CHAPTER 168 – THE FOREIGN GOD
HIRAYA MISTELTEIN – PREVIOUS TIMELINE
It’s been months since Lysander last visited Cathedral Exa within the Dragon’s Fortress. The Altered Regression Magic remains incomplete, and I am at a loss on how to finish it. Disturbingly, my connection with the Heart of Exceria is waning. Though I can still sense its rhythmic pulse, it feels increasingly distant. A dreadful thought gnaws at me: Lysander might have met a terrible fate, a possibility I dread to entertain.
Time, however, is of the essence. Lysander entrusted us with the location of Humanity’s Final Sanctuary. With a unanimous vote from the Six Dragon Lords, Gazelle has taken the lead on a final assault to annihilate the Empire of Humans once and for all.
We gathered at the Elysian Ocean with millions of immortal dragonoids, poised to strike at sunset. Our fleet of thousands of war-ready airships loomed ominously in the sky.
“This will be our last mission,” Gazelle addressed the Dragon Lords as he soared into the skies. “Even without the completion of the Regression Magic, our goal remains: to purge all humanity from this planet. We will attack the Final Sanctuary, disable its flight capabilities, and massacre all humans.”
I rose, extending my hand with resolute determination. “The mission plan is simple—unleash chaos. Be wary of Deo; he is a living weapon designed to counter us. The King of Humanity’s Wickedness, lacking any latent abilities except for the Archonlight, will be our final target.”
"And..." Gazelle continued, his voice heavy with resolve. "We must rescue Lysander Faradeiss. Isn’t that right, Daybreaker?"
"Gazelle..." I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. I looked around at my fellow Dragon Lords, meeting their eyes with a determined gaze. "Please. Please rescue Lysander. He is the key to undoing all this mess."
"You got it, Hiraya!" Kate exclaimed, sheathing her sword on her back with a confident grin.
"We will make sure to bring him back safely," Gaeun replied shyly, her voice soft but resolute.
"I can’t believe I’ll be fetching a peasant. But if it is what you wish, then so it will be," Charlotte said, flicking her hair with a mix of disdain and reluctant acceptance.
"And Hiraya," Gazelle's voice drew my attention back to him. "I know it’s not part of the plan you've given us, but I insist you stay in the Dragon’s Fortress. You should wait here, in case Lysander manages to come back to you."
"Are you sure about that, Gazelle?" I asked, my voice tinged with concern. "You will be facing Deo, who bears the striking resemblance to Sir Amphere Harrison. Are you certain you can defeat him?"
Gazelle clenched his fists, his eyes burning with a mix of anger and determination. "That thing is no longer my big brother. I will see to it that Arthur pays for what he’s done—for butchering the timeline and the body of the knight I adored the most."
"Good hunting then, Overmind," I said with a smile, though my heart was heavy with worry.
“Good luck to you too, Daybreaker,” Gazelle said before turning to Alris. “Alris Vortigern, I ask you to protect your lover at all costs. Even if it means you have to kill someone who shouldn’t be killed.”
“I will,” Alris nodded solemnly.
Suddenly, a gigantic summoning circle materialized beneath Gazelle’s feet. It encompassed the Five Dragon Lords and their dragonoid partners. Eva, the other half of the Overmind, cast the summoning spell, ensuring the annihilation of humanity would be swift and overwhelming.
With a blinding flash of light, the armies of the Republic were transported directly to the enemy’s home base. This shock-and-awe operation would catch the humans off guard, leaving them no time to prepare against such a large force.
The million-strong immortal dragon army began advancing towards the frontlines of the Final Sanctuary. Their strategy was to thin the main human forces little by little, while the Dragon Lords would annihilate every human from within. With a 98% probability of success, I had little doubt about the outcome of this final bloodshed.
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Yet, Gazelle's words to Alris lingered in my mind, troubling me deeply. He mentioned fighting someone who shouldn't be killed. Could he be implying that Lysander has betrayed me? I didn’t want to believe it, but the Eye of Deus could see visions beyond my grasp.
“Let’s go, Hiraya.” Alris said, transforming into a magnificent Nova Dragon. I climbed onto his back, and we surged back to the Dragon’s Fortress with one hundred thousand immortal dragons as our escort. The air buzzed with anticipation and the unspoken tension of impending conflict, but my heart was heavy with uncertainty and fear for Lysander.
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It took an hour before we returned to Cathedral Exa. The imposing silhouette of the New Yggdrasil Tree, a treasure trove of omniscience, greeted us. I knelt before it, praying for visions of current events, hoping for clarity amid the chaos.
