Chapter 35 - My Choice
The crash of steel on steel rang out as our swords collided with each other.
Except it was more, paladium on… whatever the heck the Hero’s Sword was made out of.
Anyway, I lasted a few exchanges before I once again found myself disarmed and with a sword pointing at my chest.
“Excellent footwork as always,” Joshua started. “However, you hesitated the slightest bit when you had an opening which allowed me to recover-“
“Because I didn’t believe they were actual openings,” I muttered as he continued.
“-and your attack patterns were repetitive. You should throw in more feints and change up the angles of your strikes. Speaking of feints, you especially seemed to struggle against mine.”
“Well, that’s because I would normally be using [Foresight],” I grumbled.
“Sorry, but you’ll have to go without it for the next few days of training,” he replied. “It is a helpful tool, but is hindering your growth in [Swordsmanship] and has stunted your ability to read your opponent’s intentions.”
“And the reason we’re training my [Swordsmanship] is?” I asked as I recovered my blade.
Joshua didn’t reply and we began our next match.
He won them all, of course, but I at least started lasting more than just a few exchanges. There were even a few openings that I managed to exploit to press him back, but I was just about positive that he had left them on purpose.
As we kept going, we eventually drew a crowd who watched the back and forth.
I mostly ignored them because I didn’t think they were important… and that brought a small grin to Joshua’s face as he called a stop to our spar.
Wait. No! I shouldn’t have used the “I” word! I groaned internally as I just knew how Joshua would reply to that.
“That’s enough sparring for today,” he stated.
“Okay,” I nodded warily. “Glad to be done training [Swordsmanship]. What’s next?”
Joshua shook his head. “Oh, no. I didn’t say you were done training [Swordsmanship]. I said that we were done sparring.” He looked to the crowd and gestured half of it over. “I will teach this side, and you will teach that side.”
I was about to protest, but he continued.
“Consider this an opportunity to solidify what you’ve learned.”
My complaints died on my lips.
Alright, fair enough. Teaching is the best way to learn or something like that, right?
“Alright, follow me,” I sighed. The group followed though I could tell that they were disappointed they didn’t get to learn directly from the [Hero].
I also didn’t have a lesson plan. So, I just did the first thing that came to mind.
“I need a volunteer for a spar. Who’s first?” I asked.
The group murmured and looked at each other until a young man with antlers on his head was eventually shoved forward.
I guess that works. I thought. “Alright, come at me with your best,” I said as I readied my sword.
He pulled out his sword and charged… and it was utterly laughable.
He was so slooooow.
I sidestepped the charge, tripped the young recruit, and then pulled his sword out of his hand so that he didn’t accidentally hurt himself as he ate dirt.
The crowd snickered, and I silenced them with a scowl.
“The first lesson,” I said, making things up as I went. “Is that no amount of skill will likely ever be enough to make up for a vast difference in levels.” I stowed my sword, gave the young man a hand up, and then returned his weapon. “You could be the greatest sword prodigy the world has ever seen, but you’re still going to get your backside handed to you by someone who has 10 to 15 levels on you.”
Then, I mentally categorized his charge.
“Much less 20 levels,” I muttered.
Clearing my throat, I continued. “So, the first lesson is… don’t pick a fight that’s a certain loss. In terms of defending the wall, that means that if any of you run across one of the demon underlords, your options are to run or to overwhelm them with numbers. A single one of you trying to be the [Hero] won’t even slow them down.”
The group was rapidly deflating at that… which, while I had done nothing but tell the truth, was probably not the goal I was shooting for with my lessons. But that at least gave me an idea for the second one. A slight grin stole over my face.
“For the next lesson, 100 gold to the first person to damage me!” I called. “No more one-on-one. All of you attack at once!”
There were gasps and murmurs as the crowd pulled out weapons.
“You sure?” one of them called out.
“Yes, but make sure to make your swings non-lethal!” I replied. Then, smirking, I added. “Can’t have your group accidentally take casualties from a training exercise, now can we?”
After those fightin’ words, the group was offended enough, and greedy enough, to charge me en masse.
Against a coordinated assault from that many people, I would have likely taken damage pretty quickly without armor or [Foresight].
But the keyword there was coordinated. They were not.
“Watch out there!” I said as I tripped one over-eager [Soldier] and sent him sprawling behind me into the group that was coming behind. “Friendly fire, you’re out!” I chided another [Soldier] as he hit one of his friends… who I had grabbed and used as a human shield.
Or, I guess, technically an elven shield?
Anyway, their mad scramble was going nowhere as they jostled each other, got in each other’s way during attacks, and then failed to land a blow on me when they finally got in range.
I danced around them, throwing them into each other and lightly hitting them with [Air Strikes] where I felt it was appropriate.
… Which probably shouldn’t have been left to my own judgment.
Anyway, to make it even harder for them, while Joshua had disallowed [Foresight], he had said nothing about [Flash Step] or [Telehop].
Needless to say, they didn’t even really get close.
Most of them eventually gave up, and I was a bit disappointed in them… until I spotted an adventuring party from Dryadal whispering to each other and then taking up positions around me.
I suppressed a small grin as the [Warrior] charged in, bellowing out a warcry.
He was just a distraction, but his team illustrated my second lesson perfectly.
“Here, you might think that he was foolish to charge in alone,” I said as I blocked his reckless sword swings.
“However, he’s just the distraction. The real attempts are the archer in the back-“ I punctuated my point by slicing an incoming arrow out of the air. “-and, more importantly, the [Rogue] behind me.”
Said [Rogue] squeaked in panic but still went through with the [Backstab].
I let it land.
… And it hurt quite a bit. His skill levels were a little higher than I guessed and only my [Actor] levels kept me from letting out an undignified noise.
I turned it into a cough to maintain my “I know what I’m doing” façade.
“Well done,” I stated, tossing him the coin. “Make sure to share with your party who made it all possible.”
The crowd grumbled, and one voice even called out.
“You let him hit you!”
