"There's no guarantee it'll turn out that way, but yes, it is plausible," Izu sighed. "In anticipation for that, I think we should inform the GPA as well as the prominent guilds to help distribute and break the news to the public. It's going to cause a lot of chaos, but if we prepare ourselves and formulate a united front, we might stand a chance."

"United front... wait, did any of you guys choose a faction to join?" I asked the other three.

"Er... I got sidetracked and forgot to choose one," Seth admitted, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

"For me, I chose to refrain. Helianthus is powerful enough that we do not need the aid of an outside faction," Ophelia said with a shrug, her eyes flicking towards Seth. "But I do wonder what might have been possible."

"I follow Jethro's orders, so I as well as a majority of Noble's members have refrained from choosing," Izu spoke up, her gaze on me. "What of you?"

"I also decided not to join," I said, feeling a little better about my decision in light of theirs. "I figured I'd play it by ear, see where the chips fell."

The others murmured their agreement. I refrained from sharing my thoughts with them, since I still wasn't sure about all the factions and how they tied into the new development of the World Raid. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I turned my attention back to Lodian. "So, what do we do about this guy?"

Izu studied the struggling General, her expression thoughtful. "We need to explain the situation to him, convince him that we're not the enemy."

I stiffened. "Wait... Lodian was designated as the second boss of the Lambda Sector..."

Seth suddenly glanced down at the ground. Ophelia had a mask of composure while Izu made a grim face.

"I'm well aware of that, Luquier. Still, I had hoped it wouldn't come to that," Izu replied, her grip on Lodian's arm tightening slightly as he began to stir. It seemed like his mind was returning.

I glanced at the system message, There were no other instructions other than to survive the World Raid and defeat the second boss. With everything the others and I experienced so far, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume there were hidden quests lying in wait. But as it stood right now, there was a good chance we couldn't progress if we didn't kill Lodian.

I didn’t have to say it out loud for the others to understand my dilemma. The silence hung heavily between us as the reality of our situation sank in. The system was turning out to be more brutal than any of us anticipated.

Izu made the first move, her eyes glowing with a radiant yellow light. I felt every hair on my body stand on end from the sheer pressure she emanated.

"I imagine that their world was well aware of ours, and perhaps countless other worlds," Izu began, looking down at Lodian. "Safe to assume that despite that, they chose to continue inflicting pain on ours instead of seeking a more peaceful option."

As Lodian's consciousness slowly returned, his eyes focused on us. His expression was unreadable, a mix of confusion and wariness. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he struggled against the spectral chains.

"Easy, big guy, we're not here to fight," I said calmly, hoping to ease the tension. "We need to talk."

"What more is there to talk about? You've seen my memories, you know my loyalty to Galvania," Lodian spat through gritted teeth. The spectral chains around him tightened slightly in response to his struggle.

"Why would you go that far for a kingdom that's just going to throw you away?" Seth spoke up, his voice surprisingly calm given the tension in the air. "You're more than just a weapon to be used and discarded, Lodian."

"Say what you will, but Galvania has given me purpose, when I had nothing. The king saw potential in me," Lodian's voice was strained, but firm. "I am a weapon, a tool. And as long as that purpose holds, I will serve."

Even though I was looking at a real person, I felt detached from the whole situation. In the back of my mind, I saw Lodian as merely a collection of pixels that could be defeated in a game. But this wasn't a game, and his unyielding loyalty was something I wasn't too sure on how to deal with. At least, through talking.

"Well, this is a pickle," Seth finally broke the silence, scratching his neck. "What do we do with him?"

Silent, I gripped my Soultaker tightly and stepped up to the kneeling General. Seth grew quiet as he watched me, Ophelia and Izu falling in place. We didn't have to say it to know what we were all thinking.

Learning that Lodian's world had a chance to not invade us meant that they willingly chose the path of war, which didn't sit well with me. It was clear that he was adamant on siding with Galvania no matter what, and the way he seriously tried to kill us left no room for doubt. Even Izu, who had read his mind, didn't speak up about not killing him, further cementing my decision.

"Anyone else rather do this instead of me?" I dryly asked. Seth and Ophelia glanced at each other, a silent conversation passing between them. Izu remained composed, her chains still binding Lodian's form.

