Volume 5 – Chapter 24 (in-editing v4)

Volume 5 – Chapter 24

(If you see a typo/mistake, let me know in the comments!)

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7 days until the Founding Celebration.

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“Again!”

The clash of blades rang out as two lightly armored figures swung swords at each other. Ruddy Advanced-Tier Sword Energy lined their blades as they fought, sending red sparks of energy flying off to the side.

As the sparks of energy met the stone underfoot, the air sizzled, gaining a red hue that stained the air around them.

The Headquarters of the Knights of the Round Table was a bustling scene in the early morning hours the day after the Apex hit Axellion. Across several open courtyards, hundreds of humans clad in armor could be seen, swinging swords and throwing powerful Abilities at each other, practicing in earnest.

“Stay aware of your surroundings!”

In the main central courtyard, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman barked out commands as she strode between duels. Despite being in her early 20s and barely 5 foot 5 (165cm), she held a commanding, confident presence as she walked, her movements calm and carefully controlled. She wore a form fitting set of black leggings and a long-sleeved white top, a decidedly modern outfit at odds with fashion on the Third Layer.

“No one else on the 7 Layers will give a damn if you die! Fight like it’s your last day, because it just might!”

Jessica Wiles pulled her hair back, tying it up in a ponytail as she moved through the practice yard.

“Hey! Watch it!” As she caught sight of one particular pair of fighters, Jess activated her Glacial Body Ability, a rare, two-of-a-kind Limited Ability that had been bought out in the Shop during the First Wave.

In a tiny fraction of a second, a small line of ice burst into existence, spreading from her left foot all the way to the middle of the two fighters. The ice appeared almost instantaneously, faster than the human eye could track.

There, one man held a large glowing red broadsword and was bearing down on another man, who had fallen on the ground, with an axe half raised.

In another tiny fraction of a second, Jess vanished from her previous position and instantly reappeared in-between the two fighters, travelling through the trail of ice. The entire lower half of her body was entirely formed from ice in this instant, as was both of her arms and hands. The parts of her that were ice and flesh shifted as she moved, grabbing ahold of the broadsword with her bare hand.

With a resounding ‘thunk’, the sword came to an abrupt halt, half of it immediately freezing. Even the Advanced Tier Sword Energy that coated the blade was frozen, instantly quashed by the powerful cold. Small flakes of snow drifted off the blade.

All of this occurred in less than 0.1 seconds, fast enough to look like teleportation.

“Enough. He’s outside the line.” Jess casually pushed the blade away as she released her transformation, her body rapidly returning to its normal fleshy state.

She turned to the downed man, kneeling as she pointed down at the ground.

There, a large white circle had been drawn, an area the fighters had to stay within while dueling.

“You’re dead.”

The man on the ground, a dark-haired Second Waver in his mid 20s, grumbled back.

“I still have my Cloud Stepping Shoes.”

“Sure you do.” She tapped him lightly on the cheek as she grinned, before pulling him up to his feet with superhuman strength. The man stumbled as he steadied himself, almost losing his grip on the axe he was holding.

“But they’re useless to you if you don’t use em’ before you hit the Void.” She pointed down at the line.

“Out in the field, you won’t get a second chance!” Jessica raised her voice, catching the attention of the dozens of men and women training in this courtyard.

“Jump off the damn air, even if it means you lose a shoe! Your lives are worth more than any Artifact!”

“Yes ma’am!”

“Understood!”

“Hoorah!”

A series of rough yells and cheers spread through the compound as the practicing members of the Round Table set into their training with renewed vigor.

Jessica smiled as she watched them go at it, leaving the pair behind as she moved through the courtyard.

‘The only language anyone in this hellhole understands is power. You either have it or you don’t.’

She would be damned if she didn’t try her hardest to see them all ready for the evils they’d face.