I faced that general direction and replied, “Yes. Yes I did. And do you want to know why?” I shook my head. “That party was the first group to show some actual teamwork. The rest of you were no better than a bunch of greed demons chasing after a payday.” I paused. “In fact, I’m pretty sure that greed demons are more organized than whatever that mess was. So, the rest of you got to learn the lesson the hard way. The only way you can possibly hope to take someone down who’s a much higher level than you is with teamwork.”
That got some more grumbles and I was starting to lose them.
So, I decided to throw them a bone.
“Maximum group sizes of 5! One group at a time! Any group that manages a hit on me within 3 minutes without having a party member downed gets 50 gold, deal?”
That got the excitement back, and it made me wonder.
How underpaid are these guys?
And then I really took a look at them.
I hadn’t thought about it up to that point, but most of the world’s armies had been off at my island to fight me. That meant that the only ones here to guard the wall were the dregs who were left behind.
… And they might be a significant portion of Placeholder’s remaining military forces.
I have no idea how many people made it out of that last fight alive. I thought. While I had let up immediately after Demon Slayer died… the casualty rate among the attackers had still been extremely high.
I had quite a few parties land hits on me after that. It might have been my distraction, or it might have been the guilt that was gnawing at me.
-----
“How did training go?” Joshua asked, meeting me up on the wall as I was looking out into the ashlands.
“I think it went well,” I replied. “A lot of those recruits are pretty new, but… I guess that can’t really be helped. I still wouldn’t want them to face down a demon horde, so I’m glad you’re here.”
There was silence for a bit.
“There’s… not going to be a demon horde they have to face down in a few days, is there?” I asked.
“This world’s admin has already learned of what happened with his avatar,” Joshua stated. “Even now, he is speaking with those who have more authority than him. They will send him to their leader, and he will demand Temper Tantrum attack.”
“Well, if I could take them on one army at a time, surely you could take on all of them at once, right?” I asked, unworried. “We’ll just have you hit them out in the ashlands, and we’ll be fine.”
Joshua shook his head.
“He will be splitting his forces and using an admin command to get them into position.”
What followed out of my mouth were several attempts at swearing that were censored in the usual manner.
Joshua just raised an eyebrow.
“Sorry,” I said, realizing that he probably knew what I had been trying to say. “So, what you’re saying is-“
“I will handle one section of the wall, and you will handle the other. If done properly, it should end with no fatalities,” Joshua stated.
I blew out a breath. I didn’t know how that would work when demons were apparently going to be ported in out of nowhere, but Joshua hadn’t been wrong yet.
“Alright,” I stated. “Just let me know when it will happen. I’ll try to have the recruits ready by then.”
------
Elsewhere in the OmniverseEngine
Temper Tantrum and two leaders above him watched the two talking. They didn’t dare bring the System viewport close enough to get audio.
“Well, that’s it! This entire sector is a goner. It will all be reclaimed by the Enemy,” the Sector Administrator, some form of despair demon, groaned.
“Maybe even more than that,” the Hypervisor nodded in agreement. “There was no indication of His movements that put him anywhere near here… was there?”
The last question was directed at the only Game Master in the room, and that meant it was finally time for Temper Tantrum, AKA Admin, to speak up.
He deeply regretted triggering the sync with his avatar’s memories and informing his leaders of what he found.
“No, your lowlinesses,” he stated, kneeling and not lifting his head. “It was only by happenstance that I noticed something was wrong with this world and decided to send in an avatar to scope out the situation.”
That was obviously a lie, and Temper Tantrum could feel himself sweating a bit.
“Of course, and that was the only reason that you were away from your post and in a forbidden portion of the sector,” the Sector Administrator stated dryly.
The demon stalked up in front of Temper Tantrum. He braced himself… and then the Sector Admin laughed.
“Well, I can think of only one fitting reward for your find!” he continued.
Temper Tantrum looked up just in time to see the Sector Admin and the Hypervisor share a look… and a wicked grin.
“You will report your findings directly to his lowliness himself,” the Hypervisor finished.
Temper Tantrum threw himself forward, grabbing the Hypervisor’s feet as he sprawled on the floor.
“No! Anything but that!” he begged. “If a Game Master like me bothers his lowliness, I will never survive! Please! You must take the news yourself!”
“Unhand him and know your place,” the Sector Admin growled as he roughly kicked Temper Tantrum off the Hypervisor. “Your options are to take the news to him… or to die here.” Temper Tantrum felt manipulation points coalescing. “Hell knows I already have enough grounds for punishing your insubordination.”
“If you kill him, then you will need to send the message yourself,” the Hypervisor said, perhaps saving Temper Tantrum’s life, though from the tone of his voice, he didn’t really care either way. “Whichever of you lives, see it done. I have much more important sectors to see to. From my perspective, if the Enemy wants this out-of-the-way dump, he is more than welcome to it.”
With that, the Hypervisor left, leaving just Temper Tantrum and the Sector Admin.
There was never really a question of what the end result would be. Just as it was on worlds that had a Hell, the demonic lowerarchy among admins functioned much the same. It ran solely on fear of those stronger than you.
And that was how Temper Tantrum found himself on a long trek to go see the leader of the demonic admin forces, the Demon Emperor himself.
The trip to the heart of demon-controlled territory was by far the furthest he had ever been from his sector in… ages. That meant it was no surprise when he got lost a few times along the way.
Perhaps the worst was the one where he accidentally stumbled into a frontline sector that was occupied by both angelic and demonic forces. Both sides glared at him until he beat a hasty retreat back the way he came.
However, despite the terror and the abuse that came his way as he went (both verbal and otherwise), Temper Tantrum was much more afraid of what was to come.
And it came too soon.
“Enter,” came the haughty voice of the emperor.
The bodyguards roughly tossed Temper Tantrum through the doorway into their leader’s personal realm, and that was his introduction.
If Temper Tantrum had dared to look up, he would have noticed the golden streets and architecture were reminiscent of heavenly architecture… except a certain figure who was currently sneering at him was featured very prominently in the artwork.
“A thousand pardons, your most lowliness-“ Temper Tantrum squeaked out, his face to the floor.
