R-a - Volume 4 - Epilogue - Part 1

R-a - Volume 4 - Epilogue - Part 1

-

Gregor Mantorel took a deep, ragged breath, before letting out a long exhale.

‘I’m alive.’

It was excellent news.

His eyes had been destroyed and his ears ruptured, but both of those were injuries the Wise Lady could fix. He still had both of his arms and legs, and had managed to staunch all internal bleeding after a quick meditation session.

‘Let’s move.’ Now that he was no longer in danger of immediately dying, he could afford to focus on the present.

The Farian’s Primordial Giant Bloodline pulsed within him as his senses spread outward, taking in his surroundings.

His hearing had returned, slightly, thanks to his meditation. It wasn’t enough to give him full hearing, but as long as he enhanced his ears with the power of his Bloodline, he could now understand the words of those around him.

“Saint.” Gregor’s voice came out a rasp as he stood up, sensing the man’s presence to his left.

“Is the battle won?”

He heard some faint shuffling in the background before the man appeared before him. He could smell the scent of exhaustion coming off the man, blood, sweat, and grime mixed about in an unsavory pile.

“Perhaps. I am inclined to believe so.” The Nirvana Saint’s words sounded muffled under Gregor’s damaged hearing, but audible all the same.

“I’ve lost track of young Shin completely so… that man’s plan appears to have worked.” The man paused briefly, before nodding sharply.

“The battle is won. The First Lord is no longer of this world.”

A wave of relief swept through Gregor, emotion that tore at his heart and almost caused his legs to collapse.

‘Victory.’ It was something he’d thought impossible as the battle wore on.

‘Orion Thunderfist.’

This was the first time, in Gregor’s life, that he had been challenged so.

The first time he had faced such adversity, like a child trying to punch through a brick wall.

For all his power… for all his great skill and fame…

He hadn’t left a single serious wound on the warrior.

It infuriated him.

Now that the battle was won, the relief Gregor felt quickly faded.

Now, it was replaced with rage…

Rage, fear, and worry.

‘If I fell here, it would spell the end of my people.’

He had never felt so helpless before, not in his entire life.

‘If not for him...’

“Micheal.” The Lord Justiciar muttered quietly to himself, his voice a mere whisper.

“It seems I am indebted to you once again.”

The young human was an enigma, yet one that had wrought great deeds in aid of his people.

He would not forget that.

Thus Gregor Mantorel swore.

No matter the trials to come.

The Human Race and the Farian Race would meet the future, side by side, as friends.

.. .. .. .. .. ..

“Serena? Serena!” Sophia’s voice echoed as she scrambled through the still open portal hidden in the depths of the Sanctum ruins.

‘Be brave.’ Getting separated from Shin and Micheal so soon was scary, but she had to be strong.

She was strong, after all.

There was no reason to be afraid.

Not anymore.

‘I am the Storm.’ She thought that silent mantra to herself over and over, drawing on the memories formed from the Master of the Storm’s Inheritance.

As soon as she made her way through the portal, she was greeted with several drawn blades.

“Halt!”

Several Farian warriors, the ones that had been standing guard outside the Soul King’s Inheritance, had formed a defensive line around the shed Micheal had set down to cover Serena’s ashes.

They were the sole survivors of the Farian guard, holding true to their duty, even in the face of the death of their comrades.

“Wait!” A weak, female voice broke the tension in the moment as Serena, clad in plain gray linens identical to what many of the Farian guards were wearing, appeared, emerging from the shed Micheal had set up.

“You made it?! Thank God!” Relief filled Sophia’s heart as she saw her new friend, her knees almost giving out from the intense emotion.

“I’m… confused. Sophia, what happened?” Serena waved down the guards as she clutched at her head. The Farian’s skin was pale, far paler then it had been before she died and was reborn, though her body looked the same apart from that.

“I can’t really remember… anything. Where’s Micheal?” She glanced around, confused.

“Where’s the Lieutenant?” Sereana’s gaze was drawn to one of the gray bodies off to her right, near the entrance of the Soul King’s Inheritance.

Sophia winced.

“There’s a lot to explain…”

.. .. .. .. .. ..

The battle may have ended, but life carried on. In the aftermath of the great fight, the Nirvana Saint began to take action.

“Carry out a wide-range sweep of the ruins, I want every inch of what’s left of this ‘Sanctum’ scoured.” The Nirvana Saint barked out orders to the deluge of Purgatory Church members that were just now arriving on site.

The Church’s three remaining Knight Commanders were also present, still injured but not enough to keep them from working, even as they were actively healed by healers from the Church.

“Secure those Dragon Bones. They came from a Draconic Lich that held off a newborn God, albeit briefly.” The Saint’s eyes glowed as he scanned his surroundings, keeping track of everything in sight.

‘Micheal, I’ll trust you this once.’ The Nirvana Saint offered a silent prayer up, in hopes that the man’s plan had worked.