It had been nearly 4 long years, now, since this California girl had arrived on the First Layer. So much time had passed to the point where it almost felt normal, living under these circumstances. Fighting against monsters, throwing out magical powers, dancing between floating islands…

This world truly was strange, at least in the eyes of Jessica Wiles, the Glacial Knight, and 3rd-in-Command of the Round Table.

“Ma’am! Aarons called for you!”

Jess’s thoughts were interrupted as an aide ran up to her, passing along a message.

“Oh?” She smiled, patting the man on the back as she began to walk.

“Is it the Duke?” Aaron’s act of slaying Barsoth had brought great prestige to the Round Table – they were expecting an announcement of some type of grand reward from Duke Atlas, given the customs and social norms of the Third Layer.

“No ma’am! It’s about the new arrivals, the humans that helped fight off the Apex.” The duo split off from the courtyard, moving along a series of open-air passageways as they made their way through the HQ complex towards the central meeting hall.

“They requested a meeting with the Commander.”

As they walked, they passed by a sizable number of other humans, out and about on other errands. Most were dressed in the simple grey leather outfits the Round Table had taken on as their uniform, with the insignia of a Round Table emblazoned on them. Camelot 2.0 was one of the largest hives of human activity on the Third Layer, especially at this point in time, before the onset of the Rush.

‘How interesting.’ She’d heard the report Yama gave, practically singing their praises.

Now, it was time to meet them face-to-face.

‘I hope they’re friendly!’

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“Friendly bunch, aren’t they?” Shin remarked, nudging Micheal with his elbow.

Micheal gave Shin a side-eye in response.

The duo were currently sitting in a waiting room, at the Headquarters of the Round Table – Camelot 2.0.

As it turned out, leaving Castle Atlas was far simpler a process than entering. After getting permission to re-enter and a message from Vesper that they were officially invited to dine with her father in the evening, the duo had set off.

The trek through the center of Axellion hadn’t take much time at all. The city’s atmosphere was something to see, Micheal noted, as they traversed through the streets.

Despite the tragedy, the fact that the Apex had been slain was cause for enormous celebration. The city was practically teeming with good cheer, excitement and joy.

It was hard to reconcile, given that Micheal knew dozens of people must’ve died.

‘It’s a different culture.’

Void Natives lived their lives with a constant awareness that Apex Void Predators were out there, an unspoken presence that hounded the shadows, wiping out entire settlements.

Despite the losses they had suffered, the fact that one of the Eight had been killed, here in Axellion, was a tremendous achievement. The only reason the entire city hadn’t broken out in festivities was because the Founding Celebration was only a week away.

“We made a good first impression.” Micheal returned, answering Shin’s question.

The humans standing guard had been excited to see them. Micheal’s efforts to build up a reputation had very clearly succeeded, making them into micro-celebrities in the eyes of the humans staffing the Round Table.

It wasn’t every day that a pair of humans capable of facing down an Apex made an appearance on the Third Layer.

They had been immediately welcomed in and ushered into the waiting room where they now sat, a modest room set up with several chairs and a couch. There was even a receptionist, something at odds with the very medieval atmosphere of the Third Layer.

“The Commander is ready to see you.”

Micheal’s thoughts were interrupted as the receptionist smiled, waving them towards a doorway where their escort waited.

And then-

Micheal froze, his adrenaline spiking.

He recognized their escort.

“Hi! My name is Jessica!” A blonde-haired woman gave them a cheery smile as she walked forward.

A flood of memories threatened to rush over Micheal as he stared at the speaker.

The second of only three Vice-Commanders that helped lead the Round Table.

An incredibly powerful and influential human, whose name gained enormous prestige in the future.   

The person whose inspiring leadership single-handedly prevented the Round Table from collapsing in the wake of Aaron’s death in the first timeline.

And…

One of the leaders of Humanity’s Last Army, who fought like hell to keep humanity alive in the end times.

Standing before him was none other than Jessica Wiles – the future Blue Queen.

“…”

“Yo! Name’s Shin, and this here is Micheal.” Shin stepped up to respond, smoothly continuing the conversation.