“Silence!” came the reply. “State your name, rank, and sector of origin.”
“Wrathful208-“ Temper Tantrum started, giving his “username” first.
“True name,” the leader stated.
Temper Tantrum swallowed thickly.
“Temper Tantrum. Level 2 Game Master. Sector T-73848583,” Temper Tantrum rattled off as quickly as possible and then wisely shut up.
“T-73… And a level 2 Game Master?” the leader scoffed. “How did you possibly manage to convince the guards up to this point that you should have the privilege of meeting me in person?”
“I would have left it as a message, but they insisted!” Temper Tantrum blurted out as he felt an oppressive weight crushing him. It was as if gravity was suddenly doubled.
“What could possibly be so important from a trivial, isolated-“
“Joshua appeared!” Temper Tantrum choked out.
The pressure lessened significantly… for a moment.
“What?” the leader asked in a cold voice that chilled Temper Tantrum’s blood.
“Joshua came. My Sector Admin and a Hypervisor can confirm it!” Temper Tantrum said weakly. He was, in fact, dying and needed to get on the leader’s good side immediately… but didn’t know how to do that. So, he babbled. “They said you needed to know immediately, but they also knew you wouldn’t be pleased, so they sent me! Please don’t kill me!”
Despite all expectations otherwise, he relented, and Temper Tantrum nearly cried from relief.
“Tell me everything. From the beginning,” the leader ordered flatly.
And Temper Tantrum did. He started from the point where he “noticed something seemed off with the world,” went over sending down the avatar, and then finally, the march where he encountered Joshua on the battlefield.
… And Temper Tantrum was almost killed by that recounting.
“Do you take me for a complete imbecile?” the emperor snarled as he picked Temper Tantrum up easily by the throat. “Joshua would never tolerate a demon by his side.”
“He’s not a real Demon Lord!” Temper Tantrum choked out because, even though he didn’t need to breathe, his throat was still being crushed. “He’s a mortal… from Earth… playing the part.”
The leader of the demonic forces dropped Temper Tantrum. “Oh?” he asked, a wicked grin on his face. “We can work with that. Tell me more.”
And so, the terrified Game Master did. He told about first encountering the strange Demon Lord. He informed the emperor about the Demon Lord’s refusal to follow his commands. He even informed him that the Demon Lord was a Candidate… though that seemed to have been revoked.
Eventually, the leader laughed.
“That is enough. Oh, no, that is more than enough,” he said with an unsettling laugh.
Temper Tantrum felt Manipulation Points coalescing into an object, and he flinched away… only for the leader to show him a blood-red knife.
“I cannot be bothered to visit such an out-of-the-way world,” he stated. “However, you stand no chance of defeating Joshua.” Temper Tantrum eyed the knife, and the leader laughed. “No, not even with this. No, this blade isn’t for you.”
He pressed the blade lightly into Temper Tantrum’s chest.. and he froze as he felt it transfer from the admin realm to his avatar back in the world known as Placeholder.
“That Demon Lord has Joshua’s confidence,” the leader stated. “And you will have him betray it.”
-------
Later
Joshua: Attack imminent
There had been a part of me that had been surprised that Joshua knew [Message].
A larger part of me had been surprised that that was the thing I didn’t expect from him.
“Incoming!” I shouted as soon as the [Message] came through. “Battle formations!”
And then, as the demons started appearing, I realized our formation wouldn’t cut it.
“[Rapid Formation Change]!” I shouted the skill.
It turned out I was still a [General], even if I hadn’t actually used those skills for centuries.
The surprised demons were surrounded… and then there was chaos.
I left any additional orders to the party leaders as I [Flash Stepped] down into the chaos, paladium sword swinging.
The one nice thing about the invading army of demons was that apparently, Admin had goofed and sent the deceit demons to my side.
Illusions aren’t so helpful against someone who can’t even see them.
I cut down more than 20 before Trickery and I noticed each other.
He bolted immediately.
I wasn’t about to let one of their leaders go off uncontested. After making a quick check of the battle, I gave chase.
A [Blink] put me right next to him, and I landed a quick slash along his torso. He bit back a scream of pain but continued running and even managed to dodge my slash by throwing himself off to the side.
“You can’t outrun me, Trickery,” I called out.
“Not trying to!” he called back as he turned a corner and entered one of the buildings along the wall.
I [Flash Stepped] to the entrance, sprinted inside, and saw Trickery standing there with a wicked-looking red knife.
“Only trying to get you alone,” he stated.
“You think a fancy new weapon is enough to take me out?” I asked.
And then I tried to use my [Weaponsmith] [Appraise Weapon] skill on it. And since I hit level 10 in that, there should have been no weapon in Placeholder that I couldn’t find out about.
… Which is why I immediately knew that wasn’t from Placeholder.
“Where did you get that?” I asked, now much more hesitant.
“Hurry, take it! We don’t have much time!” Trickery urged, holding it by the blade and pointing the hilt in my direction.
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I teleported forward, stabbing him with my sword even as I yanked the weapon out of his hand.
“Use it. Kill Joshua. The prophecy will be averted,” Trickery stated as he died.
His body turned to dust, and I was left staring at the blood-red blade in my left hand.
system: Joshua can’t kill you if you kill him first. All you need is one good thrust, and your life will be saved
I was surprised at the sudden message from my least favorite admin and the apparent gift of the knife, but I didn’t have time to respond.
“Titus! You are needed!” Joshua called as he entered the room, with me facing away from him. “Is everything alright?” he asked after I didn’t immediately reply.
“Yeah,” I said, turning around and gesturing with my empty left hand. “Trickery ran in here. I had to chase him down.”
“Good,” Joshua nodded. “Now, come quickly. One of your [Soldiers] needs you.”
I dashed after him, and we soon made it to a collapsed building with a dying [Soldier] inside.
No. I corrected myself. A dead [Soldier].
It was the same antlered youth I had taught. I had never learned his name, and never really dealt with the bullying that his peers had been doing.
Their tune was changed now.
“He saved our lives.”
