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Chapter 118 - Skyfall
🕑 Added 2019-03-13 21:01:38 +0000 UTC
"He isn't dead, granny." Oinos suddenly says. "That's a spare body."
"What have I told you about calling me that?" Changing the target of her radiant glare, Areteniha looks at the dark-skinned Old Human.
"Sorry." Lowering his head, he unexpectedly apologizes. Not only did he clear me of all guilt as the person in question is still alive, but he also seems strangely modest when dealing with the God of the Sun - who now turns out to be an Old Human as well.
My priorities are straight though; I don't want to kill all Old Humans, only the ones that are responsible for the death of my mother. This does exclude Areteniha since I didn't see her there.
"But you did try to kill him, Chaos." Returning her attention to me with a frown that looks nothing short of terrifying, considering she has this motherly aura about her, she makes this valid point.
"First, why am I the first suspect here? Even if I was the one who did it." I'm a little peeved that she would suspect me first - even if there's most likely nobody else who could have done it here. "Second, he killed my mother and has brought a lot of suffering over humans and demons alike."
"He killed...?" It seems that Areteniha had no idea what her other child was doing down here. Aorutihaua is flying freely around the world as they like and not harming anybody unless they choose to land from time to time. So maybe she thought Alverost was doing the same. "Is that true?"
Oinos, being called to testify so suddenly, flinches and blinks. Even though he's a towering man made of muscles, he can't win against his grandmother's inquisitive gaze. It's the same even for all-powerful beings; mothers and grandmothers have that overpowering quality to their existences.
"Yes. He was involved in killing that... person's mother." He admits that my accusation is correct, although the way he reluctantly refers to me as a person doesn't sit well with me. But then he continues. "He's also been experimenting on the beings he created. Those that the new humans call demons and all."
This is the first time I hear one of the Old Humans speak about the current version of humanity. As expected, he considers himself to be apart from their kind based on his earlier birth and his knowledge about the Imagination Engine.
"I knew I should have stayed on Earth after he woke up from stasis." Areteniha's expression becomes clouded and her radiance fades a little. "Thinking you would look after him, I went to the research station for a few thousand years, and this is what happens?"
Their perception of time must be really skewed if she can just bury herself in work for a few thousand years without coming to see her very own flesh and blood. Then again, their relations seem to be a little strange to me, mainly because of their apparent ages. I can't believe Alverost would choose the look of an old man when he can be anything he wants to be.
Then again, maybe it's just one of many bodies he's controlling from inside that sphere in the sky.
"Come down from there right now, child." Calling up into the sky, Areteniha addresses her son. Her tone may be level, but I can feel a shiver run down my spine at how menacing it must be to whoever is on the other end of those words.
For now, I'll stay vigilant while watching how this plays out. I can't consider the God of the Sun - or just an Old Human scientist living on the sun - my friend, so I have to be very careful in my course of actions. My target here is Alverost alone since Oinos wasn't present when my mother was killed. I will kill him if he stops me though.
But I don't know what I would do if Areteniha stood up for her child and became my enemy. She doubtlessly has excellent knowledge about the Imagination Engine, and working on the sun must have given her a lot of insight into its power. I could never hope to stand up to even a fraction of the sun's heat.
A massive holographic screen appears in the sky, projected from the bottom of the battle station, and shows a blonde boy around the age of twelve. He looks exactly what he is - a naughty child caught by his strict mother.
"What are you doing here, mother? I thought you were going to stay on the sun for a while longer." He does sound a little scared but tries to maintain a strong façade in front of Oinos and the present demons.
So that's his real appearance. The old man spare body is just his way to command more respect from those he reveals himself to. But wouldn't that mean he had a child as a child himself? Technically, the Old Humans are all many thousands of years old, but if he maintained his youthful body in that shape and used a fake one to perform the act, wouldn't that make Oinos just another one of his creations? That would give Areteniha's earlier rebuttal of him calling her 'granny' a whole different meaning.
