The titan was now down one leg, but that didn’t mean he could relax. After all, this monster was far more capable to do even more damage despite its one leg. It had its trident that could summon lightning bolts and the ballista it could pick up if needed. The battleaxe had its attack that automatically arrived right at the target, which meant they still needed to be careful.
That was something that came into hand as the titan reared back its battleaxe in preparation for an attack. Thinking fast, the Spartan navigated a path for the Spartan to slash off the arm and enacted it immediately.
His associate went from the ground to the air. The man roared as he swung before falling to the ground. Unfortunately, his swipe was not enough to dismember the hand completely, but it was enough for the titan to halt its attack as it stepped backwards with its last good leg. However, it was good enough.
The Crusader did not merely fall to the ground. After all, the Spartan was still able to manipulate paths at this time. He was able to navigate another pathway for the Crusader to go through and at that moment, the man was right on top of the titan’s shoulder.
There was no hesitation. He stabbed right into the neck of the monster, before swiping left and right constantly. And in that instant, the titan’s head came flying down to the ground, a plume of blood erupting from the exposed neck opening.
Yet, that did nothing to make the monster dissolve into dust and bone. No, it still remained as flesh and blood completely, still moving and starting to stab around with its trident in hopes of hitting the Spartan. There was no way for it to be able to do so, as his associate was no longer on the shoulder. No, the man had been navigated back to the ground, behind a bench full of stone statues.
So, his theory was right. There was the one weakness he had to find. Though, the titan still had its defenses up and he still could not scan the body. That was fine.
He wanted to get back at this thing, and letting it die so easily would ruin his revenge. With a huff, he got back to his feet and got back his spear, before moving towards the head. He didn’t need to keep his eyes on the titan and the Spartan anymore, especially with his divinity up and running with all the paths going. His associate could continue to butcher and rip and tear. No, here and now, he had to focus on finding this weakness to bring this battle to an end.
Else, he worried, this thing would regenerate fully and make all of their efforts for naught. No, he had to prevent such an event from occurring. He needed to end this here and now.
So, without further ado, he started to stab with his spear deep into its head over and over. Continuously plunging his weapon deep into the skull and ripping out any and all flesh was truly therapeutic. As he did this, the Crusader went at hand at chopping away at all the other limbs, making sure that there was no way this titan could fight back any longer.
Stab. Stab. Stab. Multiple wounds kept on being opened as the two of them continued to damage the body of this giant. Blood began to pool on the ground as all those open wounds began to bleed profusely. However, no matter how many times they struck, nothing seemed to change.
And yet, that did not stop them. They continued to do their part in destroying every facet of this monster. The Spartan couldn’t make as much progress as the Crusader, considering how little damage his weapon did, but it was still enough.
Eventually, they did it. One of the wounds they made finally ended the titan once and for all. They did not know which of their attacks truly ended this giant, though by the time they were done, it was nothing more than a pile of shredded flesh and blood.
Everything went to dust. All the flesh and blood dissolved into dust once more. The only things that remained were the trident, the shattered bones that laid all across, and a single black sphere that floated in the air.
This was far bigger than all the shards from earlier. Perhaps, just perhaps, this was meant to be the divinity at its most complete form. If he were to take this, then how much stronger would he become? How greater would he become as a warrior if he were to take in this soul?
He reached out towards it, before being stopped by the Crusader’s hand. He turned towards the man, who seemed to shake his head.
“No. Don’t take its soul.”
“What? Why?” The Spartan demanded, “This is something we have earned! This is nothing more than the divinity of your god, scattered across all these monsters by the Usurper to boost the power of his soldiers! We aren’t eating souls at all like you claim, do you understand that?”
“Even then! This is wrong!”
“No! It is the way things should be. Do you truly think we can succeed onwards without taking any advantage we can get? Do you still linger on to this idea of morality, even with the knowledge that your god is dead?”
The Crusader went silent for a few seconds, before giving off a sigh.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“I acknowledge my god is dead. I understand that. However, none of that is necessarily the true reason why I continue to do what I do. By following my morality, I know that I will never be the same as the Usurper. If you were to take in that divinity right now, you would be absorbing that person’s memories and identity, no?”
“Perhaps, perhaps not. I… Look, I do not know myself.” The Spartan groaned, “But this is something that is necessary for further advancement! Do you truly think that continuing onwards, disallowing yourself every advantage, is the best path? Look, you looted that greatsword from earlier, and that allowed us to succeed in our battle! Why do you still cling to this idea of morality?”