“He lured away a major demon… and then did this. He sacrificed himself.”
“Oh, System, I was such a piece of dave jelly to him.”
My stomach turned in slight knots as I added my own mutterings.
“This is my fault. Joshua said there would be no fatalities if I did this right.”
“I said this would end in no fatalities,” Joshua stated. “And that shall still be the case.”
I gave him a bewildered look. “Are you going to resurrect him or something?” I asked.
“No,” Joshua said with a shake of his head. “You will.”
I barked out a laugh before I could help it. “Sorry, but there’s no frickin’ way I can heal death,” I replied. “My healing is mediocre, and I don’t even think healing magic can target a dead body.”
“I am not telling you to use healing magic,” he replied softly.
I gave him a confused look and then one of shock as it clicked.
“You’re not telling me to…”
“I am,” he stated. And then to everyone else. “Clear out! Give us room!”
“Will that even work?” I muttered. Then, I realized that just maybe it would.
I can’t target the initial strike that killed him. I think he would still be dead. So I have to target that… but then, he would just die again.
“Do I even have enough mana to cast that?” I asked. “Much less heal him after?”
“No,” Joshua replied with a shake of his head.
“Then what the frick am I supposed to do?” I threw up my hands in frustration.
“Titus, you have been alone a long time, so you have forgotten,” Joshua said gently. “There are those around you who would help you. You simply need ask them.”
That didn’t seem like the right time for that lesson with a recently dead [Soldier] on the ground and a cast that was becoming ever more difficult as time from the event increased. But I did have to admit that it at least stuck with me.
“Could you please help me with the mana for the cast?” I asked. “And then also be prepared to heal him on the other end?”
“Of course,” Joshua replied. “Power of light, restore health to my ally-“ he prepared his healing.
Meanwhile, I pulled out my spare wand and gathered mana for my own cast. Due to the battle, I didn’t have much left. However, all it took was a look at Joshua and a nod, and I was back to full.
We repeated that 3 times before he nodded toward the young beastborn man.
“[Control Z],” I cast.
My target was the final point of damage that he took that changed him from alive to dead.
And given the incredible magic draw that I had to dip into my stamina with [Cast From SP] to keep up with, it seemed to have been doing something.
I collapsed to the ground from the strain and cost, but it must have worked as I heard Joshua finish out his cast.
“[Cure],” he stated.
“Wh-where am I?” came the voice of the confused young man. “Wait. I died! Didn’t I? No, wait. That can’t be right.”
Joshua helped him to his feet as I slowly made it up to my own.
“What am I saying?” he asked, looking at Joshua. “Thank you! You saved my life!”
Joshua shook his head. “No, he did,” he replied, nodding towards me. “I simply helped.”
He turned to thank me, and I awkwardly replied that it was nothing.
I wasn’t really used to people treating me like a hero, and that problem was only exacerbated. The people Joshua told to clear out reconvened now that they saw the supposedly dead man back on his feet.
We were surrounded and cheered on as we made our way through the crowd back to Joshua’s personal quarters (a luxury in a military installation like the wall, but he was still the [Hero]).
“It’s a good feeling, isn’t it?” Joshua asked once we were finally alone.
“What?” I asked.
“Helping people. Saving lives.” Joshua cracked a slight smile. “Defeating demons?”
“Technically, I’ve been doing that last one for quite a while,” I laughed. Then, with a shake of my head. “But yeah. You’re right. It does feel better being on this side of things.”
We lapsed into silence for a bit. I still had the dagger Trickery gave me in my inventory. There was no way I was planning on using it but at the same time… I felt ashamed that I even had the thing. I didn’t want to bring it up.
“What comes next?” I finally asked.
“I will get some rest, and then we will need to head out,” Joshua said, a slightly pensive look on his face. “This world’s admin will be escalating things soon and we have a difficult time ahead of us.”
-------
Elsewhere
“Your most lowliness, I have given him the blade as you said, but he has refused to use it!” Temper Tantrum said, his face pressed to the ground.
The emperor gave a derisive laugh. “That is a simple matter. You need only apply pressure.”
--------
Later
I was standing outside contemplating things when Joshua suddenly appeared next to me with a [Flash Step].
“He’s made his next move. We need to teleport,” Joshua stated, grabbing my arm.
“But, I thought-“ I started and then cut myself off. “Never mind. Where to?”
Joshua shook his head. “We don’t have time for you to cast. We will do this the admin way. [[Change Coordinates]]!”
It was teleportation unlike anything I’d ever experienced. While I was mostly used to the disorientation that came from rapidly moving with [Flash Step] or the strange feeling of a true [Teleport], this was different. We were just… there. And it felt like that had simply always been the case.
We handled the large group of now-terrified demons we’d teleported into easily.
“Split up, and don’t let any of them escape,” Joshua called out, a trace of anger visible on his face.
He sprinted down one street, and I sprinted down another towards a spot where I could see a fire burning.
system: You should have listened to me. Now, everything that happens after this is all your fault
“Just shut up,” I muttered as I found the group of demons who had set fire to the building. A few quick sword strikes took care of them, and then [Overchannelled] [Create Water] was enough to douse the flames.
I moved on to the next area, where I heard shouting and found the Watch engaged with the demons… and losing badly.
system: It’s not too late. You can still end this. It’s just one more murder, and I can read your statistics. That isn’t too much to ask, now is it?
”You think I’m stupid enough to trust you?” I barked out a laugh. I popped one of the Hero’s Shadow’s blessed smoke grenades into the fray, and the demons screamed out in agony until I ended their lives one by one.
I blew the smoke away with a [Breeze], saw that all the [Watch Officers] were getting back to their feet, and then moved on to the next.
It was a group of demons who were breaking into a seemingly random house.
system: You say that, but you don’t have a choice, do you? You have a prophecy about you. One that spells your doom. I can help you escape it. You need only kill Joshua before he kills you
“Already tried that once, don’t see it going better a second time,” I stated as I easily cut down the next set of enemies and nailed a fleeing demon in the back with an [Air Bolt].