"Do not try to tell me that you did not know about my pet project down here." Now she sounds angry. Considering she just admitted creating, or at least to a great extent influencing the lizardfolk, it would seem that the son is taking after his mother.
"I did not expect you to be here at this time, though." He admits. "Shelnir told me that something was going to happen here on this very day that I should find great interest in."
Huh, Shelnir told him that? Did she time it right so that we would meet here? Was she hoping he or Oinos would kill me and put an end to the demon resistance? But Kamii, and supposedly Rolan and Gram, are here as well, so maybe she wanted to put me through some more grief by letting the little dark elf die before I arrived.
"You are still associating with that girl? I have told you that she has mental issues." Areteniha frowns at the revelation that Shelnir is involved. Just like Exla said, the so-called Guide of Tomorrow is a little psycho who enjoys sowing despair and misery. "But why am I talking to you over a screen? Come down from there right now. Do not make me come up to you and drag you out myself."
The mother-power that the God of the Sun displayed all this time has just taken a jump into infinity. If I were her child, I would be scrambling to follow her order immediately.
"I cannot do that; there are enemies who want to kill me around." But Alverost correctly assumes that the moment he leaves the safety of that battle station, I'll be waiting for him with a laser to the head. I don't care if he's a child or the son of someone who may have the power of the sun at her disposal. If I see him in front of me, I won't be able to control myself.
I'll deal with the consequences when the time arrives.
"Onee-sama?" Kamii asks with her head tilted. She must be wondering why I'm not attacking the person who just revealed herself to be the mother of the murderer of my own mother. It'll be hard to explain, and I can't do it in front of the person in question either, so I only give her a reassuring smile.
"Everything will be fine. Just be careful and stay behind me." I whisper to her while half-turning my head. Even though I doubt Areteniha will attack me suddenly, I still keep her in my field of vision just to be sure.
The minotaur and Mohawk-toting man with a distinctly boar-like face groan and slowly get up from the ground. I thought they were dead after attacking Oinos head-on, but he only knocked them out. At the same time, I finally notice the presence of the tiny bipedal rabbit standing behind Kamii.
I have to say, Alverost does have some good taste in the demons he created. Not like that will keep me from getting revenge, but at least credit where credit is due.
Despite hearing what the Old Humans are talking about, the lizardfolk still keep on prostrating themselves. Maybe they don't understand the words, considering this is not only geographically, but politically separate from the Dominion. They most likely have their own language, similar to the Khurut Sultanate when compared to all the nations that either used to be or are part of the empire's greater sphere of influence.
But if any of them could understand the content of their conversation, they must be realizing that this is a huge revelation. Or maybe it's too complicated for them either way. As someone who knows about the Imagination Engine, I can put the puzzle together, but to them, it must seem strange that these godlike figures are holding a rather banal verbal exchange.
Then I spot Rolan and Gram in the wooden stands among the lizardfolk that didn't have enough space to fully lie flat on the ground and are instead only genuflecting. The big man's body does stand out among them, but I didn't look in the direction before. Once the situation with Alverost is resolved, I'll make sure to take care of them, too.
"Can we talk about this somewhere else? You are undermining my authority." The boy in the holographic screen says and shuts off the connection. That brings my attention back to the Old Humans, and I turn to look at Areteniha's reaction to being so suddenly hung up on.
"Your authority?" Her tone can only be described in the same vein as a volcano just about to burst. "What about mine?!"
In the next moment, she explodes into light, and I quickly put a hand in front of Kamii's eyes to shield her from the brightness while creating an opaque layer over my own to witness what's happening. But it's too late by the time I'm done, even though it took less than a second. She has already burned a hole through the center of the battle station with a concentrated beam of light.
"W-what have you done?!" The holographic screen flickers into existence again and shows a panicked Alverost, the consoles around him sending off sparks and alarms blaring into the microphone. " You destroyed the gravity core! It is going to fall!"
I stare up at the massive sphere, easily overshadowing the entire city's surface area and then some. If this thing falls, whatever is underneath it will be completely obliterated - and that happens to be a city full of what I consider to be demons, even if they don't belong to the Dominion.
