She crossed her arms and nodded several times to herself.

"Maybe… this is Artemia’s way of correcting the body you should have had."

She sighed.

"Don’t ask me how, though. The only explanation I can think of is magic. Sears, what do you think?"

Julian felt movement against his skin.

And for the first time, the Avatar of Searadyn emerged from the back of his hand without her needing to or scaring other people—materializing slowly, deliberately.

Unlike MEGAN, however, she wasn’t tiny.

She stood at the size of a small child, a miniature reflection of her true form.

MEGAN’s eyes widened. She quickly pointed. "What the—why are you bigger than me!?"

The Avatar of Searadyn tilted her head, studying her own arms and legs with a detached curiosity.

"As I have said before, Silvie—I draw power from nature itself."

She flexed her fingers, her voice calm. "If anything, I expected to emerge larger. The fact that I have not… suggests this place—"

She took a slow step forward. The floor beneath her froze and burned at the same time.

"—is very far from nature. Dying, perhaps already dead."

She continued walking, her steps leaving a thin trail of frost and embers as she moved toward the tower’s edge.

The cold flames flickering around her danced wildly in the wind.

She exhaled, staring into the vast, empty sky.

"Now that I am outside… it feels oddly familiar."

The Avatar of Searadyn turned slightly, her sharp gaze shifting toward Julian. "I, sadly, did not share the visions you and Master experienced. However, if Master truly was born in Artemia, then the only certainty I can offer is this—Earth, Artemia, and these creatures you call daemons… They are connected."

MEGAN scoffed. "Well, duh?"

She crossed her arms. "That’s already obvious."

"Then is it also obvious that Master’s quests have been updated?"

MEGAN blinked.

“Huh?”

“Yes.” The Avatar of Searadyn lifted her chin, her gaze distant, fixed on something only she could see. “The Master rarely seeks the Guidance of Artemis, so I took it upon myself to do it for him.”

“I… I can do that too,” MEGAN muttered, flicking her tiny fingers. “Guidance.”

“You do not need to speak the words,” the Avatar of Searadyn said flatly. “You hold the vessel of an Avatar Spirit.”

“Shh!” MEGAN waved her off, her eyes widening as glowing text appeared before her.

“Ah! Julian! The Bridge quest updated, and it mentioned the name of a village! And… huh?” She leaned in, scanning the words. “Shadows of Artemia updated too? I… I forgot you even had that one.”

She frowned, reading further.

“I think… we’re more involved in all of this than we originally thought, Julian. And we might be in way over our heads.” She hesitated before sighing. “I hate to say it, and I still don’t trust her, but… it’s time to tell Victoria about this. We—”

Before she could finish, Julian stepped forward.

His fingers moved, expertly coiling the Soul Thread around the Black Box.

“I… think so too, MEGAN,” he murmured. “But let’s deal with this first.”

Without another word, MEGAN and the Avatar of Searadyn quickly dove back inside him.

Julian exhaled, then strangled the Black Box. His knuckles whitened from the force, frustration seeping into every movement.

This was supposed to be his chance—his breakthrough as a true blacksmith on Earth.

Now, he was entangled in something far bigger. Again.

The Black Box resisted.

Much like when Kitty’s arrow had struck it, the Soul Thread barely seemed to touch it—no weight, no tension.

And yet… there was also resistance. As if he was strangling something that didn’t exist.

Like everything else about the daemons, it didn’t make sense.

Julian twisted and pulled, and soon, he felt the Soul Thread burrow deeper into the box.

Then—

A tug.

A sudden drop in temperature.

Not from another vision.

Not from Artemia.

But because—

He was back.

The portal was gone, and Julian was now standing inside the battery storage room of the DCC’s mothership.

“What the—?!”

“Stand down! Everyone, stand down!”

“Mr… Mr. Julian!?”

Dr. Ling, Craig, and the gathered DCC members all shouted in alarm, and they raised whatever they had in their hands at him, whether it was a weapon or not.

Craig, who had been preparing to deploy another drone, almost fell on his butt when the drone’s camera zoomed in on Julian and showed a giant leg on the hologram.

Others mistook him for a daemon and scrambled to attack.

Dr. Ling was the only one who stayed somewhat calm, moving swiftly to lower the weapons of her team.

“Mr. Julian Winters!” she strode toward him, adjusting her glasses. “What happened in there!? Our drone was destroyed the moment it reached the top of the tower!”

Julian hummed. “That was me. I thought it was a daemon.”

Dr. Ling blinked. “How do you mistake a drone for those giant rats!?”

Julian tilted his head. “I’m blind.”

“That…” Dr. Ling paused for a moment. She cleared her throat, adjusting her glasses again. “…Understandable.”

