Thanks to that shtick Damina did, it gave Null enough time to consume health and mana potions.
Null looks at the arch golem while he also looks at Null.
“I saw you consume potions, but that doesn't matter to me. As long as I'm in contact with the earth, I can also heal.” The arch golem tells Null.
'It's about time I wrap this up.' Null thinks.
They once again start to battle. They once again fight. Null gets wounds on his body. The arch golem however notices a strange trend.
'All the attacks he's ever inflicted on me has been on my head. Why?'
Suddenly, the stone that was controlling the arch golem started to feel lose.
'No!' The arch golem thinks in dread. 'This can never be removed or I'll...'
The stone that was attached to the arch golem's head started to become unstable. While the arch golem was dreading the stone being dislodged, Null does one final blow that removes that red crystal.
“Nooo!”
“Damn. He removed the stone. It will take me forever to find another arch golem.” Goldcrest's earth mage says complaining.
The mana surrounding the arch golem starts becoming unstable. The golem's body started transforming into different minerals randomly. Earth elemental essense was flowing into him uncontrollably. He was about to break down and explode.
'Is this how I die?' The arch golem thinks solemnly.
He remembers the first day he became self aware. Afterwards, he got entangled with the demon race. It wasn't long afterwards that wars happened. He developed a strong hatred of humanity. Not long afterwards, he lost a battle and was captured.
“Get back! He's about to explode!” The Goldcrest earth mage says to his people.
The arch golem kneels on the ground prepared to die. He has a content look on his face.
'Well, at least I'm dying free.' He thinks to himself.
Suddenly, a hand is placed on his forehead. He gets a surprised look.
'The one that fought with me.' The arch golem thinks. 'What's he doing?'
Null was prepared from the beginning. He knew that there would be some sort of mechanism to destroy the arch golem should he ever escape, so he has been constantly implanting his mana inside the arch golem, figuring out how the red crystal controlled the arch golem.
The crystal was designed in such a way to make the arch golem self destruct should it ever be removed. Null takes the crystal and pours his mana into it while placing it on the arch golem's body. He's neutralizing the signals command the earth essence to pour in by making it go in reverse. Now the forces are equalized. However, Null would have to stay like this forever to not make the arch golem explode. Null then uses the crystal to erase the commands to make the arch golem explode.
While doing this, Null notices something.
'This is kinda like a transmutation circle being inscribed onto this arch golem.'
It didn't take long for it to completely collapse.
“He actually stopped the arch golem from exploding?”
“Who in the hell is he?”
Null places the crystal off of the arch golem. The arch golem is in a daze, not knowing what's going on. This didn't compute to him.
'Why didn't he use the stone to reenslave me? Why didn't he just let me explode to kill me? Why did he make me free?' The arch golem didn't understand.
Humans and demons have been enemies since antiquity. Other than a few sparse times, it's an unwritten rule that humans and demons are to hate each other.
The arch golem looks at Null and says, “You. Human.”
Null looks at the arch golem.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“You know exactly what I mean. Why did you rescue me?”
“Don't look too much into it. I don't like seeing people enslaved or doing anything against their will is all. It would have left a bad taste in my mouth if I had killed you while under the control of that guy.”
Null says look at the Goldcrest earth mage.
“Now that you're free, I should tell you this. If you attack me now, I will not hesitate to kill you.” Null says talking to the arch golem.
The arch golem chuckles.
“So are you one of those people who believe everyone can get along and live in peace?” The arch golem asks.
Null shakes his head and says, “Not at all. I believe that any race, be it the elves, the demons, the humans, or what have you, are all inheritely disgusting.”
“Disgusting huh? You humans had destroyed my homeland.”
“Don't talk as if your race is free of guilt.” Null responds back. “Go back far enough, and you will find a member of any of the major races on this planet committing atrocities.”
“So you look down on everyone, including your own race huh? Do you think you're so high and mighty?”
Null shakes his head. “Not at all. I'm a human too. I'm capable of great evil just like everyone else. I also do things that are terrible just like everyone else. The difference between me and most people, is that I'm self aware. I don't think my country is great, or my race is great, or whatever tribal nonsense people like to put themselves into.
The way everyone conducted and deluded themselves had only filled me with disgust. So instead of finding a group of people to belong to, I just declared myself my own tribe.”
“BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Declared yourself your own tribe! HAHAHA! How rich! You're pretty interesting human!”
