The champions' expressions tightened as they subconsciously raised their heads toward the sky. Despite its outward calm, the imminent arrival of a calamity was unmistakably clear, the notification looming over them like a dark cloud.
“This is just beyond ridiculously unlucky,” Orion muttered, his staff materializing alongside several spheres.
Zara and Ember, still watching the heavens, readied themselves for battle. But unlike Scott and Orion, who were fixated on the impending threat, they couldn’t shake their concern for Slim and Plume, who were especially vulnerable in their current state.
“We can’t all fight it. We need to protect the others too,” Zara reminded, her gaze shifting toward Scott, who held the war hammer of the mad god. “I wouldn’t bring this up if there was an alternative, but can’t we return to Carcosa?” she suggested. “It’ll be much safer, and it’s undetectable. We won’t have to worry about Slim or Plume getting killed while we’re fighting.”
Just as Zara voiced her concerns, Scott manifested his domain. Several portals opened around the voidweaver, but barely a second after appearing, they all vanished, leaving the champions with confused expressions as they stared at him.
Scott, however, wore a solemn expression, his gaze locked on the sky. I know this feeling. That creep is here too… A man with flashing yellow eyes flashed through Scott’s mind, and he tightened his grip around his weapon.
“That bastard Hurly is here too,” he suddenly announced, and his companions’ faces fell. Now they knew they were in serious trouble.
“Since when did Calamities and champions team up with each other?” Ember asked, her displeasure evident.
Before anyone could answer, powerful vibrations, akin to sonic booms, rippled through the clear skies. The figures of two individuals, descending rapidly, revealed themselves.
Scott’s gaze lingered on the unfamiliar men, particularly the robust one. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew the man, though he couldn’t recall where their paths had crossed. Where’s that yellow-eyed freak? Scott wondered, only able to see the burly man and another with what seemed like diamonds embedded in his face. He couldn’t discern which was the named calamity, but his gut told him that the smiling giant was more dangerous than anyone he’d ever faced.
“You guys take Slim and Plume far away from here. I’ll buy you enough time,” Scott suddenly declared.
“What?” Ember blurted out. “I won’t leave you here to face a calamity on your own.”
“She’s right, Scott,” Zara chimed in. “What you’re attempting to do is suicidal,” she stressed, turning toward Orion. “Say something. This is the best time to show off that big brain of yours.”
“Against an opponent capable of negating one’s innate abilities, there’s little you can do, no matter how much you’re prepared for it,” Orion replied with a wry smile. But then he continued, his expression brightening. “That doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can do, though. I prepared a little something special for instances like this,” he grinned, reaching into his inventory.
Before Zara and Ember’s stunned gazes, the spheres and staff vanished, replaced by a sufficiently advanced gatling gun that seemed to hover effortlessly in Orion’s grasp. Scott glanced at the sleek weapon briefly. I should have taken one too. I won’t make the same mistake next time; he thought as he refocused on the falling duo.
Wordlessly, Orion aimed the muzzle of the gun toward the descending figures, his finger resting lightly on the trigger. With a bright smile, the mage squeezed gently, and the weapon emitted a low hum as it charged up. Within seconds, the gatling gun unleashed a deafening barrage, spitting out hundreds, if not thousands, of bullets in mere moments.
At that same moment, Orion’s form shuddered and split into two, much to Ember and Zara’s discomfort.
“We need to protect the others, remember?” the clone said with a smile. “Don’t worry about Scott. I’ll make sure nothing happens to him,” he added. “But it seems we’ve finally solved the mystery Daiki talked about,” he muttered under his breath, recalling what the beastman had said about the mysterious assailants behind the death of the cult’s successor.
Although reluctant, neither Zara nor Ember argued. After all, the last time they encountered Hurly, his ability to both negate powers and control emotions had bested everyone but Scott. They couldn’t afford to become liabilities now.
Saying nothing further, the trio charged toward the hovering cocoons. Aga’dz Strings wrapped around Slim’s cocoon, while Ember gently coated Plume’s with a thin veil of lightning. Orion’s clone, meanwhile, summoned a staff while holding several spheres—the kind that could summon legions of the Wutas. However, they needed to get far away from the negating zone affecting them. Wasting no time, the trio sprinted away from Scott and the prime, carrying the cocoons along with them.
Meanwhile, Scott and the original Orion, who lingered behind, remained focused as the gatling gun's monotonous roar continued, the bullets clashing against a thick, diamond-like barrier.
As the group split up, Marek broke away from Costa, gliding through the air in pursuit of the fleeing trio. Orion immediately chased after Marek, leaving Scott alone with Costa. The giant of a man crashed into the earth, raising a thick dust cloud as the shock wave felled several trees. A deep crevice formed beneath him as he landed, daggers in hand, with his upper half exposed.
A gentle gust dispersed the dust, and Scott and Costa locked gazes.
The calamity extricated himself from the crevice, landing a fair distance away from the voidweaver.