"If you have any hesitation, I can make it quick," she offered, her voice still calm despite the tension in the air. "But we need to decide soon. Who knows what other surprises the World Raid might have for us."

"That's... fine by me," I grunted, steeling my resolve as I raised my blade. "Any last words?"

Lodian looked up, his eyes filled with resentment and determination. "Tell... tell all you know, that Galvania never meant to ally with the likes of monsters or supernatural beings. We were forced into this by our own weakness." His voice grew hoarse, a tear trickling down his cheek. "If there is a way to end this without bloodshed, I implore you, please, take it."

I clenched my jaw and nodded. Then, I used my pendant to temporarily absorb nearly all of my clone's stats, almost doubling my own. I Linked my Strength stat to the Soultaker's damage, which gave me enough points to outnumber his Health, and swung it down on Lodian.

I expected to feel something, anything, other than a sense of fulfillment as the blade cleaved through Lodian’s body. Just like Muriel and Lazarus, his blood ran crimson as I slew him. I should have felt sorrow or something similar. He was a pawn in this game, forced into a battle he probably didn’t understand for reasons beyond his control.

Then again, so were we. In the world we lived in now, we couldn't afford the luxury of mercy for those who would bring us harm. We had to survive, and I was pretty sure Lodian knew that going into this. It sucked to think that even though Lodian's world was the one that invaded first, we were probably signing them to doom by turning the tide of the World Raid.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The Soultaker grew slightly heavier in my hands, but I wasn't going to let that shake me. Maybe it was the fact that I had died countless times in Sephera's tower, or that I had become desensitized to swinging my blade around, but whatever the case was, I wasn't feeling much guilt.

Lodian's body crumpled to the ground, a lifeless heap of armor and flesh. The chains around him evaporated, and I watched as a blue light grew around his corpse. A moment later, it disappeared, leaving only his sword and armor behind. That was new. When I had slain the villagers in Skalyt's dungeon or Muriel, their bodies didn't vanish like that. It was probably because Lodian wasn't a Player of this world, or maybe it was part of the World Raid mechanic. Either way, it was morbidly interesting to note.

Izu let out a sigh, her eyes on the vanished light. "His death is unfortunate, but necessary," she said softly. "We've gained valuable information and averted a significant threat."

[System alert: Lambda Sector has completed the World Raid.]

[Rankings (Western Hemisphere): ]

[1. Epsilon Sector]

[2. Iota Sector]

[3. Omega Sector]

[4. Theta Sector]

[5. Lambda Sector]

I raised an eyebrow at the new rankings. With the Epsilon Sector still in first place, I assumed that that was probably where Nephilim was. But I was more surprised at the fact that wherever the Phi Sector was, they had been bumped out of the rankings. I hoped they didn't run into any trouble they couldn't handle. As far as the others and I knew, the second bosses of the World Raid were different for every region.

The clamor around us became more frantic as the invaders were suddenly weakened, their numbers dwindling as their second boss disappeared. The portals that had brought them here were beginning to close, leaving behind a scene of chaos and destruction. What had initially been a state of panic for us quickly turned into a grim sense of victory- at least, for the ones who with me and knew the truth.

"Well... that was unexpected," Seth murmured as we watched the last of the invaders disappear into the closing portals. "Who knew that they were from another world, and a medieval one at that?"

Behind all the revelations I learned about, I felt a hint of excitement bubbling within me. Sure, it was kind of messed up for me to feel so eager to explore new mechanics of the game, but if I had to be honest with myself, I was a gamer at heart, and this was the kind of shit gamers dreamed about. Besides, I had never gotten this far in the original 'Last Stand', so this was all new to me.

The four of us stood in silence, the dust from the battle slowly settling around us. The once bustling streets of the city looked like a war zone. Buildings lay in ruins, the cobblestone paths cracked and broken, the smell of burnt metal and flesh hanging heavily in the air.

[System alert: Lambda Sector will now be restored...]

"Oh, that's convenient," I murmured, watching the system message fade away. The world around us began to rumble and shake slightly. "So, does this mean we're about to get a cleanup crew?"

I watched as broken pieces of debris floated up and began to put themselves back together.

"Oh, never mind, then..."