“Do you want to continue?” Null asks.
“Nah. I'm done with that. I want to take my revenge against a certain people.”
Goldcrest's people get an ominous feeling.
“Retreat!” Goldcrest's earth mage yells out.
“I won't let you get away!”
Suddenly the arch golem transformed its body into a giant. He started displaying powers that Null didn't even see in their fight.
'Oh. So he was holding back against me.' Null thinks.
“Human, if you ever make it to the Demon Area, try to find me! My name is Chrome!” The arch golem tells Null.
“Oh. Okay.” Null says not caring.
Chrome then runs after the retreating Goldcrest people. Null watches as Chrome gives them chase. Null soon loses interest, and starts focusing on the other battle about to start.
Null thinks, 'So now it's just Damina and the Qudao Empire. Maybe I should-'
“Don't interfere! My manly blood is boiling! This is a man's battle!”
“Oh.” Null says again not caring.
Null leans against the wall with an apathetic look, putting his hands in his pockets.
“Aaaah!” Damina yells out, charging towards the Qudao Empire.
“Remember not to kill Damina! Move to capture his family!” The Qudao Empire earth mage yells out.
The warriors then split into two groups. One group works to keep Damina and Null occupied. The other moves to capture Damina's family.
“Hey, maybe I should-”
“Stay out of this!” Damina yells out.
“Fine.” Null says.
“Haaa!” Damina yells out while thrusting his drill into the ground. The entire area of ground starts to crack. Iron ore chunks shoot out the ground as projectiles, hitting all the warriors at the same time. Both groups of warriors were knocked out at the same time.\
Arrows covered in a paralysis potion were shot towards Damina. As if in slow motion, Damina deflects them all, even though the arrows were coming at him from all directions.
'Wow. Advanced mastery is not for show.' Null thinks.
Damina makes quick work of the other mages and archers. There were gunmen who were there, but they were under strict orders to not harm Damina. They were also taken out by Damina.
Damina then jumps out the way as a cloud of sand moves to envelop him.
“Haha! Good! Good! You should at least be this skilled if you have advanced mastery!” The Qudao Earth mage says smiling.
“Shut up and get lost!” Damina yells out.
Damina runs towards the earth mage and thrusts his drill towards him. The Qudao earth mage blocks drill with his sand. The drill starts spinning faster and faster, but the earth mage kept smiling unperturbed. Soon, the amount of sand that was summoned made Damina feel uneasy. He leaps out the way as a wave of sand tried to capture him.
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More sand was generated. Damina was up against the cave wall.
“Just surrender and join the Qudao Empire.”
“I will not!” Damina yells out.
“Why do you continue to delay the inevitable? Be reasonable. I know all your moves. There's no way your drill can get through all my sand. It's impossible for you to beat me.” The Qudao earth mage says.
“If it's impossible to beat you, I'll kick reason to the curb and go beyond the impossible!”
Suddenly the drill starts to glow in a bright greenish-blue light. The drill starts to grow bigger. It grows to the point that the drill took up almost all the space in the area.
'I... Do not recall installing that function into the drill.' Null thinks with a twitching eye.
The earth mage is surprised.
“Splendid!” He says. The earth mage steps onto a cloud of sand to levitate.
He keeps swinging that giant drill around, but it's too big and the area he's fighting in is too cramped.
“Hey. Maybe you should decrease the size for easier maneuverability.” Null says.
“Decrease the size of my drill?!” Damina yells out.
Instead of doing the common sense thing and decrease the size, he instead increases the drill size again to the point that now the drill is stuck between the floor and ceiling.
“Just who the hell do you think I am!?” Damina yells out.
Damina destroys the foundation of the cave, causing it to become unstable.
'Or you could just do that.' Null thinks deadpanned.
“Let's get you out of here.” Null says to Damina's family.
“My father's so cool!” Damina's daughter yells out excited.
“Only my dad could do the impossible! See the invisible!” Damina's son yells with sparkles in his eyes.
“Row row fight the powah!” Damina says from far away.
'Ugh.' Null thinks.
“That's impossible!” The Qudao earth mage yells out in fear.
Damina then plunges forward, destroying everything in his path.
“Let me see you grit those teeth!”
'Enough Gurren Lagann references!' Null yells out in his mind.