In other words, I have to find a way to save them. But how do I either redirect it or annihilate it without leaving anything behind?
Really, how is this taking such a weird turn? When Areteniha revealed she was Alverost's mother, I was already prepared to fight three Old Humans at the same time. But then Oinos somehow decides to help me by telling the truth, and Areteniha goes ballistic on her son instead.
"Young man, you will not let that toy of yours crash on my project." The furious mother with the power of the sun points at her son's face.
"It would seem I do not have a say in this." Alverost looks around his instruments, and his expression of fear disappears as he shrugs in resignation. "I'll come to see you on the Rhodos station later."
With this, he switches off the connection again, and in the next moment, a small capsule flies off from somewhere around the equator. He just escaped on his own and left all the troops onboard as well as this entire city to die!
But suddenly, the escape craft explodes in midair, and just a split second later something impacts the ground in the distance even before pieces of the destroyed vehicle are raining from the sky. If my intuition doesn't fail me, that must have been Aorutihaua, who either just did a one-in-a-million accidental collision, or deliberately took out their brother.
Areteniha didn't see it coming though, as she stares at the smoke and falling debris with round eyes and an open mouth. Oinos reacts almost instantly and runs off the pyramid to save his father - though I doubt he survived it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to escape his falling fortress in the first place.
Speaking of which, it's growing bigger and bigger in the sky, and some of the lizardfolk are noticing that fact. Some voices become louder, most likely informing their brethren of the impending doom, but as if rooted to the spot they're prostrating in, none try to run away. Maybe they expect the God of the Sun to do something about it, or they're accepting their fate.
But Areteniha suddenly disappears, leaving behind only a trail of light burned into my retinas. Switching them out on the spot, I see that she indeed departed, most likely in hopes of finding her son alive. In other words, she abandoned her pet project in favor of her rotten child, although I can understand that sentiment. It's what any good mother would do.
Now, no matter how I look at it, there's no way I can stop that thing. If I used the death laser I just learned from the battle station, the explosion would only scatter the pieces. And even at my full size, I can't ever hope to stop something that big - bigger than Exla and most definitely heavier too.
The ground begins to quake, and I look around, thinking that the gravity of the descending battle station is affecting the geology underneath it. But when several trees start to shoot up as if they just experienced a monstrous growth spurt, I understand that this must be something else's doing.
"Onee-sama!" Vitalis slithers up the stairs and calls out to me while pointing behind her. I follow her finger with my gaze and see Tokomaha standing in the square amid the lizardfolk, reaching up with both her hands as if trying to catch the falling mass.
It would seem that the God of Growth is showing her true power. I always questioned why her title was that and not God of Copies or God of Clones - even if those don't sound as interesting. The little goddess did eventually tell me that she isn't actually known for making copies of herself, but for growing jungles wherever she goes.
And apparently, that includes supersizing plants, too.
The massive trees must be many hundred meters across each, darkening the surroundings of the entire city. Wherever they're growing from, other things are most likely being displaced. But at least it's from the surrounding hills and mountains, which is better than leaving this city to be crushed.
Aurelia walks up to Tokomaha from behind and then looks up as well. The trees meet the massive gray sphere, and the colossal branches shatter from the impact, raining down onto the city below. Raising her hand, the golden girl turns those pieces into gold and liquidizes them before sending them back up.
With the combined powers of my two beautiful lovers, the falling battle station comes to a stop under the creaking support of half a dozen titanic trees and what essentially amounts to a floating saucer of gold the size of the entire city. But Tokomaha doesn't stop and waves her hands around, causing the trees to continue growing in thickness.
Finally, she turns to nod at Aurelia. The latter consolidates the gold saucer into a cube and sends it away with a gesture of her hands, dropping it somewhere beyond the mountain range. The little goddess looks up at the massive construction that darkens the sky with a suspicious gaze before lowering her arms as well.
