Blank let out a low sigh as his consciousness returned to his body. There were too many restrictions on the Final Ga to get it to work, but once it did, it was his greatest weapon against other Origins.
First, he had to manually locate the target, and couldn’t simply wish for soone to be entered. For that reason, he had been waiting in Fyor after learning that the Hermit was likely hiding there. He hijacked the mana spire of the primary world, assuming that the Hermit would use it at so point, and designated it as the entry point to a ga lobby. Then, he simply waited.
Every ti soone entered the spire, using the elevator, he ran a fast identification check on them. If they appeared normal, he would send them to their destination. However, when the Hermit appeared, he did not have a proper identity in any registry that Blank had access to. Given his skill level and the fact that he was operating in broad daylight, this made him imdiately suspicious.
Of course, once Blank sensed his Origin power, he was absolutely certain. Blank was familiar with every Origin that had been created thus far, so the only possibility was for this to be one of the invaders. And, according to the reports that he had been receiving, there was only one invading Origin that had yet to be slain.
Thus, the first condition was fulfilled. This allowed him to pull the Hermit into his Final Ga, cutting him off from the source of his power. In truth, the lobby of the Final Ga was in itself a ga. It was a recreation of older virtual reality, from before they had the technology to synchronize powers with the real world. Whether it was the Hermit or Blank, neither of them would have any of their normal power.
This fulfilled the second condition, being able to face the opponent on equal footing. The third condition was one that was only likely to work consistently against invaders. That was his choice of ga, X-3. X-3 used his old favorite magic system, Binary Magic, or Arcanobinary. This was the sa magic type that existed in Fragnts of Acidia, still one of the most popular online gas in the world. If Blank were to pull a native into X-3, he ran the risk of them being proficient in this magic system, allowing them to counter his strategy.
Finally, to prevent the Hermit from imdiately leaving his castle to try and set out with his troops, Blank took his ti to explain the rules. He did so in a way that intentionally made it seem like he was going to be playing a long ga. This would cause his opponent to beco anxious. Knowing the rules would an that he was likely to stay in his castle, but it also ant that he would operate under the assumption that Blank would not go for an imdiate win.
All in all, every step of his plan was a gamble. If the Hermit had taken his ti to study the gaming culture of this world, and hadn’t been in such a rush, it could have possibly ended with Blank being the one defeated. The Origin of Gas let out a long sigh, closing his eyes and sending a ssage to Tsubaki. It’s over, the Hermit has been slain.
However, there was no imdiate response, causing a sense of unease to arise within Blank.
Chelsea grit her teeth, commanding nurous turrets to open fire. I knew it was too easy. She cursed inwardly, firing at another universe that had transford into a giant eye-like monster. After the initial volley, the various universes of the Thousand Eyes Guild had begun to transform, turning into tic monsters that unleashed various attacks towards Chelsea.
So of them caused her turrets to malfunction, or rust away, and so were completely useless. However, the fact that more and more of these monsters kept appearing provided sense of crisis to the kitsune Origin. Any one of these monsters, if left unchecked, could turn its attention to the other universes and run rampant. No matter what, she had to keep their attention on her, and eliminate them before that could happen.
How many lives have you guys already sacrificed to create these weapons? She scread in her head, blasting apart another monster monts after it appeared. Thankfully, a universe that was transford into a tic monster lost the systems that protected it.
Still, between controlling the various turrets, tracking every universe, containing the tic fires still rampaging on the World Tree, and containing the main tic eye monster, Chelsea’s powers were being stretched thin. I’d call Philia if I could, but she’s not well-suited for void battles. I’ll need to remind my other self to give her so lessons on that.
As she thought about that, sothing shifted within the void, catching Chelsea’s attention. Worried that it may have been a monster sneaking up on her, she turned one of her turrets in that direction. However, what she saw was a familiar felyn, holding her stomach as black blood poured from her eyes. Give a target to attack! The Origin of Fate hissed ntally. Hurry! I can’t hold it in any longer!
Chelsea didn’t know what was going on. Why had Terra’s energy suddenly run rampant like this? However, there was no ti to consider that. She had to decide the most appropriate target in an instant. Without saying anything, she pointed at the massive eye monster, held within the information barrier.
With a firm nod, Terra flew towards the barrier, Chelsea dropping it at the last mont. Then, Terra’s face suddenly relaxed, a smile blooming on her face. Black cracks covered her body, spreading over every inch of her skin, until a violent eruption shook the void. Chelsea was thrown back by the blast, her concentration on the various barriers faltering.
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What…? She asked, confused. She was utterly stunned, not sure what just happened. Or why it just happened. Was this so sick joke? Out of nowhere, Terra self-destructed?