Earth mage is defeated. All the intelligence squads from different countries get word on how the two most powerful squads were defeated. They report to their nations. Soon afterwards, Damina stopped getting people following him.
“Honey!”
“Father!”
Damina's family runs to him.
“You all seriously need to lose some weight.” Damina tells his family seriously.
*******
Null completed his quest. Damina pats Null on the back.
“Now that I finally got my family back, it's time I returned home. If you need me, I'll be in Narbuldor. Once I get my family settled, I'll help you raise your skill mastery in mining as I promised.
The next day, Damina takes Null to a section of mine. Null just spent his days being yelled at by Damina.
*********
David is once again getting ready to go back to school.
“David! Bad news!”
David frowns.
“What now Cindy?”
“I'm going to be going on a trip to many places! I'll be gone until next year!”
David is surprised. He then gets a little happy.
“Also, both our parents insisted on going with me, but I wanted someone to keep you company.”
David says, “Hell no! I do not desire to see any of you! You guys go away as long as you possibly can! Crash on a deserted island if you can!” David says smiling.
They pack their suitcases and leave. David was smiling the whole time. He's in a really good mood.
The next day, he goes to the area of forest to see sunrise.
'I feel at peace because now, I'm finally alone, but it feels like there is something missing.'
David then meditates. 'What is it? What is it that I'm missing?'
A bird then flies on David's shoulder.
"Chirp Chirp!"
"Hello little bird."
"Chirp Chirp Chirp!"
"You say you want to overthrow mankind because it's because of them that your forests were destroyed?"
"Chirp!"
“You say your people have waged this war against humanity since the dawn of time?”
“Chirp!”
"Little bird, your bird poops are formidable, but they are no match for bullets and bombs."
"Chirp!"
"Why did you fly to me if you hate humanity, little bird?"
"Chirp Chirp!"
"Really? No one has ever complimented me like that before. I like you little bird. I'll name you Juan. You like that?"
"Chirp!"
Just then, another bird lands on David.
"Hello."
"Chirp!"
"Do you also want to discuss the plight of-"
"Chirp!"
"Oh. You just want bird seed?"
"Chirp!"
"Okay little bird. I'll call you Pablo. Is that fine?"
"Chirp!"
Another bird then flies down.
"Chirp!"
"You want bird seed too?"
"Chirp Chirp!"
"You will be known as Tyrone. You like that little bird?"
"Chirp!"
Juan then says something.
"Chirp Chirp Chirp!"
"Oh you changed your mind about overthrowing humanity, and you would also like some bird seed?"
"Chirp!"
Different animals started walking to David because of his friendly, peaceful aura, but Null spent most of his time with the birds. People see Null taking to birds and start questioning his sanity.
“That guy has really lost it.” One person says.
“I always knew he would snap one day.” Another person says shaking his head in disapproval.
One of Cecile's friends run towards her. “Cecile, have you heard? David lost his mind and is talking to animals!”
Cecile has a sad smile and says, “Whatever David does from now on has nothing to do with me.”
Friends look at Cecile curiously and ask, “Did something happen.”
Cecile smiles bitterly. She closes her eyes and shakes her head. “No. Nothing happened.”
The friends faces show confusion.
******
Thanks to David talking to animals, he realizes he now feel an emotion he forgotten even existed: Happiness. Thanks to talking to the animals, everyone in school gives him a wide berth. No one wants to be on the receiving end in case David decides to snap again. So David is essentially isolated. Since his family is gone, and his bullies have left him, David has finally found peace of mind.
In New Reality, many months have passed by. David now has intermediate in mining.
“You really do suck at mining. This is as far as you can go.” Damina tells Null.
“This is fine. Thank you for your help.”
“Heh. I should be thanking you. If you ever want ores, I'll sell em to ya at half price. If you ever want to learn how to finally be a man, you also know where to find me.” Damina then walks away.
Null looks around. Now, he is essentially alone. The only sounds around him are the sounds of breezes whistling through the mountains.
'I've finally found what I was looking for! I'm afraid that this is all a dream and I will wake up from it.' Null thinks happily. 'Now I will focus on improving all my masteries. I think I'll stay here for the rest of my days.' Null lays on the ground with a content smile.
'I guess even I can get good days. I finally found my solitude.'
------------
Author's Note: And that's the end of that arc! Null finally found his solitude! So... I guess that means the stories over. Goodbye! Huh? What's with that unsatisfied look!?