“Awesome!” Jessica tilted her head to the side slightly, giving Micheal a winning smile.

Micheal snapped back to the present, returning her smile with a nod of his own.

‘Focus.’ He forced the memories away, marshaling his willpower to remain centered.

“Just follow me this way!” The 3rd-in-Command of the Knights of the Round Table gestured as she opened the door for them.

The trio set off, moving along a finely hewn stone passageway.

Light gleamed in from a series of windows as they walked, painting the corridor with shadows that almost seemed to dance.

“So, I heard about your fight with the Apex.” Jess turned her head back towards them as she walked, a contagious smile spreading on her face.

“Great job out there!” She gave them a thumbs up.

“Those big guys are no joke!”

“We only managed to stall it out.” Micheal shook his head,

“If not for your Commander, I don’t think we had a way to really put it down.”

“Still!” A stray snowflake fell away from Jess’s hair.

“It was very brave of you.” Something in the Glacial Knight’s smile shifted, taking on a warmer note.

“Not many people could do what you did. That took real courage. You saved a lot of lives yesterday.” Her eyes twinkled as she spoke, faint hints of blue gleaming like starlight.

Micheal couldn’t help but to nod back.

‘She’s still the same.’ He thought back to his memories of the first timeline.

Even after everything she went through, the loss of Aaron, the collapse of the Round Table, the deaths of so many comrades, Jessica Wiles never lost the spark that made her who she was.

Charisma, confidence, unending determination.

She quite literally fought till the bitter end, never giving up no matter the odds.

‘It’s nice to see her smiling.’ In the end times, it was hard for even the best of them to stay positive. The losses were simply too great, and far, far too many.  

As the trio walked through yet another courtyard, passing by a large group of humans training, Micheal made a mental vow, to protect that smile. It was the least he could do, for one who deserved so much more.

“Here we are!”

Finally, they reached their destination.

A large, reinforced metal door lay at the end of the hallway. It was a stark, plain door, its steel frame at odds with the stone walls surrounding it.

Jessica waltzed up to the door and held it open, gesturing for them to enter.

Micheal and Shin complied, entering into a decidedly modern office.

A brief glance revealed several large bookcases, stocked with a selection of books from Earth and writings from here on the Third Layer. There was even a treatise or two Micheal recognized being from Martial Sects on the Second Layer. At the center of the room was a large brown desk, where a series of maps and documents were spread out, alongside a metal lamp and a set of chairs. A long, plush pink couch stood out, placed on the right side of the room, opposite the bookshelves.

And it was here, sitting on the chair opposite the desk, that Micheal finally came face to face with the human he had swore, as soon as he went back in time and arrived on the First Layer, to save.

The Strongest Human.

The White Knight.

Aaron Bartram – Founder of the Round Table.

“I heard you had something to tell me.” Aaron Bartram smiled as he looked up from a report he’d been reading, his eyes crinkling with a hint of cheer.

“We do.” Micheal returned, as he and Shin walked inside. Jessica followed closely behind them, shutting the door, and flopping down on the pink couch.

“Well, before we get into that.” Aaron stood up and walked around the desk.

“Your aid against the Apex has opened doors for the Round Table, pushing forward our work by months. You’ve helped us more than you can know.” Every word he spoke was deep and measured, projecting an air of absolute confidence and dignified calm.

“On behalf of everyone here at the Round Table, I would like to formally thank both of you.”

Aaron held out his right hand.

“Our doors will always be open to you.”

Micheal grasped Aaron’s hand with his own, shaking it firmly.

“Mankind should help one another. It’s only natural.”

Shin made a fist and held it out in lieu of shaking hands.

Aaron promptly fist bumped him, a hint of mirth entering his eyes, before his serious demeanor promptly returned.

“So.” Aaron walked back around to his desk, retaking his seat as he gave Micheal a studied gaze that seemed to pierce through his very Soul.

“Let’s talk.”

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