It wasn’t until several monts later that she realized that her barriers had fallen. Eyes wide, she turned to look at the World Tree, seeing it and its branch worlds engulfed in tic flas. Seriously, what is going on!? She scread internally, summoning her turrets again to open fire at the Thousand Eyes worlds.
I sat… shocked at the black scorch mark on the ground before , my eyes trembling. I couldn’t really make out what had happened. One minute, everything was fine. Tsubaki reported that Blank had captured the Hermit, and dispatched an avatar to journey to Fyor. If Blank wasn’t able to kill the Hermit in ti, Tsubaki’s avatar would be able to kill his defenseless body.
Then, out of nowhere, black flas erupted from Terra’s body, and she began to scream in pain. Her eyes went pitch black, viscous fluid leaking from them. The ground around her feet was scorched black, and she tore open a portal to the void, shattering the defenses that had been put in place around Olympus.
Everyone in the room looked on in horror, unable to comprehend what was going on. Soon, Dana’s face paled, her eyes wide, and I clenched my fists. I knew what she had seen from that expression, but I didn’t want her to say it.
The first to speak, however, was Tsubaki. “It… it looks like Blank has slain the Hermit.” She said, her tone uncertain.
That was when it hit . Suddenly, I knew what had happened. At that mont, I realized just how big of an idiot I had been. All this ti, I had been hoping for Terra to be promoted to a true Origin upon the Hermit’s death, but I had forgotten her status.
Terra was a System Companion. The system did not allow her to manage her own world. By definition, this extended to the nature of an Origin. Terra had even said herself that she had expected her first fusion attempt with the twins to result in a cataclysmic explosion. Now that she had been on the verge of truly obtaining an Origin’s power, it seed that was exactly what had happened.
I fell back into my chair, my shoulders sagging. She can cultivate another incarnation. I assured myself, closing my eyes. However, while that was true, the twins themselves were gone. Whatever incarnation Terra created next, it wouldn’t be them.
The world suddenly felt a lot more dim as the weight of that realization dawned on . I couldn’t help but look up towards the ceiling, thinking to myself. Did you know that this was going to happen as soon as you saw that an Origin of Fate was among the enemies? I thought to myself, as if Terra’s main body could hear in the Admin Room.
No matter what happened, there was no way for us to win this fight without the twins dying. They would either die in battle against the Hermit, or detonate after the Hermit was defeated. Or worse, if the Hermit surrendered and we accepted it, they would be killed and absorbed into his inner universe.
There was no way to get out of it. No way to stop the Terra twins from dying. My fists clenched, and I felt my energy boiling over. I couldn’t help but think back to my first battle with Sanction, and how Leowynn had died as a result.
In the back of my mind, I could hear the chair creaking and cracking beneath , but at this point I was too far gone to care. I wanted to hit sothing. I wanted to hit sothing hard.
It was only my last strand of rationality that kept from running into the void and unleashing hell on the Thousand Eyes Guild worlds. The knowledge that I would only be a burden to Chelsea, unable to fully protect myself from tic attacks like an Origin could. The ring that Dana gave would only help so much.
“Dale.” Alena’s gentle voice spoke up, causing to open my eyes and look over. Looking at everyone, I could see that I was not the only one affected by this. Despite having always taken a hands-off approach, Irena’s incarnation had an icy expression on her face. “May I please have my pen back?”
I hesitated briefly, before relenting and summoning Irena’s pen, handing it to her incarnation. She accepted it gratefully, and took a deep breath. Standing in the center of the room, her divinity began to surge, flowing into the pen.
Chelsea, share your sight with . An unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke into Chelsea’s mind as she destroyed another tic monster.
A little busy right now! She responded, gritting her teeth.
Do it anyway. The voice carried an icy tone. I’ll make your job easier.
With a disgruntled sigh, Chelsea relented, sharing her vision of the battlefield with the strange voice. The connection only lasted for a mont after the vision was shared, before it was cut off from the other end.
That’s enough. The voice said, and Chelsea had no idea what was going on. She kept firing, until suddenly, she felt a chill run down her spine.
The void was… changing. Darkness congealed behind the worlds of the Thousand Eyes Guild, rising and turning into a tangible cloak of shadows. Within the hood of the cloak was a white skull, bony hands extending from the sleeves. This shadow was large enough to surround the entire cluster of universes with its hands.
Startled, Chelsea analyzed the being, finding it to be a tic construct, one of massive proportions. All living beings must die. The dead will rise. The dead will hate. The dead will hunger. Until all becos still, none shall survive.
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