“I knew I would find you if I was patient enough. I told them I would, but none of them listened. They’re all dead, but here I am, standing in front of you,” Costa suddenly declared, barely containing his excitement.
Scott, tightening his grip on the war hammer, didn’t fully grasp what Costa was talking about, but he could tell the man was powerful and highly tactical, despite standing in a position that seemed to bait others to attack.
“You look exactly like him,” Costa continued, as a mason jar suddenly appeared in front of him. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long, long time,” he said, gesturing toward the jar filled with teeth of various sizes and colors. “It’s yours. Come take it,” he beckoned with his daggers. But Scott remained motionless, his gaze briefly flicking toward the jar before focusing back on Costa.
The calamity frowned. “Why aren’t you moving?” he questioned, his irritation clear. “Isn’t this what you wanted? Or is this not enough?” he asked, a hint of understanding dawning on him. “You want more, right? That must be it,” he chuckled darkly. “I was silly to think someone like you would be satisfied with just this,” he said, waving his hand.
Within seconds, over a hundred mason jars, each filled to the brim with teeth from various races, materialized from Costa’s inventory. And it didn’t look like he planned to stop anytime soon.
For the first time, Scott’s brows creased. What sort of sick fuck is this guy, and why does he keep acting like he knows me? His mind swirled with questions he didn’t want answers to. Although he vaguely felt like he recognized the calamity, he couldn’t recall where their paths had crossed. None of the humans he had encountered before had ever been as intimidating as the half-naked man.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“I don’t like this,” Costa suddenly said, taking a step forward. “Why aren’t you saying anything?” He gestured toward the grotesque collection. “Isn’t this enough for you? Huh? What more could you want?” His features twisted into something hideous as even more mason jars manifested—some containing unusually large teeth.
Scott’s eyes narrowed as he noticed a strange pattern in the jars’ arrangement. While most were clear and see-through, others were emerald-colored, and they were strewn across the ground in a pattern suggesting careful planning. The colored jars were on Scott’s right and Costa’s left, while the clear jars were on Scott’s left and Costa’s right.
Where is Hurly hiding? Scott wondered. He must be around here somewhere...
Costa took another step forward. “If you look like him, the least you can do is act like him,” he snarled. “How am I supposed to satiate the fire within me if all you do is stand there, staring at me like a fucking mute!” The calamity roared and exploded forward, unleashing a burst of speed toward Scott.
Scott braced himself, summoning several nihilistic portals at once. But as soon as they manifested, they all vanished. Shock twisted Scott’s features. He had been anxiously searching for Hurly, knowing that his ability to negate others’ powers was terrifying. But the fact that Costa could wield the same ability as Hurly surprised him. However, the shock was fleeting. Like vengeful, sentient snakes, the Chains of the Abyss shot toward Costa, attacking from every angle.
Costa unleashed a powerful scream, his muscles swelling as he swung his arms. A shockwave ripped through the air, scattering the bloodthirsty chains in different directions. At that moment, dozens of eldritch summons—each larger and more robust than the calamity—charged out from a portal, sprinting toward Costa with wanton abandon.
The massive fist of the first summon crashed into Costa’s face, shattering it on impact, but the man’s features instantly regenerated as he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. He adjusted his stance before delivering a brutal slash, severing the arm of the eldritch summon. It roared in agony. The other summons arrived in a flash, unleashing a barrage of fists and kicks, each strike landing with devastating force. The air filled with eerie echoes of searing flesh, breaking bones, and rupturing organs. Yet, with each blow, Costa only spat out more blood, his smile widening as he methodically severed the limbs of his attackers. The calamity wore a maniacal grin, relishing the pain he inflicted on the eldritch beings, basking in their pitiful cries as his body recovered from their brutal onslaught.
Amidst the chaotic melee, a blackened field suddenly manifested beneath the area where the battle raged. Costa’s smile brightened as he cast a glance toward Scott, who had distanced himself from the calamity.
“How long are you going to keep me waiting?” Costa taunted, as another punch landed on his face. This time, the summon's hand bent at an awkward angle, and it wailed in pain, but even the gruesome injury didn’t deter its determination to inflict pain on the human calamity.
Costa, oblivious to the barrage of fists and kicks raining down on him, focused solely on Scott. Despite the onslaught, the calamity remained unmoved, as if rooted to the spot. Only the eldritch summons bore the brunt of the damage, their combined efforts unable to budge the man even an inch.
“I said, how long are you going to keep me waiting?” Costa roared, delivering a backhand strike that sent one of the summons hurtling into the distance. The remaining creatures froze for a fraction of a second, stunned by the calamity’s sheer power, but their hesitation was brief. They unleashed thunderous roars, determined to bring down the man where he stood. The blackened field beneath them expanded further, but neither Costa nor the summons were swallowed by it. Instead, it drained copious amounts of life force from the man, channeling it toward Scott, who stood a fair distance away.