He did not fancy the challenge of retaking the 3rd Layer from Orion’s hands if it hadn’t.

"Has the Great Wizard Shasta woken up yet? No? Contact the Rakkonians and request the presence of more Wizards. Make sure you keep her alive, her presence will be key to our alliance."

The ruins of the Sanctum gradually transformed into a beehive of activity as the Nirvana Saint set the full force of the Purgatory Church onto the location, locking down everything in sight.

“Has Fortuna’s body been recovered? Good. Contact the Human Alliance, inform them of his demise.”

Losing Fortuna bit deeply, far more than was apparent. The man was the life and blood of the Human Alliance, the Nirvana Saint would need to step carefully to prevent any sort of internal collapse.

‘Still, it’s all politics in the end.’

If nothing else, the Nirvana Saint excelled at politics and he knew it.

“We’ve received word that the remnants of the Syndicates have elected a new set of leaders, in the case of Fortuna’s death.” At some point later, Knight Commander Yun Chen passed word along to the Nirvana Saint.

“Already?” The Nirvana Saint paused, taken aback. The internal divisions of the Human Alliance were complicated, after all. For such a decision to be made, these new leaders would have to possess great influence.

“Yes, it’s a group of powerful warriors that recently came up from the First Layer, all in allegiance with the Godfather Organization. Quite a large force has climbed up, it seems.” Yun Chen read from a set of gold-encrusted paper, a special Artifact that passed on messages at long range.

“They call themselves the Dawning Six.”

“And…” Yun Chen abruptly cut off as the Nirvana Saint held up his hand, his head turning sharply off to the right.

“My, oh my. Who are you?” The Nirvana Saint’s eyes gleamed as he stared out into the distance. Solomon’s Book flashed into the leader of the Purgatory Church’s hand.

“Ktttth.”

Standing just a few dozen meters away appeared a humanoid creature with light grey skin and a large, glowing circle was engraved on its forehead, gleaming with blue light.

A Monster Class Morenkai.

“A Morenkai. And you can… communicate? I understand you.” The Nirvana Saint barely believed his own words as he stared at the odd creature that had appeared.

His memories of the Morenkai from the First Layer weren’t exactly pleasant. They were simplistic monsters, incapable of independent thought.

Or, at least, that was what he had thought.

“Kttthhh… kthhh’kthda. Dt’kttha…” The creature’s voice grumbled out, both incomprehensible and yet also perfectly understandable to the Nirvana Saint.

“You seek an… alliance? Because you were saved by… no… surely not…” The Nirvana Saint stuttered to a halt as he stared at the friendly monstrosity, before quietly muttering to himself.

“Oho. Micheal, Micheal… you are ever full of surprises.”

.. .. .. .. .. ..

Yvvtal the Destroyer blinked as he stared at a large clump of rocks that were obscuring his vision.

‘I’m alive? I thought for sure- ah, wait.’ The Fallen Deity thought back to the moment before he was knocked unconscious.

“Prime. You beautiful bastard, you!” Yvvtal laughed out loud as he smashed the rocks covering him away, emerging from the rubble with a grin. His body was covered in injuries, from broken bones to bloody cuts, but he ignored all of it, excited just to be alive.

‘He definitely did something that kept me alive. Did he stop that fog from touching me? How exactly-’ Yvvtal abruptly came to a stop as he looked around him.

In his immediate surroundings, several dozen humans clad in white were scurrying about, peering through the rubble that had once been the Sanctum. Several of them had turned to face Yvvtal as he emerged, staring at him cautiously.

“Prime?” Yvvtal turned his head from left to right, searching for his companion.

“Oi, Prime, you didn’t just leave me here, did you?!”

.. .. .. .. .. ..

“So…”

In a world frozen in time, Prime looked at the scene around him.

He was invisible, hidden from the naked eye, watching over a touching reunion between two girls and a sizable group of Farian guards. None of them noticed him, but that was only natural.

Every movement he took was now precise enough that even Orion wouldn’t have spotted him.

“The Inheritance of the Soul King.” He muttered, checking over the notebook Micheal had given him.

In it, he found detailed notes explaining each of the ‘Five Gates’ as the man called them, describing their purpose and the ways he could best take advantage of them.

“I suppose it’s worth exploring.” Prime had already conquered one of the Twelve Tombs of the Blue Drakes, he was well aware of the value that an Inheritance on the 2nd Layer could hold.

After a brief moment’s consideration, Prime’s gaze narrowed as he turned towards Fourth Gate.

The Gate of Trials.

“If I enter that, will I be able to fight that man?” Prime muttered.

“Or…”

“Will I have to fight you?”

After a few more seconds of thought…

Prime began to smile.

.. .. .. .. .. ..

“Woah! Careful, Micheal!” Shin teleported next to where Micheal had collapsed, grabbing ahold of him by the shoulder.

