Rebirth always leaves its mark. Adira’s emotions twirled in the heart fractured and patched by darkness. Her abilities improved. Mountains would not be an issue for her now. She felt power, and whenever she reached her hand towards it, she felt it obediently licking her fingers.
The girl could not sleep the night after her transformation. She was thrown around between deep regret and sorrow to an enraged desire to break and burn. Her whole night she spent either comforting herself or burrowing her fingers into her hair and gritting her teeth. As the morning came, Adira handled her emotions and presented her brave and powerful facade.
The floating island hovered on the horizon. Judging by its speed the group will reach it by the evening. The huntress's new champion armor was unusual to her. She never wore a plate mail. It was surprisingly comfortable, the darkness that lurked under the armor and connected plates together was also chill and flexible. The girl did not even sweat wearing it. Truly this piece was a blessing from God. The only issue was the pouch for potions. It did not fit on her waist and swayed awkwardly on Adira’s shoulder.
The sleepy state, the annoying thoughts, and the heavy armor weighed her down. The girl dragged herself to the back of their group contemplating her existence. Was she a good person? Certainly not after she accepted the dark blessing. The girl looked at Galen going in front. What he did was unforgivable. Yet was she right to treat him that way? How will he view her now? As pure evil? As an enemy? Most importantly should she view him as an enemy now? At least he had not talked to her since that moment. Another issue was Salgos. He appeared invincible to them now, drowning all hopes of winning a fight against him, so the group just simply followed him. Their plan completely failed. What should they do now?
Too many questions swirled in Adira’s head. She was tired of deciding everything herself. The girl wished that at least someone appeared and told her she had done the right thing. To give her little confidence in her decisions. If only there were such someone.
Attempting to escape the thoughts, Adira reached her new skill “Mana strike” she gained after crossing level 50. The ability sounded fairly straightforward. Usually, people have an idea of what the skill does from reading its signature. Adira’s skills were not obvious at all. Trying the “Sky Crusher” almost killed her instructor when she first activated it. At least they were outside so nothing was damaged in the process.
However, this new one gave her a proper understanding just from reaching it. Compared to her previous skills it actually told her how it was supposed to work. The “Mana Strike” would burn the mana of an opponent. The weapon enhanced with this ability ignored any defense but did not damage health.
As usual for a Godslayer skill, it cost her a lot of mana. In return “Mana Strike” burned mana depending on the amount of it remaining in the enemy’s mana pool. The less mana there is, the more mana going to be burned. It can destroy the health of her enemies as well. The only requirement was for them to have less than half of their mana pool available, then the ability would begin to burn health. It made sense for this skill to be available only after level 50. The possibilities were terrifying. Mana exhaustion and inability to use skills would cripple any warrior regardless of what God supported the fighter.
Unfortunately for Adira, her peaceful journey was interrupted, as Galen together with Skreetha surrounded her.
“Do you mind explaining yourself?” The man immediately pressed. The young huntress was tired of this treatment. The way he spoke to her as if she owed him something, pulled the trigger. Adira did not wait to retaliate, she scowled back at him.
“Me?”
“You pledge loyalty to our enemy.” Before the girl burst at Galen again, she was interrupted by Skreetha. “Now, which side should we think you on?”
Adira stopped her march and measured the arachne. She was not afraid anymore. The huntress was stronger now, and she tasted arachne’s fear. The monster shrunk down on her legs, meeting eyes with the girl clad in dark armor, the same way she did when Salgos was not happy with her. Skreetha understood power, and the girl held it. Adira would not hesitate to use that weakness.
“And what if I am on his side now?” She asked gloating at the monster. Although hesitantly, the arachne still presented a brave face.
“Then I put you in cocoon. You won’t stand between us and our plans.”
“Stop it. We are no enemies.” Galen did not want them to argue pointlessly. The two could express their hatred towards each other the whole day. “But, Adira, why? Swearing loyalty? What were you thinking?”
“What were I thinking? What were you thinking?!” Adira turned to Galen stabbing him with a finger in the chest. “Wasn’t our plan to wait for an opportunity, ambush, and kill Salgos?”
“Yes! Not becoming… This!” Galen pointed to Adira’s new armor.
“Oh? Then why didn’t you, Galen, let the Lightning Hunters deal with Salgos with us three joining them?” She stabbed him with a finger in his chest again. He jerked back from the sting. The man sighed, rubbing the place where Adira’s iron finger stabbed him.
