Arc 6. A seemingly endless loss
Road to a Hero:
Three Chances in Another World
Chapter 68. His World Order
While everyone has just begun their battles, Gray stands as confident as ever, staring down Julius. With his cloak in its base form, along with all of its symbiotic tendencies, leaving this Gray Kyojin all of his own. The red sky, dark clouds, and eternal eclipse of the area, all of this dreadful scenery would cause most hearts to drop, but this only empowers Gray.
For the first time in a long time, he feels genuinely needed. Not to play office boy, not to do what a real knight should be doing, but a superhero who should be fighting the supervillain. Gray's black-and-white view of the world, acting like a child who only wants to do the “cool stuff” has stunted his growth. He studies but mainly focuses on folklore or fantasy stories, never truly learning about the world, leaving him more than ignorant about the customs or history of the world. This confuses Julius, he seems to not be able to understand why Gray will proclaim to do and be all of these things, but won’t do it. Gray bolts toward Julius, using the wrist talons as his main weapon, being his only weapon. With the slight sparkle in Julius’ monocle, he’s allowed to see three seconds into the future, or that’s what Gray assumes he can do. What the monocle can do and what Gray thinks it can do are fairly the same, so it doesn't cause any issues. Julius dodges and weaves every attack Gray throws at him, looking as smug as ever.
Julius: “You are nothing but a fool, a jester, a maid for those you work for. You do not take advantage of anything you are given, you do not use your money to go to any sort of school, you do not travel to any cities unless you have to, you just sit at home doing nothing.”
Gray: “Hey! You’re acting like I don’t train daily, read a little bit, house sit, yada yada.”
Gray continues to try and push Julius back, to get one clean blow in, but it seems impossible at his current state. Julius stands still, never moving, so Gray tries his best to get him off balance. Gray’s eyes explode with power, but he quickly tones it down to a more transparent view, deciding to use his less strong but mastered level of spiritual state. This should normally boost his senses, though there is a newfound issue. What normally happens in the land of man, Midland, Gray flows the purified mana into him, but that isn’t the same mana here. Any spirit or soul that has an extremely negative notation flows to Eclis, rests, and tries to reenter Midland, becoming purified as it goes through the Astral realm.
His once-white eyes turn a bright red, causing Gray great pain. Julius uses this newfound opening to push Gray back. But not by punching, kicking, or cutting him, no, he uses an ability unknown to Gray and all of his allies. Julius holds out his hand, beginning to speak. But his words are cold, loud, and never-ending.
Julius: “Back.”
Gray's mind becomes clear, getting rid of the negative spirits trying to break down his mind. The sins trying to take over Gray get the attention of the cursed charm, about to make its move. But once Julius' words reach him, it all disappears without a trace. His voice consumes Gray’s entire being, repeating over and over. It grows louder and louder, shaking the domain, or what Gray can only assume is happening. To everyone else, everything is normal, but Gray is within Julius’ domain, his land of control, he’s within his World Order. For Gray, it feels like at least a few minutes have passed, where he was resisting the entire time, but in reality it's only been a second. Gray's nose begins to bleed as he is quickly shoved backward, reaching the edge of the platform. Gray says nothing, only trying to win, but Julius takes advantage of this. Julius sheaths his rapier, puts his hands in his pockets, and begins to speak once more.
Julius: “____Fall____”
Julius' voice begins shaking throughout the spirits, weighing down Gray's body. Although gravity is not being manipulated, something within the world is. With Julius’ demand in place, Gray’s body is forced to the ground. He tries to get up, but it’s like the world itself is keeping him down.
Gray: “What…is…this…?”
Gray tries to feel the spirits, to get them to obey him, but with only an affinity for the spirit arts, it’s not possible. He would have to get them to trust him, to be okay with his presence, but his body is wrong. They seem to hate him, but love Julius.
