John disliked having his business, shameful business he wanted no one else to know of, aired in front of others, especially when one of those others was a man his former wife had lain with. In this specific case, it gave him time to plot and plan. But hearing the story told out loud filled him with anger all over again, and he spoke up to fix the lies Lilly told or to fill in the parts she wanted ignored. Both Amber and Hubaba chimed in with questions too.

The looks of pity directed at John filled him with more anger and resentment and made him feel even littler and lower. He needed no one’s pity. He just needed to fulfill his vows, end the invasions, and be left alone by everyone trying to twist him up and break his mind and spirit.

When Lilly finished the story, Yan looked at John and said, “Again, Elder Brother, my sincerest apologies for my part in this tale. I truly am sorry. I don’t know how you tolerate the sight of her. You’re a far more forgiving man than I am.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up, Yan,” snapped out Lilly. “I remember how you looked at me. How you drooled over me. Lying piece of shit. Why’re you being such a dick? Oh, wow, a Salt! I made the fourth Tree twice, cocksucker. Why don’t you tell Adon how you were raised? A little perfumed prince with soft girl-hands and a super-rich daddy. Fucking pampered little bitch.”

The eyes of Yan bored into Lilly with murderous intent. “You’re lucky I have so much respect for my elder brother. And that my circle wants all our kind alive.”

Lilly’s eyes bored right back into Yan’s. “I’m so scared! Kill me, pussy. I’ll only lose seven years. When I find you in my next body, I’ll bite your little dick off and shove it right up your ass. I won’t kill you though. Not right away. Not until after I kill everyone you care about and make you watch. Just try me.

“I know my husband far better than you. I know demons far better than you do too. You haven’t dragged my husband through your portal because you can’t fail. Pressure’s on, isn’t it, fuckface? If he doesn’t go willingly, he’s useless and as good as dead. If you want my help, you better stop being such a dick.”

The staring contest continued for a tense moment before Yan looked at John again and said, “This Betrayal, I think I see him when I rank up and ascend. A giant monster in front of a sun, with runed-eyes and a vertical mouth?”

John nodded his head. Lilly said, “Why am I the only one that doesn’t see our master when I rank up? Maybe it only happens in terran bodies? I guess I’ll find out after puberty.”

Looking at Lilly with disgust, John said, “You called me your husband. Do not call me that again. I am not your husband.”

“I know,” said Lilly, a sad look on her face. “But you will be again. And soon. Once you see how hard I work at being a good wife, the wife you always wanted, you’ll be too happy and content to hold any resentment. We’ll look back and laugh at all the silly stuff I did in the past and you’ll know for certain I’ll never do any of it again. We’ll be so happy together.”

Rage filled John's heart. “Silly? For over a thousand years you made me an ignorant cuckold! You betrayed me in a thousand ways! You made me low and little and no man at all. Silly! I should take your head for even saying such. And the sick way you killed so many innocents. It sickens me. You sicken me.”

Yan interrupted Lilly’s response. “I can’t allow it, Elder Brother. They’ll want her too.”

“Adon, you’ll see. The sins of my last body, that’s all in the past. Ask Amber how differently she thinks as a demon. The chemicals in my brain were all screwy. I’m good in this body. I’m not waiting ten years to have my husband back. You’ll forgive me. I know it.”

John laughed. After hearing all his shame shared with others, he was too angry to stick to Sunshine’s plan and said, “I’ll never forgive you. Forgiveness of such is not in my nature.”

Tears trickled down Lilly’s cheeks. “You’ll see. You’ll be so happy you’ll forget all about being mad at me. Forget there’s anything to forgive me for. Easy-breezy. It’ll be perfect. Everything’ll be perfect.”

John hated that seeing Lilly cry made his heart yearn to comfort the woman he had loved for so long. That he couldn’t stop loving. He turned back to Yan and the look of pity in the Salt’s eyes enraged him. Why does fate want so badly for me to break? I won’t, thought John.

After taking a calming breath, John said, “So, now you know. You all know my shame. What a fool I am. How low I am. We’re still at the same impasse. Hearing the fool’s tale didn’t change that. All of you can end those looks of pity. I need none of it.