“You look so much like him, yet this is all you amount to?” Costa taunted, even as another fist crashed into his jaw, shattering the attacking limb instantly. The calamity had ceased paying attention to the summons; his focus was entirely on Scott. “I’m disappointed,” he sneered, and in that instant, his teeth turned a sickly yellow. The blackened energy drain field shattered.
Scott’s eyes widened in surprise. That’s Hurly’s ability... but how? Before he could process the thought, Costa appeared in front of him in a flash, muscles bulging as he swung his daggers, intent on cleaving the voidweaver in two.
“This is where you show me those abilities of yours, Eidolon of Envy!” Costa bellowed, his daggers slicing through the air toward Scott’s neck. A depraved smile spread across his face as he anticipated the satisfying sound of metal tearing through flesh. But the smile quickly faded when he realized what—or rather, who—he had struck.
He swapped places with his summon in a fraction of a second... His abilities are different from the other Eidolon of Envies, Costa mused, turning toward the area where the other summons were gathered—the same spot where Scott now stood, unharmed and unfazed.
Could it be true that he has already crossed the Point of No Return? Doubt crept into Costa’s mind, twisting his features. But he quickly dismissed the thought. No. He must be hiding somewhere… right? His expression reflected the turbulence of his emotions.
Meanwhile, Scott, who had used Shadowstep to evade the attack, summoned even more creatures, surrounding the seemingly distracted Calamity. There’s no mistaking it—his teeth definitely turned yellow earlier, and he was able to negate the drain field. But how is that possible? Scott wondered as he called forth more eldritch beings, who obediently moved to encircle the calamity. This isn’t a fight I can win at my current level. This bastard only seems to get stronger the more he’s beaten down.
Just as Scott prepared to command his new creatures to attack, Costa’s voice echoed through the air.
“You see all these teeth gathered in front of you, yet there’s no reaction,” Costa began, his tone filled with derision. “Now I’m certain you weren’t pretending, because you were never good at it,” he said, decapitating a summon that had clawed at his form.
“Now that I look at you properly, I don’t see those envious eyes of yours. Instead, your eyes look quite…” Costa paused, staring intently at Scott’s contrasting pupils. “They still look soulless,” he declared, taking a deliberate step forward.
“I thought there would be only one of him capable of inciting so much hatred, but it seems I underestimated how vile he and all his variants could be,” Costa chuckled darkly. “The man slaughtered all his companions, his family, and even betrayed his own race—all for that thing.” Costa’s chuckle deepened, his tongue sliding across his upper teeth as if savoring the memory.
“You can’t imagine how happy I was when I discovered the concept of multiple timelines. The possibility of avenging…” Costa paused, his breath hitching as if recalling a painful memory. “The possibility of inflicting such immense suffering on every possible variant of him. Making them endure so much agony that even he will feel it when he reaches the Point of No Return. He’ll know that I caused him that pain. Yes, me,” Costa declared, his voice swelling with pride before turning bitter. “So what if I had to kill millions? He killed far more than that, yet only I was treated like a common criminal. They should have been thanking me! It was me who stood up when others cowered like pigs. It was me who brought a shred of sanity to the world he destroyed, yet they treated me like dirt. Me?” Costa’s voice cracked with a mixture of anger and disbelief as he locked eyes with Scott. “I saved them, and this is how they repay me?” he spat, and the numerous mason jars trembled as the teeth within them vibrated violently, echoing his rage.
“You have no connection to him, that much I can see, and that makes me so fucking angry! Do you think you’re better than the rest of them? Do you think you’re special?” Costa’s voice was venomous as he took a deep breath, the jars ceasing their muffled trembling.
“I won’t kill you right now. Just as he robbed me of my empire, I’ll rob you of everything you hold sacred. When you’ve lost it all, you’ll become just like him… and just like me,” Costa declared, his eyes suddenly shifting eastward. “Marek chased them that way, didn’t he?” he muttered to himself.
In an instant, dozens upon dozens of eldritch summons charged toward Costa, intent on obliterating him. But Costa merely bared his teeth, which had turned a blinding white. A chilling wind erupted from his position, sweeping out like a tidal wave, instantly freezing the summons where they stood.
But Scott was not idle. The area surrounding Costa darkened as several portals manifested around him. Before the calamity could react, a gigantic fist shot out from one of the portals, wrapping around Costa’s body and yanking him inside. The portals vanished as quickly as they appeared.
Scott stood still, his gaze fixed on his frozen summons, who were on the verge of shattering. There’s no way that psychopath will be able to… A crisp crack, like breaking glass, interrupted his thoughts. His eyes snapped toward one of the mason jars.
What the… A portal had manifested above the jar, and a familiar figure emerged from it, full of smiles, despite being covered in bloody wounds that healed at an unnatural speed.
“I not used to these powers yet, because I should have been able to negate those portals of yours,” Costa said with a twisted grin. “But I’m sure I’ll master it by the time I’m done with your people,” he declared before unleashing a burst of terrifying speed, heading straight toward where the other members of the hound extermination crew had retreated.