“Are you alright?” Shin’s hands trembled as he held on to his best friend, but he did his best to steady the man.

Shin’s body still hadn’t gotten over the shock of such a vast group teleportation. His Soul felt strange, as if he had achieved something special.

‘Is that… the Concept of Strength I felt in Bilt’s Inheritance?’ It had taken a tremendous level of willpower to control his first long-range teleport. His success seemed to have awakened something, letting his Soul touch upon a Concept he had only felt in the Master of Strength’s memories.

“Shin. I’m good.” Micheal stumbled to his feet with Shin’s help, wiping a sheen of sweat off his forehead as he looked over the edge of the floating island.

“He’s gone. The plan worked.” Shin’s best friend let out a long, rasping gasp, his hands shaking from the tension.

Everyone had been nervous about facing that… being, Shin included. Even now, the mere memory of the shockwaves Orion had set off were terrifying.

“Damn straight it worked, Micheal. Never doubted you for a second.” Shin patted Micheal on the back, doing his best to calm his friend down.

“Thanks.” Micheal smiled back at Shin, his grip steadying.

“So. This is the 3rd Layer?” Shin looked up at the sky above him. It was black, like the Void down below.

“No Sun?” There was not a star in the sky.

“No, no Sun.” Micheal shook his head, before dawning a slight smile.

‘Shin, are you trying to comfort me?’ Micheal stared back at his best friend, feeling oddly touched.

The lack of a Sun on the 3rd Layer had always seemed unsettling. It was one of the first things he noticed in the first timeline when he first arrived.

Well, that and the fact that he spawned in over a giant, gaping Void in existence.

If it hadn’t been for his quick thinking in his first life, he would’ve died then and there.

Thankfully, by the time the Great War ended and he moved on to the 3rd Layer, he had come up prepared.

There was a reason Cloud Stepping Shoes became the most popular Artifact on the 3rd Layer.

“Shin. Good job.” Micheal clapped Shin on the back in return.

“We couldn’t have made it here without you.” He gave his best friend a grateful smile.

Shin grinned back.

“Think nothing of it, my man.” Shin waved off the thanks, before turning to look around them, and then back at Micheal.

“Now that we aren’t in danger of dying to a maniacal God-being… what’s a man gotta do on this godforsaken planet to get a drink?”

Shin’s smile widened as Micheal snorted.

“It’s high time you took a break.”

.. .. .. .. .. ..

“The Beasts of Providence have arrived at the entrance to the 4th Layer.”

Constantine Lancaster spoke quietly to himself as he processed the memories passed along by his Seeds.

He sat alone on the 4th Layer, next to the enormous graveyard that housed the corpses of the countless Shadows that had died in his attempt to kill Ashroth.

An attempt that ended in abject failure.

Constantine’s eyes hardened as he looked out at the sea of graves.

“Hold, for now.” His voice was cold, colder than ice, as he spoke aloud, sending commands along the connections he had to his Seeds in the Layers below.

To cross the entire 3rd Layer in a matter of weeks… it was a feat few humans could replicate, let alone a massive group of newly arrived humans.

Yet Constantine had made it happen, courtesy of the immaculate teamwork and foresight his Seeds possessed.

“My Beasts, you all have a new mission… and a new target.” His words echoed softly in the still, gray air.

Ashroth and the other Yil had moved on from the 4th Layer, leaving Constantine and his remaining Seeds behind. Constantine had remained, however, planning his arrival onto the 5th Layer with great care.

“Traces of a Titled Deity have been detected on the 3rd Layer.”

If looks could kill, the cold, madness-tinged hatred that appeared in Constantine’s eyes would’ve ripped apart reality itself.

“Find it.”

On this day, Constantine silently declared war.

“This time…” Constantine’s eyes glowed as he made a promise to himself.

“This time, I will be ready.”

.. .. .. .. .. ..

Orion Thunderfist scoped out the world around him, finding it to be the same as it had the first time he looked.

Pure, utter blackness. Complete nothingness.

No light. No sound. No land. No color.

Nothing.

Not even air itself.

“Maria.” He whispered quietly.

Despite the lack of air, Orion found that, in this strange, pseudo-world, he had no need for air, nor a need for food, or water. He simply existed, suspended in space and time.

“Is this my fate, in the end.” Orion’s voice seemed loud in his ears, and yet, at the same time, strangely quiet.

The Spell Micheal had cast on Orion to send him spiraling down had lost its effectiveness once Orion became trapped in the Void, the energy it was powered by fading away.

“Perhaps it is fitting.”

Memories rose to the forefront of Orion’s Soul as he floated there.

Memories of happiness and joy, from a time long, long ago.

“I have only wrought pain and destruction, ever since that day.”

Orion received no answer to his query, the world remaining blank and empty around him.

“Maria… I know you cannot forgive me.”

Orion Thunderfist slowly closed his eyes…

“But perhaps… I can forget.”

And thought no more.

.