I didn’t hear any other sounds of fighting, and Joshua was calling for me to regroup with him through the party, so I started running in that direction.
system: I see my error. I haven’t been targeting anyone you actually care about, have I?
My blood ran cold, and I [Flash Stepped] and [Blinked] to get to Joshua faster.
“Josh! He’s targeting-“ I called out as I saw him.
“Lhoris and the others, I know,” Joshua stated as he [Flash Stepped] to me and grabbed my arm. “[[Change Coordinates]]!”
Suddenly appearing inside Lhoris’s and Kythaela’s bedroom would have been an incredibly awkward thing… if Anger and Hysteria hadn’t also appeared there right before us.
There was a moment of stunned silence as the couple looked up from the bed, and the demons and I looked at each other.
“Handle them. I’ll help Jhilsara,” Joshua said, snapping me out of my reverie. “[[Change Coordinates]]!”
As Joshua vanished, the rest of us moved at once. Anger and I swung our weapons at each other while the couple jumped out of bed and pulled out their gear from their inventory.
I scored a clean hit on Anger while he missed and smashed a small dresser.
“Jake!” Lhoris shouted. “What’s going on!?” His shield blocked Hysteria as the madness demon changed into his scythelike form and charged.
“Demon attack!” I stated the obvious. “The [Demon King] can teleport them in!”
I blocked Anger’s next strike with a loud clang and then retaliated as he was still on the back foot.
I was winning, but it was too slow. I had an idea for how to end it immediately, but it was too dangerous, with Lhoris and his wife just barely staving off Hysteria.
“I received a party invite from a Joshua!” Lhoris shouted. “Do I accept it?”
“Yes!” I shouted back. “And get ready!”
The couple joined my party as I readied my attack.
“Lightning become my radiant blade that will pierce the darkened heavens,” I chanted, gathering the electricity around my blade.
Hey, there was a reason that I had designed Demon Slayer’s swords to work as spell-casting focuses.
Anger’s eyes widened, and he tried to flee… but I [Flash Stepped] right in front of him and stabbed through him.
“[Lightning Spear]!” I cast as I slammed my foot down for a [Ground].
The crack of thunder was deafening as Anger was instantly turned to dust, and Hysteria followed shortly after.
… The wall of Lhoris’s house unfortunately fared little better.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“You two okay?” I asked, turning my attention back to the couple.
Lhoris stood between me and his wife, sword and shield ready and looking pensive.
I wondered at that for a moment. I couldn’t understand his behavior when I had just saved his life.
Until I realized what attack I had used, and that as a party member, in the top left of his vision it now showed the resources of a Titus. A level 25 [Demon Lord].
“Lhoris, I-“ I started as I took a step towards him.
“Stay back!” he shouted. “Don’t come any closer, fiend!”
I stopped where I was.
I wanted to protect them. I wanted to stop and explain things. I wanted to do something, anything, to stop the look of betrayal that was in their eyes.
But I was needed elsewhere, and I could only try to do one of those three things.
I pulled out a mana potion, chugged it, and then cast. “[Summon Heavenhound]. Keep them safe,” I ordered.
And then finally… “I’m sorry,” I said before turning and running from the house.
system: This is all your fault. You can make this stop at any time, but you won’t, will you?
“Shut up!” I growled as I found another group of demons Admin had teleported in. “I have no frickin’ reason to believe you, and you know it,” I stated as I killed the first one of the group, and they started running. “Our last deal worked out oh so well for me, didn’t it?”
The rest didn’t make it far, and then it was on to the next group.
system: Then how about I offer you a better deal?
system: I solemly swear by the System that if you kill Joshua, I will keep you alive. The prophecy won’t end in your death.
“There’s no way that-“
system: Furthermore, I will leave this pitiful little mudball alone. After you kill Joshua and I claim what I need, I will leave and never return
“No deal,” I stated… but after a moment’s hesitation.
And that brief pause was the one sign of weakness that he needed.
---------
I didn’t cave immediately. No, Joshua and I fought the demons Admin sent for days straight… which turned into two full weeks.
Every step of the way, he hounded me. Urging me to give up.
system: You think that the side of Heaven will accept you after all you’ve done? No. You will only ever be safe with me. I am the only way you will make it out of this alive
Blaming me for everything.
system: These deaths are your fault. They can stop any time you wish, but you are just too selfish!
And tearing away my hope.
system: I can keep this up forever. But can you? How many more lives will be lost before you learn?
I handled all of that. I kept going without showing that he got inside my head.
And then… he targeted Faroff, a certain place I had spent more time at recently.
And I was too slow.
--------
“[Control Z],” I cast, cradling the figure in my arms.
It failed.
“[Control Z]!” I said again, tears streaming down my face.
I was out of mana. I may as well have been screaming at the sky.
“[Control Z]!” I shouted, shaking.
But, no matter what I did, the little girl, no more than 6 years old, couldn’t be brought back.
system: You really thought -&!&^*&#
My [Disrupt] interrupted Admin’s next message before it could fully play.
“I’ll do it,” I said, shaking and feeling drained to my very soul. “Just stop this. Stop this immediately.”
system: I will stop. But you only have until the night is over. Do not disappoint me
And then, I was alone again. With my thoughts. And with a promise to betray someone who I could only describe as the most heroic person Placeholder had ever seen.
I did not feel better when I met up with Joshua.
“The attacks have subsided,” he stated.
He looked like a wreck. Honestly, I didn’t know how he was functional with 2 weeks of no sleep and limited food and water.
“My body is still mortal, and I need rest,” he continued, wobbling a bit on his feet. “Come with me, Titus, and please stand guard.” The familiar pensive look was back. “The forces of Hell will try something tonight.”
I remained mute because I knew very well what they were going to try. It was me.
We got a room at a nearby inn, and Joshua was out like a light the moment he laid his head down to rest.
All the while, my turmoil raged inside of me.
system: Do it. Do it now! It’s the only way you’ll be free! It’s the only way you’ll live!
I don’t want to die. I thought as I pulled my inventory open. And this nightmare has to end. It just has to. I looked at his sleeping form, rolled over on his side with his back to me.