“Since there’s so little left in me to shame, I’ll roll the bones on the fate of this world. Why not? Why not give up what little honor I have left? Here’s the deal. You all want me to sign this contract. I’ll sign without even reading it. I’ll give you all what you want. The last shred of anything good left within me. It’s yours. But not for free.

“So, Brother, you claim nothing on this planet can hurt you. I think I can. Let me get one hit. My best hit. If you can take it, I’ll sign. You seem a better friend to have than these sirens that want nothing more than for me to be no man at all. Not you Hubaba. I’m sorry to say it seems everyone’s given up on you, friend. Including yourself.”

The pity that filled Yan’s eyes made John want to kill him. Only for a moment, as John thought the man was a decent and honorable sort.

Yan softly and compassionately said, “Elder Brother, I’ll do this. But not for the contract alone. I want you to agree to let me help you once we’re in the NetherRealm. I’ll show you life can be enjoyed again. It pains me to see you this way. And I don’t want to walk this path alone when I could walk it with my elder brother.

“You’re strong for a Bronze, but I’m peak Empty, and strong for my tier too. I’m sorry to say there’s no path to victory for you. I will only defend myself with an essence-shield. If your attack incapacitates me, fairly and objectively, I will go back through the portal a failure. I swear on my honor. Now swear on your own.”

John wanted to argue against the essence-shield but let it go. He rose from the ground and held his hand out. “The little of it I have left, I hold dear, and I swear on it.”

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Hands were shaken and then the brothers bowed to one another as the many lights curving out of Lilly’s ball flickered, diminished, then petered out. Lilly collected the ball in silence and went back to sit near Amber and Hubaba.

John walked some distance away from the group. He beckoned for Yan to stand in front of him. He checked his dantian. It was about three-quarters full. He didn’t want to push his luck with Yan, so he didn’t apply any buffs to himself. He thought about taking off his band of suffering necklace but decided to leave it on for the same reason.

Yet again, I’m alone while surrounded by friends, thought John. The farmer popped into his mind, having little will to live and little to live for.

John knew he had one chance. Just like the island stuck between Sparta and Athenai, he too was stuck between two greater powers. He too rejected the ultimatum he was given. He calmed his heart and focused. If this was to be his end, he was determined to make his father proud of him.

Having lived a long time, John had suffered through much. He believed he had a strong will. Not long ago, before he learned of his great shame and what a fool he was, he would’ve said none had stronger. He drew on all that will, along with all that caused him to suffer throughout his long life, all that caused his current suffering too. In his head, he raised his angry fist at fate and yelled out “You didn’t break me! Not yet! I’m still standing!”

All John’s hate and pain and disappointment and heartache and confusion and fear were infused into his will and supplemented his effort. He attained the state he learned how to enter into when fighting Ukaraaz, his battle-mind. He looked down upon himself from above and was disappointed at the man he saw. He used that as fuel too. He corrected how he was breathing with [Breath of the Serpent Clan Endless Technique]. He adjusted how he was cycling with [Turmoil Within Tranquility Cycling Technique].

During his time in the pocket plane, John wasn’t able to create an [Ultimate] since the spell needed a living target. Testing one on Amber would’ve been far too dangerous. The last and only [Ultimate] he cast was a bad version of one, but it still incapacitated the terrible shadows in New York. Rare dark ones. Golds, three tiers below Yan. He was a Copper at the time, and he had different concepts and essence. He had better ones now. And he had put a lot of practice and thought into creating an [Ultimate].

Every time John meditated, he thought on the [Ultimate] he would create. He spent countless hours in the pocket plane thinking of what it would do and how, exactly, he would cast it. He practiced casting it up to release, as far as he could take it. He could have a faster casting [Ultimate], but the faster it cast the weaker it would be.

John always thought he would cast the [Ultimate] when surrounded by enemies, so his was an area of effect spell centered on himself. It was too late to change that. The only issue was how long it took for the manifestation to complete. He knew it would take some time, but since he was given a free hit, time wasn’t an issue.

First, John pulled mightily on his ‘leech’ concept – the manifestation would take everything from his enemies. Then he layered ‘blood’ into it – his mightiest concept, allowing him some control over his enemies. Next, ‘battle’ was infused into it – he was born for war. Then went ‘shadow’ – as Sunshine wrote to him, he was drowning in darkness. ‘Change’ was twisted into the manifestation – he would change his fate with this [Ultimate]. Last went ‘protection’ – he wanted the manifestation to act as a trap as he took everything from his foes, and it had to be protected from ending and his enemies escaping.