“I had to take my revenge on them.” The girl scoffed and turned to the arachne. The sheer determination in her eyes made the monster turn its head away.
“And why did you, Skreetha, run like a loyal dog to protect your master? Wasn’t that the perfect moment you’ve been waiting for?”
“My nests. My children. Lightning hunters always hunted me.” She hesitantly replied.
They both were driven by revenge. The same type that drove Adira to kill Skreetha. However, it was too misplaced. The huntress could control herself, these two just jumped at the candy that was in front of them. They had no right to lecture her.
“So, I was the only one following the plan while you two were too busy settling your old scores! A monster with half the brain of a spider, and a hero so busy with revenge he made the whole country an enemy. Most reliable companions to our quest of killing the Demigod!” Adira turned away and resumed her march leaving the two behind. “Now I will be doing things my way.”
Skreetha and Galen exchanged a look. The man gave in and followed.
“And what is your way?”
“I know his objective. Whatever defends the System, we would be able to jump into that fight.” The girl watched the figure of the Demigod marching far in front. He never looked back at them, knowing they would follow eventually. “Your abilities can counter his shadows, and your archery can provide a good distraction. I think I will be able to damage him.”
The man seemed troubled at the proposition. However, he cannot deny it was their best opportunity.
“So, are you still on our side?” He finally asked.
“I am.” The girl smiled devilishly. “For now. You know Verdanians, we are liars and power-hungry traitors.” Galen fell back, repulsed by the sarcasm. When a girl like Adira gets to hold power, others will have trouble dealing with her.
Skreetha frowned noticing the girl only talked to Galen about future plans. She did not want to indulge Adira, but there was one thing important for her to confirm.
“What you want me to do?”
“You? When we climb that island, I will kill you and get some experience. Hopefully enough to level up.” The darkness champion laughed at the naive question. There was no more reason to talk to the monster. So, she returned to Galen and turned to their conspicuous conversation. The arachne was left dumbfounded. The threat to her life loomed over her. With enough deception, she could run away. At night was the best time for it.
Galen finished his conversation with Adira and looked back at her. He gestured to come closer. If Skreetha needed to name one person she could put her trust in, that would be the shadow archer. Somehow, she felt reassured by this fact. Something she did not feel in forever. Reassurance usually came from knowing enemies were coming to kill her.
The arachne came closer, and Galen did not waste any time voicing his suspicion.
“We cannot trust Adira. You are the best trapper I know. Will you be able to catch her should she betray us?” The arachne shook her head. Even before she struggled to set up traps against the girl who moves faster than the flow of time. In an open desert like this, she was powerless.
“She is too strong for me. Not unless you help.”
“That’s what I thought. She grew too strong for her own good.” Galen eyed the monster with a degree of appreciation. He nodded to himself, and seemed to be satisfied. “Together then. I think I have an idea how to contain her.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“What about Salgos? If we fight, he will protect her.” Skreetha had thought about fighting Adira together with Galen while on their way here. She could not find a way to deal with her without the Demigod of Darkness's involvement. Not to mention the girl was trouble incarnate.
“I think I have an idea how to change that. Hopefully, if he decides to keep you alive, Adira will want to kill him. We just need her to feel betrayed.” Galen somehow seemed to have a solution to any problem.
“How will he decide that?” The arachne asked curiously. The man explained his idea. Although hesitantly, Skreetha agreed it was their best option.
“You putting me on the line.” The monster marched slowly, matching the pace of the human. “But that will save me. Why you care?”
The archer turned his head with a cunning glint in his eyes.
“When this is over, I want to have you as an ally, Skreetha.”
“So that we destroy the kingdom that hunted us?” The monster smiled in delight. Skreetha never even knew she could talk to someone this closely.
“If we were in a tavern, that would be precisely my toast.” The man answered happily. The arachne complied with the friendly mood and the two walked smiling through the ashen desert.
“What do you want to do after this is all over?” Galen asked the arachne.
“I would look for feast. And a new nest. We made many bodies I can use to breed offspring.” The archer did not seem to be repulsed by the idea. The arachne knew he treated others the same as her. Food for leveling up. The man sighed, imagining the picture she described.
“Not gonna lie, you are one terrifying monster.”