He’ll understand. He’ll know why I had to do it.
I don’t want to die.
I can’t watch them die anymore.
My thoughts all jumbled together as I stood over him and lifted the knife.
I began to bring it down, but as everything went into slow motion, I saw it.
A simple emerald necklace that had been jostled outside of my shirt by the sudden movement.
Suddenly, it wasn’t Joshua before me.
No. It was my apprentice Will-en, dying because of a tragic misunderstanding.
It was Varnak, being killed because he had created something far too wonderful and powerful for the world of Placeholder.
It was the faces of thousands of innocents who died due to my plans and the path I had gone down. It was [Heroes] and [Soldiers], [Sons of Dave] and adventurers, but last and most important of all, it was the face of the woman I loved.
I saw Megan’s face as the Demon Lord of Wrath crushed her body into lifelessness, and the look of betrayal forever etched on her face.
I saw all of that, and I knew. I knew what had to be done.
With a primal yell, the knife fell… and stabbed into the bed inches behind Joshua’s back.
The bed promptly faded from existence, along with the knife blade, and Joshua and I crashed to the ground.
“Titus!” Joshua shouted, immediately startled awake. “What happened?”
He found me slumped down on my knees, unable to look at him.
“I couldn’t do it,” I said, my voice breaking. “I was going to betray you, but I couldn’t do it. Not again. Never again.” I gave a bitter laugh. “I know you’re going to kill me. And you’ll be right to do it. It will be justice, even. But, please just promise this before you do.” I wiped the tears from my eyes. “Take care of this world that they all cared so much about. Don’t let Admin have his way with it. That’s all I ask before I die.”
I hung my head.
I expected many things. Joshua to kill me right there. For him to swear a promise like I asked.
I didn’t expect him to wrap me in a firm hug.
“It was never my plan to kill you,” Joshua said, compassion and his own tears heard in his voice. “But all of this had to take place to grant you a request you do not remember asking, in a version of the System that no longer exists.” He pulled back from me and looked me in the eyes. “You were granted a choice. And you have chosen well! So very well!” He clasped my shoulders, and I could see the pride in his eyes. “Had you chosen to play the part of Judas, things would not have gone well for you, for me, or the entire rest of the OmniverseEngine, but you have rejected Hell and its lies and chosen rightly.”
“I-“ I started to speak but was interrupted as the fractured dagger started pulsing.
“There’s no time. You and the dagger are being recalled,” Joshua said quickly. “Hold on and don’t give up hope. I’ll be there soon!”
I didn’t have any time to ask what he meant because I immediately found myself standing in my old throne room with an angry Admin in front of me.
I took a half second to collect myself before snorting. “Sorry. Looks like I missed,” I deadpanned, gesturing at the knife that was now missing its blade.
Given the [Flash Step] and fist to the stomach that I got for my trouble, I don’t think he found that very amusing.
I pulled out my paladium sword and tried to at least go down fighting, but 25 levels with zero prep time was simply insurmountable. My blade was broken before I landed more than two hits… and the ones I landed didn’t even make a noticeable change in his HP bar that was conveniently showing.
After that, Admin beat me down with just his bare fists, used [[Restore Resources]], and then did it again, leaving me in my own tiny impact crater in the middle of the dungeon-reinforced flooring.
“I can see why they call you Temper Tantrum. You really are just a big baby, aren’t you?” I taunted.
That resulted in an even longer beatdown, but I had a manic grin on my face the entire time.
“Wipe that smirk off your face!” he bellowed at me as he curb stomped me for the umpteenth time.
“Why?” I called back weakly. “We both know the prophecy. You won’t be the one to kill me.”
“I can still make your life Hell!” he seethed.
The next kick sent me tumbling across the room. I shakily stood up.
“Been to Hell before,” I said as I spat out a mouthful of blood. “Not impressed.”
He commenced another beatdown meanwhile, I could do nothing but mock him.
I was emotionally drained from weeks of constant battle and heartache. I was relieved that I wasn’t going to die. And I was in pain because getting the stuffing beat out of me like a cheap punching bag tended to hurt a lot.
In other words, I was in a rare mood, and taunting an admin just to spite him seemed like a grand idea.
Meanwhile, Temper Tantrum wasn’t done yelling at me.
“He’s abandoned you! Do you understand?!” he punctuated his shouting with his fists. “If he was coming for you, he would be here by now!”
My face was starting to swell up. [[Restore Resources]] did nothing for status conditions, but I still managed to crack another grin.
“I don’t have any crayons, but I’ll do my best to explain it to you,” I stated, which earned me another sucker punch. “When it comes to planning, you’re playing checkers. My plots were more like chess.” Another blow, but I shook it off and continued. “But my man Josh… he’s playing 5D Chess with Multiverse Time Travel[1]. I’m not worried.”
As the next blow connected with my face, the System must have decided that I had taken enough cranial trauma because I immediately lost consciousness and rag-dolled to the floor.
------
Elsewhere
It seemed like it took ages before he was granted another audience, but Temper Tantrum was partially grateful for the delay.
After all, he didn’t much look forward to his execution.
He would have run if he thought that would help. No, any chance he had of a swift execution would be gone if he did that, and the only thing left would be something much more painful and drawn out.
Temper Tantrum was tossed into the room all too soon.
“Your most lowliness! The Demon Lord was worthless and couldn’t do it!” Temper Tantrum immediately shouted. “I have captured him, but-“
“If the dagger is gone, you are worthless to me,” the emperor stated.
And then, there was a sudden pressure.
Temper Tantrum knew what was happening. While being imploded wasn’t the worst way to go, it was certainly on the list.
“Joshua said he’d come for him!” he screamed out as his death painfully approached.
And no one was more surprised than Temper Tantrum when the leader suddenly stopped.
“Well, that changes things, now, doesn’t it?” he asked, with a thoughtful tone. “You have one opportunity left to be useful to me.” He kicked him over onto his side. “Now, let me show you the admin function you will be using and how…”
------
Later
“Wake up,” barked a voice as my face was roughly slapped.