[Ultimates] were always a single cast. All or nothing. Everything within a cultivator went into casting it. One cast. John forced and twisted all the essence within himself. All his indomitable will. He forced and twisted and built it up and saw a look of worry on Yan’s face.

The [Ultimate] was released. A cascade of multicolored light first enveloped John before expanding out five paces or so. Within the field of light were glowing particles extending up from the ground. Once the glowing particles hit the top of the field, they quickly moved along the side and back to the ground to rise up again.

John’s dantian was completely emptied and his knees buckled as he started to collapse to the ground, the unconsciousness caused by an empty dantian summoning him. The essence-shield of his armor activated. He heard Yan scream in pain as the glowing particles destroyed the Salt’s essence-shield and tore into him, the same lights that also tore painfully into John, but to a much lesser extent. It was his own manifestation, and those glowing particles were bringing him what they had taken from Yan.

Essence rushed back into John’s dantian at the same time vital essence and all that made up Yan rushed into him as well, healing him some and staving off unconsciousness. A message flashed saying his auto-heal was on cooldown. He pushed essence into his bracer to activate that essence-shield and immediately started casting the [Ultimate] again.

[Ultimates] were always a single cast. All or nothing. Everything within a cultivator went into casting it. One cast.

John had created a multicast [Ultimate], a feat only his ‘leech’ concept made possible. As best he could, ignoring the pain that tore through his body, the bouts of unconsciousness that threatened to overwhelm him, he continued to cast.

Yan’s hands left his body, turned into giant hands, and pushed and banged against the field while the vampire screamed in agony. He was trapped. They both were.

The next casting was built up enough to release. John released it. His legs buckled for a moment before more essence flowed into his dantian. He wasn’t sure how much. Enough to cast again.

Yan fell to his knees, screaming madly, then collapsed prone, wriggling around as he screamed. The Salt’s feet disjoined from his body and joined his hands in beating on the field that entrapped him. The glowing particles continued to bore into him. Into John too, feeding him.

The third casting was released. John couldn’t stop himself from collapsing. He just couldn’t keep his feet even as some essence rushed back into his dantian. He could feel it wasn’t much essence without checking. The pain his own manifestation caused helped him stay conscious.

John screamed along with Yan. He knew there was nothing else he could do but wait it out and hang onto life. He assumed Yan would live. Salts had to be very durable.

John hoped his brother would keep his word and admit defeat. Admit that John won. They wouldn’t travel as companions now, but who knew what the future had in store? One day they could walk together, brothers, side by side.

With all his willpower, John held onto consciousness as he screamed. Finally, the first field faded away. Later, the second did too. Then, finally, the third. Relief flooded him. He was alive. Looking with his orb-eye, he saw his brother was alive too, but incapacitated, unconscious.

The victorious smile that started to form on John’s mouth froze as he saw a laser beam tear a large chunk out of Yan’s face.

“Now,” yelled Lilly. Purple scythes dug into Yan as more laser beams tore out chunks of his neck. A mighty beam of red essence turned a large area of Yan’s chest into mush and sent a spray of bloody mist into the air.

“Hold,” yelled Lilly. She ran to Yan and started to drink of the Salt. John tried to call out but only managed a pathetic murmur. Lilly still heard and looked towards John. “Humbaba, drag John over here,” she ordered. “There’s plenty of vital essence for you too, sweety.”

Greatly distraught, John tried to yell for Lilly to stop. He had given his word. Yan was his brother. Yan was a good man, and honorable. Yan gave his word too. They both did. John won. Lilly needed to stop. He only managed to mumble incoherently as he was dragged to his dying brother.

John’s face was placed on a wound. He refused to take of his brother. Not in this way. Not after giving his word. He let anger fuel him. He managed to turn his head towards his former wife while partially lifting himself up. He yelled out, “Stop!” As he prepared to rise and stop her, Lilly lifted her bloody mouth from Yan. Her arm snaked around the back of John’s head.

With her eyes sparkling and her bloody mouth grinning, Lilly giggled as John’s mind blanked.