“Thank you.” Skreetha smiled with her maw full of teeth, delighted by the compliment.
They approached a flying island at sundown. It was reacting to their approach. The island moved through the sky slowly, getting further and further away. Not fast enough to escape. They had time to recover and attempt to get inside the next morning. The chunk of land would not go far. However, as they approached the base of it, the island stopped. A figure stood in the shadow of the Flying Island, meeting Salgos and his guides.
“So, you’ve come.” The man looked like a human, but from a sense of the overwhelming might that Adira learned to recognize, she knew he was God. The tall figure was dressed in regal attire. His hands laid on the longsword stabbed into the ground. The tall features of his face and defined cheeks displayed seniority over everything else. “Despite so many signs for you to choose another path.”
“Biryar.” Salgos greeted the man curtly, but his clenched fists told there was no courtesy between them. “Did you come to stop me?”
Adira recognized the name, the God of Order. She knew his face from what Salgos had shown her.
“It is not always about you, Salgos.” He looked around at Galen, Skreetha, and Adira. His gaze stopped on a girl for a moment, strolling around her dark armor. It gave him pause, but he continued addressing the group. “Your path here required some determination on your part. I assume you understand what I am protecting on this island.”
It was hard to resist listening to him. He sounded like he could command a mountain to move.
“The System is a lesser evil. We have amounted enough power to challenge the God of Nature. Soon our energy would be enough to take control from his hands.”
“More reasons to stop you.” Adira did not wait to retaliate. She hated the idea of her energy leaking away from her. Her sense of justice rang bells. She was blessed by God, but God’s alliance got all the energy from this blessing. The girl hated the idea.
“You think we did you wrong, you think the System leeches off your power, but we are only trying to stop the God of Nature. He is worse. Your every move, your every thought, all serves to feed him!” He clenched a fist. “We want to stop that. All Gods should receive their share, not the leftovers from his feast! That will benefit you as well. Without the God of Nature, you will hold control of your power and give as much as you want to the God you trust. This is a better world we all want!” Biryar turned to the Demigod. “Salgos, this is what you wanted to achieve. There is no reason for you to stop us.”
A moment passed. Adira heard chuckles from under Salgos’s helmet. He was laughing. Demigod’s laugh grew louder making the God of Order frown. As someone who controlled half of the world, Salgos knew better than to defy the God of Nature.
“You are delusional if you think you can stop the Creator God. Me and Sylverak did not gain a fraction of his power. Even if you control all mortals and monsters combined, you won’t have enough. He is everything!”
“You have not seen what we saw in Infinity. The power we can harness lies not within this realm. The Infinity is so much more!” Biryar gestured fanatically towards the sky. The Demigod of Darkness shook his head.
“I see God of Space bought your reasoning.”
“You know nothing about the Godhood, Salgos. You are not even a God!” God of Order leaned over his sword, scowling towards Salgos, his words full of venom. “You are coming here, because of your egoistical desires. We are building a fair future for mortals. I will not let you ruin it.”
“I waited ten thousand years to bring you ruin.” The air around the two suddenly stiffened. As if clouds of malice formed between them. Salgos’s eyes gleamed with hatred. Biryar was not far behind, his hair levitated, burning in blue flames, same as his eyes, and an azure line blazed through the length of his sword.
“You are coming to my domain, Lord of Nothing. Did you think we prepared nothing?” Adira felt like the whole world narrowed to the existence of those two. If someone pointed her towards the sky, she would not see it. The magical pressure stole all her attention, making the two figures be in her focus. She heard Salgos’s shout through the wall of raw might.
“You have no Demigods to protect your sources of power.”
Skreetha lay on the ground, covering her head. Galen also lowered on one knee, and held his head, unable to withstand the pressure from power. Somehow only Adira felt capable of standing still and comprehending what was happening between the two deities.
“I don’t need to. I am not the only one who owns this power.” Biryar shouted over the Demigod. The whole contest of might stopped as abruptly as it started. A figure of an old lady covered in a road cloak appeared from behind the God of Order. She was also someone the young huntress recognized from what Salgos had shown her. The Goddess of Destiny.
“Do not forget yourself.” Her wise voice soothed the world around them. Everything returned to normal. “If he wants to test his fate, then our preparation was not for naught. As were planned.” The last sentence was pointed especially sharp as if to remind God of the Order of his place.