Izu turned to the three of us, clasping her hands together. "It appears that the worst of the World Raid has passed. If that is the case, then can I trust the three of you to take care of things here in the Lambda Sector?"

Ophelia nodded solemnly. "We'll handle the aftermath, Abyss Walker."

Seth cracked a smile. "Yeah, we've got this. Plus, I've always wanted to see a world rebuild itself before my eyes."

Izu nodded in approval before she vanished before our eyes, leaving us to our tasks. The city looked eerie but cool with its glowing blue lines snaking around, repairing everything from the ground up.

"Er... I'm gonna go back to the GPA building," I told them, wondering how my sister and the others were doing after the completion of the World Raid in our sector. Then I remembered that I had left the majority of my specters there. "Give me a call if you guys need me."

"We'll be fine," Ophelia assured, her eyes still on the horizon as the last remnants of the portals dissipated. "Just make sure to stay safe."

"Aw, come on, Ophie, Luquier's just as strong as we are. He can handle himself," Seth said, slapping me on the back. His confidence in me was surprising, considering the fact that I had basically just speedran my way to power and never fought alongside him until now.

Wait a minute. I did a double-take at the fact that Seth called Ophelia 'Ophie', and not by her name or her Title. I shot him a slightly questioning look, but the dude was completely oblivious. "Thanks, Seth," I replied awkwardly, turning away from them and heading back to the GPA.

----------------------------------------

When I got back, I saw that the others had more or less made it through the onslaught of invaders from the other world. Levius and his clones nodded at me as I rejoined with the group.

"Dude! What happened over there?" Tommy asked as soon as I was back. For the most part, he didn't seem too worse for wear, aside from a few new cuts and bruises.

Celine, Aurora, and Gigi came up to us with varying expressions of worry, confusion, and grimness. Behind them were my specters; Lumiro and Sevira hung behind while Skalyt seemed a bit displeased that I had survived. The Grudge awkwardly pulsed in the back, unsure of what to do about the Players that surrounded and gawked at it.

"Hey guys. The good news is, we finished the World Raid. The bad news... well, let's just say it's complicated," I began, trying to find the words to explain the situation without losing them.

Understandably, they were shocked to learn that the invaders were not just mindless mobs but actual Players from another world, coerced into playing the role by the system. I told them my thoughts on the system potentially giving the same choices to us, and the silence that followed was heavy.

Gigi cleared her throat. "So... choosing a faction was really the system's way of giving us a hint for what's to come later? I noticed that some of the factions had bonuses and weaknesses against each other."

"Maybe," I shrugged. "I think that the option of choosing factions was to prepare for the next phase of the game."

I recalled my encounters with the beings that weren't quite full NPCs. Bathalt's words came to me, along with his request- well, more of a warning, of not to become hostile towards him after clearing the 50th floor. That and not utilizing his specter if I ever got the chance to kill him.

It clicked that he didn't outright nudge me to choose the Demon faction back then. Only that I didn't turn against them. Did he know that I was going to remain neutral or was he just trying to test me?

I rubbed my temples as my brain began to spin with the implications of what we had just learned. The thought of our world becoming invaders, of other worlds suffering the same fate, was overwhelming. I had initially thought it was just my world that had been converted into a cosmic playground for the beings who created the game, but the addition of other worlds being put into the mix... it vastly expanded the scope of things. But while it did complicate things, once again, I felt more excited than anything. It was like getting new DLC for my favorite game, except this one came with actual consequences.

"So... what now? Do we help out the other nearby sectors that haven't cleared their second boss yet?" Aurora asked, her voice cutting through the thick silence that had fallen upon the group.

"Can we even reach the other sectors in time?" Gigi wondered aloud, her eyes darting around the group for any signs of disagreement.

Unless we had some sort of teleportation Skill like Nephilim, I doubt any of us could rush over to the other sectors to help. Well, with my Speed, I had a good chance of doing so, but it was still a risk- we didn't know if there'd be something else coming after the World Raid.

"Let's stick to our own for now," I suggested, my mind racing with potential scenarios. "After a fight like that, we need to replenish our strength and stamina before we can think of the other sectors."

****

[Updating…]

[Stat Points: 20,126,663,437] -700,044

[Soultaker (10,126,212)] +1

[New Summon]

[Lodian: 1,000,000 Risk Points]