I stirred, and my head felt a bit foggy… which was probably the concussion.
Admin hadn’t exactly been using non-lethal takedowns.
“Ah, man,” I complained as I felt the chains binding me upright against the wall, and I saw a grinning Admin in front of me. “I was having the greatest dream. I had completely ruined your plans, and Joshua was coming to kick your asp… oh wait.”
The resulting punch to the face made my vision swim, as apparently I hadn’t recovered much HP.
“Worth it,” I mumbled as Admin walked several steps away.
“You won’t be keeping that tune much longer,” he sneered. “The most lowly himself has shared a particular function with me that you will find most enjoyable. [[Damnation]].”
“Already told you, I’m not scared of Hell,” I retorted.
“It won’t be Hell,” Admin replied as he started piecing the function call together. “No, but I can certainly promise it will be painful. It scales with your acts of rebellion against Heaven.” He chuckled. “And tell me, Titus, how many innocent lives have you taken again?”
If that even does one point of damage per life… which is probably a lowball… Oh. I thought. And for once, I didn’t have a witty comeback.
“That’s right,” he continued with a grin. “You will be in tremendous pain, and then you will die. I only need Joshua to be here to witness it.”
I cocked my head. “Wait a second. You’re waiting for the [Hero] to show up before you use your final master weapon?”
Admin looked uncertain for once. “It…was what his lowliness told me to do.”
I laughed. “Alright, your funeral.”
The throne room door crashed open right after, and both of our heads swiveled to the sight of Joshua regaining his balance after his kick.
“Hey!” I called. “Speaking of your funeral…”
Admin squeaked something incomprehensible and then rapidly tried to finish his function call.
Meanwhile, Joshua appeared next to me and cut my chains with a single use of [Sunder].
“You’re late,” I said as I collapsed to the ground. “And couldn’t you have teleported in directly?”
“I could have,” he agreed but didn’t elaborate. Then, placing a hand on me. “[Restore],” he cast. Followed by, “[[Restore Resources]].”
“Much better,” I groaned in relief as I stood up.
Meanwhile, Joshua turned to face the admin and the function call he was preparing.
“Stay behind me until it’s over,” he directed.
I nodded. “No objections here,” I replied.
I had zero intentions of sticking my nose in the middle of an admin fight.
And then Admin finally finished his function call. “[[Damnation]]!” he called, with a voice that was probably much squeakier and fearful than he was hoping.
The room went dark, and a black arrow shot towards me with shadows shifting around it ominously.
However, Joshua was in the way. I wasn’t worried.
In fact, different parts of me were betting on how he would deal with it.
One part imagined him countering with his own admin function in a crash of authority with his easily overpowering Admin’s.
A second saw him cleaving through the arrow with his sword, reminiscent of Mishael cleaving through lightning, making just as much sense.
The third and final saw him simply taking the attack and shrugging it off.
Neither Admin nor I imagined him moving his sword out of the way and taking the attack head on… and then falling to the ground, dying.
It was only a few seconds of silence and inaction, but it seemed to stretch on forever.
“No,” I said in disbelief. “No!” I shouted, rushing to his side. “[Heal]!” I cast, and then, when it made no difference, I started chanting. “Power of light restore-“
“Titus, stop,” Joshua commanded. “This wound is beyond your power to heal, and I need you to listen and focus. My time is short.”
“O-okay,” I replied. Meanwhile, my mind was racing. Without Joshua I’m screwed… no… the whole world is screwed!
“As [Hero] of Placeholder, in accordance with the rules of succession, I hereby name as my successor-“ Joshua started.
No one will be able to carry that mantle. No one will be able to stand up against Admin. I thought. I’ll help them. I’ll try, but it won’t be-
“Titus Null,” he stated.
I stared at Joshua openly for a few seconds.
“There is no way that is allowed,” I objected.
“It is,” he stated softly.
“There has to be someone else who’s a better fit!”
“There is none.”
I clenched my fist as tears started forming.
“Do you have any idea how many innocent people I’ve killed? I could never be a [Hero]!”
“You killed more than you can possibly fathom,” Joshua replied quietly and with a grimace from pain. “But it was for this reason that I came, and for this reason that I willingly give up this life.” He gripped my hand tightly and looked deep into my eyes. “Your redemption was always plan A, and there is no plan B. So, tell me, Titus. What do you choose?”
And when he put it like that… well, what else could I do?
--------
Admin was over the moon. He had done it! He hadn’t killed a low-rank [Demon Lord]. No, he had killed Joshua himself!
That meant promotions! Power! His own worlds to do with as he pleased! He would be a Sector Admin… no, a Hypervisor!
And it also meant not dying to their leader immediately!
And that finally gave him pause.
Did the emperor know this would happen? He asked himself.
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed likely. He wouldn’t have insisted on Temper Tantrum waiting for Joshua otherwise.
Foolish do-gooders and their selflessness. He sneered. It made them predictable and weak.
Though, Temper Tantrum did a quick check to ensure Joshua was still dying. That would have been awkward if it hadn’t finished the job.
But no, he was, and a little [Demon Lord] couldn’t possibly heal more than 5 million damage. And since that little [Demon Lord] was in no way a threat, Admin let them have their little moment so that the [Demon Lord] could taste despair before he died.
Or maybe I’ll keep him alive. Admin mused. That could be entertaining. He grinned. I did promise that I would help him avert the prophecy if he killed Joshua.
And so, Temper Tantrum was facing away from the two dying and soon to be dead beings when the System message came through about the [Hero’s] death.
But then, another message came.
System: The Hero has been slain! The Hero’s chosen successor has been given the opportunity to take up the mantle
He has a successor? Admin asked himself.
And then there was a blinding flash of light, a thunderclap, and Admin screamed in pain as a chunk of his health bar suddenly vanished.
“Wow,” Titus said from behind him. “[Sunder’s] a lot harder to control than I gave the [Heroes] credit for.”
Admin spun to face him and saw the [Demon Lord] somehow dressed in the [Hero’s] armor and wielding the [Hero’s] Sword.
