Almost all of the Dao hulks had disappeared by now, slain or fled. Those that remained were gathered around the portal, guarding it from the Grakoth. There was no control panel for this portal, but it would likely close once the last of the fish men entered, leaving this world behind. It was up to Sam and the others to wipe as many out as they could.

Surprisingly enough, his Dao had no qualms with this, despite its nominal alignment with Justice. In war, there were no truly innocent people, and everyone had blood on their hands, even Sam. He was not a saint, but he was doing as well as he could to avoid the siren call of evil, or even just simple temptation. It would be so easy for him to completely abandon his friends and accept the lifeline that the Adventurers’ Guild had given him. His destiny lay far beyond this universe. Did it really matter how he made sure it was fulfilled?

Then he pictured the faces of his allies and placed them on the bodies of the dying around him, and found that he could not tolerate the idea of leaving them. He cursed the callous, arrogant officials who had tried to entice him with their honeyed words, luring him away from his duties, so that they could gain some sort of credit with their mysterious masters. Life in the Multiverse was no different than on Earth sometimes, and if not for the incredible levels of power that beings had here, it would be like one long corporate drama, with everyone vying for promotions.

It was a situation that had led to the dire predicament of his universe at the hands of Tantalos. Money and power meant everything here, and someone like him was just a fleeting speck to the attention of the truly powerful.

As he warred with his inner demons, he butchered the remaining fighters around him, driving them away from the portal. As the final alien vanished into the whirling disk of light, Sam let out a breath that he hadn't known he had been holding. With a whoosh, the portal snapped shut, leaving the city in silence. The enemy had been entirely eradicated, and Sam was left standing on the blood slicked cobbles, looking up at the sky. A massive head had appeared there, peering down at them.

“Congratulations on your victory. As the first force to conquer this planet, you are now due the rewards for such a feat.”

Sam recognized the voice. It was that of the System. The better question was why it was speaking directly to them. Perhaps it was easier for it to do so than to send millions of messages to all of the fighters that had been involved in the battle. Now that it had spoken however, a large table appeared in front of Sam, showing the various contributions to the battle. Most of them were miniscule, for the individual soldiers, but he spotted his name, and Manarox’s, at the very top.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Individual Contribution Table

Manarox Anthos: 0.5% Total Contribution

Sam Atlas: 0.3% Total Contribution

He had done less in the battle, seeing as he had been away for a while, but the few contributions that he had made, had been substantial. Killing the enemy king had likely had something to do with that. Another notification appeared, telling him of his rewards.

For your participation in this battle, you are eligible for rewards commensurate with your achievements.

5,000,000 Credits

2 levels worth of essence

3 F Rank healing crystals

Elemental cultivation aid

A few objects appeared on the ground in front of him, and he quickly picked them up. There was a small essence crystal, three green rocks that glowed with a soft light and what looked to be a fossil. The credits were simply transferred to his account.

Sam tucked them away, and decided to save the levels for later. He didn't really want to do it now. He could sense that the mood of the army around him was beginning to change, the previously stalwart, taciturn fighters were rejoicing in their victory. Sam tried to slink away to level up, but Manarox grabbed him by the arm and dragged him towards the center of the city, stepping up onto a fountain there.

“Soldiers of the Grakoth Empire! You have done your forefathers proud today. Although the corpses of your brothers and sisters lie on the field of battle, you are the survivors, those who carry the torch of our faction. In claiming this world, we have furthered the power of our Empire, the only thing that matters in this world.” Manarox took a breath and continued. “It is because of this that I would like to give my companion here a chance to speak. Sam Atlas is a man of great honor and power, and I am glad to have made his acquaintance.”

Manarox pushed him forwards, making it clear what he wanted. Sam cleared his throat, and gazed out into the hordes of aliens, before finding the words.

“I came here for the most banal of reasons. A mere training mission. However, in finding your struggle, I found a worthy cause to supplement my growth. For the last few weeks, I have fought alongside you, learning more about your people and your culture. I am thankful for both our alliance, and my chance to meet you. To the alliance!”

“To the alliance!” The massed army roared in unison.

Sam pumped his fist in the air and then stepped backwards, a little bit energized by his on the cuff speech. He then had an idea, and propelled his aura outwards, limning the nearest fighters in his Mantle of the Arbiter skill. The cheering only grew louder. A moment later, beams of light shot down from the ships above, and carried the fighters up into the waiting ships. However, halfway there, time bent, and Sam was carried back to Gordanus.

With a sigh, he regarded his mentor, who was sitting idly on the floor of the cave. There were only a few days left before it was time for him to go back to Earth, and he was sure that Gordanus wanted to make the most of them.