Julius: “See, you truly are a fool. You walk around, not thinking about anyone other than yourself. If you are uncomfortable, everyone should be, if you are mad, you will scream out. You annoyingly hold your heart on your shoulder, but look at you now. With more mana than fifty men, more luck than humanly possible, and more love than anyone should have. You are truly blessed, and yet you do nothing? You truly are sinful.”
Gray: “Come on man, don’t start sounding like Pandora now.”
Julius looks behind him, staring at the weakened Smolder, Yoru, and Ganga. He then looks down at Gretas' dead body, impressed with himself.
Julius: “Any normal knight of your level should know what this is. Marks of Providence are native to only Saga and would have been every Helsing in existence. Though Edward and Gotsu broke that chain. They’re supposed to transmute your mana into a different form, like mist or pure energy. Kioshi, made people trust her more by using the term Mark of Providence, instead of her true powers. She was a spirit, one made as a weapon, with an ability similar to those only found in the natives to Oni-mas as well as every Kami, the Helsings of Oni-mas, that being a World Order.
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Gray: “Look, babe! I love history lessons! But the sound of your voice is killing me! Could you move it along?”
Julius: “I’m not finished. Her World Orders forced all mana and spirits to obey her, the world made her stronger when she was injured, and all mana aimed toward her with intent to harm would disperse into the air. The Sect's vessels were able to conjure up the perfect storm to defeat her. Take her abilities away, overwhelm her with abilities that would kill her instantly as well as some that wore her down over time. and make it so she can’t use her base level of strength because she’ll end up hurting those around her. She had to hold back even with everything already done for her, it is quite sad really.”
Gray tries to resist, but Julius' ability to create this “World Order” seems to be the real thing. The world is following Julius’ commands, forcing Gray to stay on the ground.
Gray: “So …if it’s native to Oni-mas…then you must be from there? If so, why the hell are you here?”
Julius: “My father, or adopted father, King Cornelius had wanted three children different of origin. He did not want to continue his bloodline, but he wanted to make sure his country lived strong. Roy was from the Southern Islands, Lloyd is native to Valatrositice, and I am from a much worse place. My backstory is not necessary, but now, this is my point in life. Bred for war, and blessed by the spirits. I have made sure to use every bit of my being to grow, expand my knowledge, and control more all along the way. I am now exempted as a Hero of Walgonia, and King of Valatrositce.”
As Julius’ world order begins to wear off, he stays still, trying to wait for a surprise attack. But to make sure he has enough time to think, he allows Julius to continue monologuing while he thinks of a plan.
Gray {If my spirit arts affinity doesn’t work here, all my spells are useless. Though my cloak of darkness doesn't seem to have changed that much, and being here doesn't seem to be hurting me. My mana is weaker than usual as well, Lisa’s false mana isn’t working as the best substitute. If I overwork it, my wounds will open up and I’ll be a goner. Right now, I’m almost as useful as a normal knight.}
At the start of the battle, Gray was so confident it was almost incomparable to any situation before, but everything turned on him in just a few minutes. But his hope for winning isn’t fading any time soon though, so while Julius continues to ramble on, Gray swells up his cloak. As it bubbles up, it begins to gather a bit of strength that Gray can shoot off in a quick burst. So then, when Julius stops putting mana into his monocle, he sends out the cloak. It flows in between the gaps of the wrist talon and Gray's wrist, letting it slide off. Then it continues moving forward, holding onto the unsheathed wrist talon, about to stab Julius. Julius, a bit surprised, easily moves out of the way. However, when he looks back to Gray, he finds that he instantly closes the distance by using overwhelming force to push him forward.
Now, freed from the world's grasp, Gray tries to slash Julius with his other wrist talon. Julius barely ducks out of the way, only to be met with a kick to the face. While Julius is stunned, Gray uses the cloak to grab the monocle covering his right eye, yanking it off. Julius, now enraged and embarrassed, attempts to use his World Order. But Gray uses the rest of the cloak to attack Julius, transforming into a large tendril, and pushing him against the wooden doors of the Castle. The cloak wraps around Julius’ mouth, taking away his ability to speak. With his cloak occupied, Gray looks at Smolder, Ganga, and Yoru, all standing still. For some reason they aren’t attacking, they’re just waiting. Then, in a flash, an attack formed of only force, slices through Gray’s cloak. It cuts off its connection to the rest of the cloak, freeing the disinterested Julius.
