Hmm. Is this where he moved his temple?

I wish I could've asked Pride. Except, he won't talk to me for some reason. Martissa gave me 37 different locations! She might no longer be called Deception, but she's no less of a douche than she ever was.

Go figure it was the 17th. I started at the end and went backward; I got three extra locations for distrusting her. Dooouche!

"... Jusssssstice. ..."

"... What, you jackass? ..."

"... I forgot to tell you, he DIDN'T remove the portals. Oops! My bad. ..."

Doooouche! Why did I believe her?!

"... My name isn't Justice anyway, I'm going back to my old name: Harilon. ..."

"... You still embody Justice, Hydrilon. ..."

"... You all seem to be doing well, so I'm gonna ask Chronovoid to change my species. ..."

"... Even though he killed everyone else? ..."

"... They got what was coming to them. I told them what they were doing was a fool's errand. Also, my name isn't Hydrilon. ..."

"... Whatever you say, Hydration. Thirsty gal. ..."

OH. MY. GOD.

She's worse as a dragon than as a fox!

HOW?!

I ignore all of her many subsequent messages. However, the mental chat keeps bugging me nonstop, so I turn it off entirely.

Sheesh. What's her deal?

I cautiously approach the Chronovoid Temple, looking for any defensive mechanisms.

None? Is he that trusting?

"No, I'm not. I'm simply strong enough to dismiss the concept of active defense."

Hah?!

I swing around. An extremely large dragon is towering over me. Wow. He's more impressive than Pride.

"Hey— Chronovoid! It's me, Justice!"

"I was under the impression you died in the attack a little while ago."

"Nope! I tried to contact you and Pride through the chat, but it didn't work. I could only get Deception for some reason. I mean, Martissa."

"Why didn't you join them?"

"I'm Justice. I didn't join them in releasing the Abyssals, either. I merely played along to sate their idiotic need to... Self-destruct. I didn't want to drag myself down with them."

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"Is it 'just' to deceive people who believe they're doing the right thing?"

"It's 'just' to do what's right, no matter the method. Of course, the method itself must be right, since the ends can't justify the means. Only offset them. In this case? I was weaker than them and at their mercy. Playing along is therefore 'just' to the victim, myself."

He nods.

"You know your virtue better than the others."

"I went on a moral crusade once and learned the hard way. Moral righteousness isn't necessarily justice— or even sane. It's merely someone imposing their idea of proper behavior on others. Whether right or wrong."

"Is that why Justice is a hydra, of all things?"

He brought up my species. Darn. I hope he's not anti-hydra.

"Justice takes many forms. Like injustice, you can chop off one head, but another will soon grow in its place. We often forget that good and evil are two sides of the same coin! They share many similar attributes."

"Was your original form a hydra?"

"Yes! Virtue and sin bodies don't completely change; some aspects of their existence are twisted. My scales are super-strong for a hydra, and my regeneration is also enhanced. However, I've become slow to react to attacks, and I'm also weak to insidious corruption magic. I'm a lot heavier, too, which I think is where the whole 'scales of justice' bit comes from. My job is to avoid tipping those scales by being just, so my weight is a reminder of the difficulty of my task."

"Then, Martissa?"

"She originally wasn't a bipedal fox. She was a normal, domesticated dog."

"Hraw! That explains so much."

"What? How so?"

"She made herself look like a pinecone. It was probably her favorite chew toy."

I don't know what to say to that. Luckily, I don't have to, because Chronovoid continues talking.

"Well, do you want to come on in?"

"May I?"

"I was checking if you were the real Justice."

"Am I?"

"Nope. You've got a modified Will leech manipulating you. I was distracting you while I figured out who did it."

"Uhm, what? Chronovoid, I don't know what you mean."

"Gluttony's gonna get a real stern visit. You head on in— I've killed it. You're back to being the real Justice."

O-oh... Kay then.

"... Justice! You're back! ..."

"... Pride, it's you! Why wouldn't you— ..."

"... You were being mind-controlled. My god figured the only reason you'd solely talk to Martissa is because someone was forcing you. ..."

"... Well, she IS a douche. ..."

image [https://timjames.net/data/acd/images/156.png]

I enter the temple through a portal on the outside. The portal says 'Airlock' above it. I'm not sure what that means.

I suddenly notice my body has somehow scaled up. Hydras don't grow like dragons. How did he do this?

I see a dragon who's smaller than Chronovoid, but he's still impressive. This must be the 'Dracosect' Pride mentioned.

He walks over and greets me warmly.

"Ah, Justice! Welcome!"

We hydras rarely feel welcomed. By anyone. Thanks, Dracosect.

"Call me Harilon. Nice to finally meet you, Dracosect! I've heard a lot about you from Pride."

"Harilon, then. Oh ho, even Pride extols my greatness! This, I am exceedingly proud to hear!"

"He mostly complained how Chronovoid considers you a better fighter. To a dragon, I suppose that's high praise."

"He's still trying to beat me, Justice! One hundred seventeen to zero."

"Jeez, I had no idea it was so lopsided."

"My god has faith in me! I must fight righteously in his name! I must never tarnish his glory!"

Fight righteously, huh?

"May I fight you? I'm not a dragon, but—"

"Of course. You'll be at a disadvantage as a hydra, though. I won't go any easier!"

"I hope you'll take it up a notch, actually. You might find me tougher than a dragon."

"Unlikely! We dragons have evolved closer to perfection under our god's guidance! Even dragons outside of Chronovoid's personal care have grown greatly in fitness and intellect, if not necessarily in raw power. He's truly a god who considers what's best for his kind. For a dragon? There is no greater gift than elevating their grand existence yet further."

Uh. He can DO that? Change an entire species? Dragons were already strong, too. Sheesh!

"I'll give it a go anyway. I'm considering joining your family; I'd like a teaser."

"Your noble form SHALL grace the arena floor."

"Noble what now?"

"Ah. I mean, you're going dooown."

"Ooh, fun!"