“Desta. I must say thank you for bringing me back. May I know your reason?” Salgos spoke to the old lady. Adira looked expectantly towards the two Gods. Desta brought him back, but now she was the one opposing him. Whatever game she was playing, the girl could not understand.
“So, I can kill you again.” Biryar did not let Goddess reply. He stiffened his grip on the sword. “Mortals! This is my last warning. You will abandon the Demigod and return. Trust your Gods and Rulers to free you from God of Nature’s control.”
“Do not listen to this foolish lesser God, who claimed power for the first time in his eternity. He was tricked by the God of Space. He is just a pawn in the grand game of the three major Gods.” Salgos spoke over him, getting the attention back towards him.
Adira knew that the God of Nature was the one who brought life into the world. She only heard about God of Time and God of Space from Salgos. The girl was indecisive but only for a moment. She pledged loyalty to Demigod’s goal of freeing the witch.
“I do not break my oaths easily.” She replied daringly, looking right at the two Gods. Scoffing, Biryar raised his hand to the sky. Everything turned into motion, the shadows, the clouds, the wind. Nature was paralyzed during their conversation, and only now has it returned to life. The island crawled through the sky again.
“So be it. We will deal with you the hard way.”
“Too late to run.” Salgos watched the island slowly creep away.
“Such arrogance, but you have no way of stopping us. We will teleport the island to the opposite side of the world. You will never catch us again.” Biryar laughed as if his vile scheme left the Demigod helpless. “We brought someone who can prevent you from interrupting us.”
Everyone’s attention was stolen by the figure falling from the island.
“I see you found a mortal willing to defend you.” Salgos spoke watching a man dropping in the ash behind Biryar. He stood up shakingly and picked up a rusty sword. A simple human, he looked like he could not threaten the Demigod of Darkness.
“He is protecting these lands from enemies like you. Your mortals might have heard of him.” Biryar gestured at the arrived man. The human slowly walked towards them.
Adira felt like something was wrong with him. Somehow, the man did not look humane. He had long unkempt hair and rugged torn clothes on him. Burn marks ornamented his whole body. Only his right eye and the same side of his face looked untouched. Everything else bore scars of flame. However, not only his appearance was off, but his voice too.
“I am King Azalor, the protector of the Solendir Empire. I allow no Evil on these lands.” He spoke monotonously, pushing the words through the sore throat. Adira looked into his uncaring lifeless eyes. He looked like a soulless husk of a human. Azalor, the Forgotten King of the empire ruined by the Demigod of Fire. A man who killed the Demigod and disappeared in flames together with the whole nation.
Galen gasped as he read his class aloud.
“Godslayer. Level… one hundred.” Adira stiffened. A human of level 100 was impossible. No mortal ever got to that level. There were theories that it was possible, but even Galen did not achieve it after years of trying. The System assigned no experience to humans after reaching level 99, so their levels never grew after that point. Yet the king that defeated the Demigod was level 100. That would mean he should also have a level of 100 skills. Something the huntress dreaded to oppose.
“Goodbye, Salgos. I hope you die here and save me the trouble.” The God of Order disappeared leaving them face to face with the Forgotten King. Azalor readied his sword and set his eyes on the group. Galen knew how little time they had before the attack because he had prepared to fight against a Godslayer. Immediately he began to shout commands.
“Adira, keep up with him! Make him go in circles, so I can shoot him. Alhsee give me cover. Don’t let him approach! He is level 100. We don’t know what he is capable of. Be on your guard!” He turned to Salgos. “I hope the Demigod could do something about him.”
A golden light sparked the desert. The King disappeared and the battle started. Adira activated “Odium steps” and rushed to intercept him. Two golden lightnings approached each other, but before the huntress could cross weapons with King Azalor the world collapsed around her. She disappeared from existence.
The girl crashed onto something hard. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim starlight. She found herself in a black room with no walls or ceiling. Below her was a translucent square platform. Only the night sky was around her and even down below. Water covered the floor, barely reaching her ankle, but enough to make her watch her footing and threaten her boots to slip. Opposite stood King Azalor with the same lost expression she had. It clearly was not one of his skills.
They did not need to wonder what happened for long. A harsh voice that congratulated Adira not long ago with her first kill returned.
“There can be only one Godslayer. Fight.”