Gray attempts to look at the assailant, but his body rejects the idea. A wave of fear is washed over Gray’s body, holding him down. It reminds Gray of Julius’ World Order, but this is different. This is the fear of death, nothing more. Gray’s heart could implode, his stomach could spill out, his eyes could pop, and his brain could melt. This fear is unlike any other, causing him to collapse to the ground. Now, with all of his confidence gone, he hears the devil land in front of him. The already freezing air grows even colder, and chanting is heard as well. When he hears the large wooden doors creak open, he finally looks up. Then Everything stops, and his mind begins to reject everything. If his soul could leave his body behind it would, if he could die right now he would, though he can’t get himself to. He bites his lip, causing it to bleed, watching in horror as the figures in front of him get closer and closer.
A large figure, coated in a dark cloak holds the immobile bodies of both Rosemary and Soku, throwing them beside Gray without a thought for their safety. He then looks over to what he would call the embodiment of death, Lazarus, the Litch, in his true form. A skeletal man, one whose bones are separated by an instantly small gap, which only consists of spirit mana, adding to its’ strange body. Then, the head, the large mutated head of a deer skull, sharp spirling antlers included. On his back is the large, long scythe. A god-made piece of metal that’s held by a long winding branch of wood, letting off a freezing aura of pure malice. Gray then looks to Rosemary and Soku, confused by their glowing green veins, which is what’s seemingly paralyzing them. He goes to say something to them, but the large figure that brought them here puts his hand on the ground.
His long gray fingers slide across the platform's black stone, resting it there. His fingers stand up, and he stands the stone with his long yellow fingernails, causing the ground to shake. The ground instantly shifts and shakes, moving to the man's will. The floor moves back, pushing Gray, Rosemary, and Soku to the edge. While the bricks quickly build a small jagged wall the strange figure holds out his other, still disgusting hand, waving it around. Red mana swells from the hair, following his hand.
“Sniahc.”
He casts a spell, a spell that forms burning red chains, grabbing onto all of them. The magical chains grab their necks, ankles, and wrists, holding them tightly. They get pulled back, stuck against the wall, squirming as their skin burns away. Then, the beastly man stops waving his hand, causing the chains to stop burning, though they remain there. Gray looks to Rosemary and Soku, looking at the mana-damping crystals dangling from their necks, sending him into a panic. When he turns his head to face the monster, he finds the imposing devil standing right before him. Gray doesn't say a word, just watching the man remove his hood, letting him get a good look at his face. The dead gray skin, long strands of hair on the top of his head, long ears, a missing nose, black eyes, and white pupils. Such defining features, and yet he still doesn't know the man's identity. But when the man smiles, revealing his teeth, Gray finally figures it out.
Gray: “A…vampire…you’re Prometheus aren’t you…”
Prometheus: “I’m glad you remember my name.”
Gray: “Yeah that ugly mug transcends your body, I could never forget it.”
Gray's expression drops as far as it can, leaving him with only dread on his face. Prometheus, King of the fallen Yagari empire, the empire of Vampires stands before them. Though unlike before, he was in the body of another, transforming them into what he calls “Prometheus” but this is the face behind the mask. A skinny, frail, repulsive creature, closely resembling Nosferatu, caresses Gray’s cheek, whispering into his ear.
Prometheus: “This is only the beginning, this is Hell. And I, I am the Devil. I gave you a chance, multiple, but all you’ve done is step on my graciousness. No longer, now you’ll see why you should have feared me from the beginning, you will regret ever being born.”
End of Chapter sixty-eight