Then, after a brief glance at the now-vanished portal, she folded her arms.

“And impressive. Another portal cleared, Mr. Winters.”

Her gaze sharpened.

“You stated that the Hollywood portal was mostly cleared by another streamer—but it seems you may have… embellished the truth.”

“No.” Julian started walking away. “That was the truth—Kitty killed more daemons than I did.”

“Wait, where are you going!?” Dr. Ling quickly pushed past the others, chasing after him. “Don’t tell me you’re returning to your station!? The people on Mars could really use your help, Mr. Winters! Your weapons have already changed the tide of battle with Cindy and Mohinder—but if you joined personally, it would save even more lives! It’s… getting worse down there.”

Julian didn’t answer. He just kept walking.

“Mr. Winters!” Dr. Ling pleaded, grabbing his arm. “It—”

Julian suddenly stopped. He turned just enough for his shoulder to brush against her, making her pause.

“You know Victoria, right?”

Dr. Ling blinked. “Victoria… You mean Dr. Victoria Wilkes?”

“Yeah.”

“I… yes?”

“Call her. Tell her I want to request something.”

Dr. Ling narrowed her eyes. “Why don’t you call her yourself?”

For a moment, Julian didn’t respond. Then he sighed.

“I’m used to having someone else do it for me.”

***

Several minutes later, to the DCC’s utter surprise, the CEO of Humanity Engineering herself stepped onto their ship.

When Julian said he had a request, no one expected Victoria to come in person.

The DCC was filled with scientists and technicians, many of whom dreamed of working for Humanity Engineering—after all, the world’s top 0.001% worked there. The knowledge, the technology, the power—one could only imagine what they could learn.

And now, standing in their midst was the woman at the very top of it all.

At first, they didn’t even realize it was her. She had never made a public appearance before. They only knew when Julian greeted her.

And for a moment, everyone in the hangar stood frozen, completely forgetting there was a war raging below them.

Of course, Dr. Ling was quick to remind them.

“What are you all doing here!? Shoo! Back to your stations!”

Her voice echoed through the hangar bay, and the workers scrambled. Most still wanted to meet Victoria—but not at the cost of incurring Dr. Ling’s wrath.

Victoria watched them scatter, her expression slightly amused. “I see your reputation precedes you, Dr. Ling.” She turned to her, extending a hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Dr. Ling didn’t move right away. Her narrowed eyes lingered on Victoria’s outstretched hand.

“…We’ve met before.” But she still shook it.

Victoria tilted her head. “Have we? You must forgive me—I’ve met a lot of people in my lifetime.”

Dr. Ling’s voice dropped slightly. “It was nearly three decades ago. We asked Humanity Engineering for help against a daemon wave that wiped out a city on Sky Net.”

Her grip on Victoria’s hand tightened. “You refused.”

The smile on Victoria’s face did not disappear even with Dr. Ling holding her hand tight.

“Oh. I remember now.” She muttered, “And I also remember sending aid.”

“After it happened.”

Victoria hummed slightly. “Perhaps we could have done more, and sooner.” 

She tilted her head. “But my company is not called the Daemon Control Center, is it? If I recall correctly, that would be you.”

“You—”

“If a company specializing in genetic engineering and entertainment is offering more effective solutions than the Daemon Control Center, then maybe it’s time for some re-evaluation.” Victoria covered her mouth with a hand, feigning concern. “But of course, it’s not your fault. You’re bound by government limitations.”

Dr. Ling’s glare sharpened. “I see what you’re trying to do. Heinz told me you want to absorb the DCC. That’s not going to happen.”

“If you were under us, we could provide almost unlimited funding…” Victoria stepped toward the large windows of the hangar, gazing down at the swirling reds and oranges of Mars. “…You could have sent millions of drones to fight instead of people.”

“You could have done that without trying to take over the DCC.”

Victoria shook her head with a quiet chuckle. “The government hates Humanity Engineering. Why else do you think we chose Ceres-9?. Anyway, I didn’t come here to argue—”

She turned to Julian, who had remained silent, watching them.

“I apologize for the delay, Mr. Winters.” She bowed her head slightly. “But I have what you requested.”

At her signal, several workers emerged from her ship, rolling out a massive metal container.

“It took a few minutes to design and a bit longer to print,” Victoria continued as she placed her hand on the container, unlocking it with her biometrics. “It may not match the quality of your own weapons, but I hope it meets your expectations.”

Dr. Ling moved beside Julian as the container unfolded. Inside, nestled in sleek compartments, was a warframe.

Completely black. Tactical.

[LAST CHAPTER] <-----> [NEXT CHAPTER]

AUTHORS NOTES

EXTERMINATOR JULIAN'S IN THE HAUS!!!!

Do holler if you noticed any mistakes.