Meanwhile, Alris seated himself at the church organ, his fingers dancing over the keys. The music he produced was soothing, a balm for our frayed nerves and a focus for my mind as I sought my visions.
In the trance of my prayer, visions unfurled before me with stark clarity. I saw the two Overmind combine into their Magitech Dragon Form, a towering figure of raw power, unleashing a devastating ball of light towards Deo, erasing him from existence. The sight was both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
Next, I saw Kate, her sword a blur of lethal efficiency, cutting down humans with a grim determination. Gaeun appeared next, her magic wand crackling with energy as she electrified women and children. Then Charlotte, cool and detached, sniping helpless humans as they attempted to flee.
It was a horrifying panorama, my friends transformed into murderers of innocent people. Yet, it was too late to turn back. Our resolve was unbreakable; we would stop at nothing to achieve our goal.
In another vision, I saw the concerted efforts of the four Dragon Lords to seal Arthur in a gigantic dark cube. Mariko was in charge of the alchemic construction, her precision and knowledge indispensable. Darlix engineered the physical manifestation of the cube, ensuring its structural integrity. Velissa procured real seawater to fill the cube, a crucial element in their plan. Meanwhile, Earvin continuously infused the water with a paralyzing agent derived from his own blood, maintaining a constant vigil to keep Arthur subdued.
This cube is the ultimate countermeasure for Arthur. While it doesn’t harm him, it renders him immobile by continuously drowning him through simulated natural means. This intricate process requires the combined mana of the Four Dragon Lords to sustain the seal, but even their efforts can only hold him for an hour or two. In those precious hours, we aim to wipe out humanity from this planet, everything falling according to plan.
However, something felt amiss. Lysander was nowhere to be found. Even his fellow Erudites were absent from the genocide I orchestrated.
Suddenly, I heard distant gunshots, the echoes reverberating from far above the Dragon’s Fortress. Mixed with these sounds were the unmistakable discharges of magical lasers from my army of immortal dragons.
“Hiraya Misteltein. Do you hear me?” Arthur’s voice pierced through the cacophony.
I returned to my vision, seeing him still sealed by the Four Dragon Lords. Despite the pitch-black confines of the sealing cube, Arthur’s grin was visible, mocking and unyielding.
“I can hear you and your defeat, Arthurius Elkyria Neos,” I replied telepathically, my voice tinged with defiance.
Arthur’s grin widened, his eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and malice. "Do you think this will hold me forever, Hiraya? The tides of fate are not so easily controlled."
"Your arrogance will be your downfall, Arthur. We are prepared for every eventuality."
"And yet, Lysander eludes you," he retorted. "What if he's not as loyal as you think?"
Doubt began to creep into my mind, but I pushed it aside. "Your mind games won’t work on me. Focus on your own predicament."
“Don’t be so sure, Hiraya. My last trump card is just above you,” Arthur replied, his voice carrying a sinister edge.
“It doesn’t matter if you send all your finest skysoldiers above me. Not even your Erudites have a way to kill an immortal Dragon Lord,” I retorted. “Accept your defeat, Arthur. And tell me where Lysander is.”
Arthur laughed, his voice bubbling through the water. “Hahaha. Come to think of it, you don’t know how to activate the Regression Magic, do you? Only the Erudites Eight can activate it, and even then, there are specific conditions that you would never know. The Regression Magic is my curse, and my curse alone. I am not the only one stuck in a time loop. We all are stuck in it.”
“Then Lysander will break us out of it,” I replied telepathically, my confidence unwavering.
“Hahaha! Haven’t I told you already?” Arthur asked, his tone almost mocking. “About the Foreign God who will be the ultimate destruction and my own salvation.”
At this time, my elven ears picked up more gunshots and spell castings in the skies above the Dragon’s Fortress. It was clear that Arthur was conversing with me merely to buy time for his Erudites to arrive.
I didn’t mind, though, because I could feel the Heart of Exceria drawing closer. Lysander was with the Erudites Eight, I was sure of it. No matter what happened, he would come back to me.
“You will never be able to summon that god. I won, Arthur,” I declared with finality.
Arthur’s laugh echoed through the telepathic link. “I have already summoned him, long before you knew what was going on.... He is Lysander.”
A cold chill ran down my spine as his words sank in. Suddenly, the loud creaking noise of the Cathedral’s doors reverberated through the hall. I turned sharply to see a few skysoldiers, the remaining survivors of humanity, standing in the doorway.
And there, among them, was Lysander.
His presence sent a wave of conflicting emotions crashing over me. Relief, confusion, fear, and a glimmer of hope all fought for dominance within my heart.
[End of Hiraya Misteltein's Memory Crystal]