“What!?” Admin screamed as he pulled out his greatclub. “How!?”
“To be honest, I don’t really get it either,” he shrugged. Then, he blinked forward and landed another cut along Admin’s leg but blinked out before Admin could retaliate.
“You’re just one [Hero]!” Admin laughed. “You think you can stand up to me? No. You aren’t Joshua. So, just die.”
Admin [Flash Stepped] forward and slammed the greatclub down.
To his utter shock, Titus caught the blow on the flat of his sword, with a hand supporting it at either end and his legs buckling.
“I’m not… just… one [Hero],” he grunted. “I was there with every [Hero] of Placeholder. I watched who they were and how they fought.” Admin pressed down harder, and Titus buckled. “No one knows more about how [Heroes] fight in Placeholder than me!” he shouted.
With a scream of exertion, he shoved Admin’s greatclub off to the side, successfully parrying the attack into the ground.
His sword reformed into a pair of golden knuckles, and he darted in too close for Admin to get a swing off as he recovered.
Admin lashed out with the back of his hand, but as it hit the [Hero’s] face it felt like he had contacted solid granite.
“[Fortitude]… [Thunderstrike]!” Titus called out back-to-back. The latter resulted in a punch that was literally lightning-fast to the back of his leg, and Admin bellowed in pain.
Titus [Flash Stepped] back as his knuckles transformed into a long staff, and he began casting spells.
“[Foresight], [Haste], [Strengthen],” he rattled off.
Admin went to give chase but suddenly found that he couldn’t move… because of a small lime-green slime that Titus had summoned on his back during his punch.
Admin quickly crushed it and then moved in.
“You say all of that, but you don’t fight much like a [Hero]!” Admin sneered as the “[Hero]” flitted around, avoiding attacks and casting spells to weaken and slow him.
“Hey, cut me some slack,” Titus said as he dodged another attack and then tripped Admin with an [Air Strike] kick to the leg. “I’m new.”
As Admin regained his feet, Titus blinked off to the distance and hit him with two more spells back to back.
“[Holy Cure]! [Shining Barrage]!” he cast.
The beams of light from the latter would have been simple enough to dodge… if not for the disproportionately painful damage from the dainty light of the [Cure] that proceeded it.
Admin roared in pain and anger.
“And just to make sure that you don’t get any funny ideas about running away… I issue you a [Hero’s Challenge]!” Titus called from the other side of the room.
They were both immediately shunted into some kind of pocket dimension, very similar to the throne room, and Admin was furious that a second-rate [Hero] thought that he would run.
… However, Admin was also not happy with his health total.
That one was at least easily fixable.
“[[Restore Resources]],” he called, filling his health bar back up.
“Come on!” Titus shouted. “That’s cheating! Bosses aren’t supposed to heal!”
Admin just grinned and moved in to attack… except Titus had been preparing a spell during all of that despite the banter.
A rotating drill made of air slammed into Admin’s chest and flung him to the far side of the room before he even knew what had happened.
Admin got to his feet as Titus’ weapon changed to a greatbow. He pulled back a non-existent arrow, and one formed out of lightning.
“[Trueshot]!” he called.
Admin prepared to dodge. At that distance, he could easily throw off his aim or… he could simply watch as it collided harmlessly with the wall 40 feet off to his right.
“Oh yeah,” Titus said as he examined his weapon. “I forgot how much I suck with the bow.”
Admin [Flash Stepped] to him and swiped at him with his club, but he had already changed the weapon back to a sword.
The attacks clashed, and they stalemated for a moment.
“I will still outlast you!” Admin bellowed. “You can’t keep this up forever!”
“You’re right,” the despicable [Hero] replied. “But guess what’s back off cooldown?” he asked as his sword started arcing with electricity.
“No!” Admin called out… but he was faking his fear. He had one skill he hadn’t used yet that would seal his victory and end this costly battle. He just needed to bait out one final attack.
“For everything you’ve done to me and for all you’ve planned to do to this world, take this one final blow!” Titus called out. “[Sunder]!” he shouted and vanished.
And Admin laughed.
“Idiot,” he mocked. “You truly thought-“
And then, Admin felt the lightest of taps on his back.
Titus hadn’t used the skill. He had [Flash Stepped] behind him.
As Admin’s eyes widened in panic, he attempted to [Flash Step] away.
It was too late.
With the sound of a thunderstorm, Titus’ [Sunder] chopped him in half and emptied his health bar instantly.
He was left dying, staring up at the ceiling and the [Hero] who had ended him.
“You thought that would work?” Titus jeered. “Please. I practically wrote the book on baiting things out with [Reflect Attack].” He laughed. “Take this one final blow! I can’t believe that didn’t give me away! I cringed so hard saying that out loud!”
“This isn’t the end!” Admin raged, using a few more manipulation points to maintain his avatar’s life just a bit longer. “I will be back, and your miserable world will burn!”
“And I’ll be waiting to send you right back to Hell,” Titus stated coldly, stabbing Admin again.
Admin’s avatar was no more.
--------
Holy fricking frick. I thought as I looked at my resources and stopped my confident facade. That was way too fricking close.
I was sitting at 1 HP, and my MP and SP bars were showing strange colors, which I’m pretty sure meant I was in the negatives.
I was too scared to check.
Oh, and that was with me somehow still getting the throne room buffs that had given me 5 times the resources. While it made the earlier beatings absolutely suck, I would probably have just died otherwise.
[Limit Break] is dangerous. It will just take everything if you let it.
Which… I think I had known that intellectually, but it was another thing entirely to be the one to actually use it.
But that wasn’t my main concern for long.
“Admin’s going to be back, and I could barely handle his avatar,” I muttered. “How the frick can I save the world from him in person?”
System : With a bit of help
“AltSys?” I blurted out in surprise.
System : Yup. Now, listen up. You’ve got a lot of work to do and not much time
I breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m ready. Whatcha got?”
----------------------------------------
[1] Yes, this is an actual game. It is as horrifying as it sounds