“Because it is still the right thing to do. Without our thoughts and morals, what are we in the end?”
The Spartan didn’t really have any words for that. He seemed to try to come up with something to say, only to shake his head.
“Perhaps that is your thought. You may be right. However, I will admit that this is something I will still go through with. If we do not do this, then we are only allowing the enemies forward to win. Understand?”
The Crusader grimaced, before shaking his head.
“Fine. You do need to heal, after all. I will not partake in this event, however. I will only keep an eye out to ensure that no one ambushes us in the middle of your soul-eating.”
He nodded, before moving forward. Without further ado, he went ahead and placed a hand on the sphere in front of him. He swallowed and…
Nothing happened. He felt the shard being absorbed deep into his body, but that meant nothing at all. He could feel power fill his body completely, and his injuries began to heal completely. His bones reset back to its original and full position, before standing upright.
He could feel his divine power reserves fill up once more, and once again, he felt even greater than before. He didn’t know what exactly, but it was amazing.
“Are you done?” The Crusader asked with a hint of disgust in his voice, “Then we best move on to the boss of this tower then, no?”
“Let us go.” With that, the two of them moved forward, none of them saying anything as they moved to the doorway to the next area. The two of them pushed forward and found themselves in the center of the tower.
The entire room was one of opulence and grandeur. The ceiling was tall, so high up that the Spartan could swear there were clouds and stars within. The floors themselves were made of some white and black stone, circling each other in a loop. Then there was the center of this whole room, which held a gigantic chair that seemed to house a single person within.
That person being the woman he had seen in those memories. However, unlike before, where she seemed almost human, now she was almost glued to the seat itself, her flesh bound to the stone that made up the throne. Her face had been messed up completely, with veins that came out of her body and scattered throughout the room.
Her eyes were shut closed, but as they walked closer, they shot open to reveal pure red and black.
“Newcomers? Visitors?” She asked as she looked at the two of them, before grimacing, “No. You are not here for pleasantries. You are… Soldiers of the Fallen One?”
“No, vile wench.” The Crusader spat as he aimed his sword at her, “We are the warriors of the True God, the one who was dethroned by the miserable Usurper. The ones who will bring peace and order to this land once and for all.”
“Oh.” The woman said as she looked down at her body, before giving a slight chuckle. Then, she burst out laughing. “Oh! Ahahah! I see! So you must have killed my guard, all the soldiers, and everything that was put in place to defend me! I see, I see!”
“You seem to be quite pleased by all of that.” The Spartan noticed, “Is this nothing more than amusement to you?”
“Ah, apologies. Truly, I have many words to say. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise.” The woman closed her eyes, before opening them once more with pure glee blatant, “Yes. This is something I may have truly desired all this time.”
“Enough words. If you have something to say, say it now, else I will strike you down here and now.”
“Oh, please, let us not be so rash.” The woman shook her head, “You came here to rid the city of the fog and free it from the Usurper’s grip, no? I can help you.”
“Yes. Of course. The woman in charge of all that can help us deal with the problems she brought upon herself.” The Spartan bluntly stated, “I fail to see how any of this is something you can help us with.”
“You misunderstand,” The woman shook her head, “You see, while I am responsible for the state of this town, that does not mean I am a willing participant. I am strapped to this chair by force, this is not something I am doing by my own will. Do you understand?”
“What I’m understanding is that there aren’t any good reasons so far for us not to kill you here and now.”
“Now now, let me continue,” She shook her head, “You see, if I am able to have some time, perhaps I could reverse everything that has been done. Clear up the fog, give you information on the citizens, maybe even turn the tides so that the monsters are of one mind underneath my control. Everyone wins. I get to screw over the bastard that has put me in such an awful situation, and you are able to save the city once and for all. Isn’t this something that sounds great?”
“And what promise do we have that you won’t renege on this deal? After all, you are someone that is in charge of this town. What reason do we have to not believe you won’t stab us in the back?” The Crusader asked.
“Please. I am not one that would do something as awful as that.” She scoffed, “Please understand, I am a person that believes in doing right with others.”
“Perhaps you may have heard of something called trust? What reason do we have to trust you if you haven’t given us anything to believe your words?”
“Hm. Then let’s do this.” With that, the woman smiled and looked them in the eyes. “Let’s make a deal, shall we? I’ll do my best to dispel the fog here and now, and I’ll even give you an exit. In exchange, all you have to do is leave me alive. Everyone wins, right?”