Silence permeates the air as everybody stares at the precarious safety they find themselves in. But the trees are holding the sphere in place securely for now, and some breathe sighs of relief. I'm among them, as I glance up one last time to make sure it's not moving anymore before turning around to Kamii while the two girls begin to ascend the pyramid stairs under the reverent gazes of the lizardfolk - mostly directed at Aurelia for being made of gold, as they didn't really understand what happened just now.
"Kamii, how-" I mutter, about to talk to her now that all the tension has left the situation when I notice movement from the corner of my eyes.
Spinning around, I grow one arm out into a bladed whip that cuts through every single soldier in black that came with Alverost. Their uniform armors didn't protect them in the least, as their top halves separate from their bottom halves.
They had been pushed to the sidelines when I clashed with Oinos and stayed quiet when Areteniha appeared. But now that they're gone and the crisis is averted, they feel their loyalty to Alverost flare up, thinking they can take me down while my back is turned. I have to commend them for staying even while the fortress was going to fall on their heads, but maybe they were poor brainwashed people.
Whatever the case, I don't want to risk losing anybody important to me because I overlooked some goons.
"Sorry about that little interruption." Turning back to the little dark elf, I smile. She tilts her head at the sight of the dismembered corpses, then looks into my eyes with a smile of her own.
Aurelia and Tokomaha reach the top of the stairs, and along with Vitalis, join my side. With what seems to be perfect timing, Hestia awakens from the healing-induced sleep and sits up to complete the picture. All the girls that I love are back at my side, and we're finally together.
Then my gaze falls on Rolan and Gram.
"If I may be so bold to put a stop to anything that may be about to start." A familiar voice suddenly announces, and I crank my neck around at the annoying tone of it. The bard, dressed in a colorful feathered outfit reminiscent of the one he used to sport when we were traveling together, comes up the last few steps of the pyramid. He's a little out of breath, as he gestures for me to wait while he catches himself before continuing. "Please do not start a fight before hearing me out first."
"Why should I do that? He killed my mother, and you were complicit in that." Employing a cold tone, I rebut. The only reason I haven't extended parts of my body as stakes and driven them through the three yet is that I'm somewhat interested in hearing the excuses he may be coming up with.
"It may be a shocking revelation to you, but let me tell you about the false gods and the truth of this world." The bard hastily adds when he realizes that I'm about to take off some heads.
"I already know everything about that. The game of the Old Humans, the Imagination Engine." I cut down his attempt at building up the tension and mystery. "But I'm interested to hear why you know. Are you one as well?"
"I-if you know, that does make what comes next much easier." Stuttering in surprise, he shifts his gaze between Rolan and me. "I am not one, but I am related to one, who told me everything. I learned that most of the atrocities in the past millennia have all been planned by Shelnir."
Shelnir again. Exla warned me of her, Alverost mentioned her as well, and even Areteniha described her as a girl with mental issues. She guided the two of us here, most likely to watch us clash for her own amusement.
"And she was the one who sabotaged the demon lord system to apply random mutations to people across the continents. The demons created by Alverost are, due to their already altered natures, more prone to positive mutations, so they consider it a blessing. But in reality, they too are impacted by its effects." The bard explains, more confident with his voice now that he has my attention. Juzual told me on the moon that the demon lord system was introduced by Shelnir and Serent together, and that they worked on the specifics with Alverost. But ultimately, Shelnir was the one who turned it into a tradition for every demon lord to undergo the ritual that amplified their powers.
Technically, I already knew that she was responsible for the irreconcilable relationship between demonkind and humanity. Over the death of my mother, I just filed that knowledge away as Zenlith became my main point of focus. After all, he seemed to act as the leader of the pantheon. But as it turns out, the actual big bad is the Guide of Tomorrow, who pulls all the strings.
"Shelnir is the one who appeared before Kamii and Rolan, and gave them a prophecy that led them here." And just as I already began to suspect, the bard confirms it. If she guided both Alverost and me here, then putting the little dark elf into the line of fire must have been an attempt to cause me more grief.
"How does she know all this? I mean, to tell people what to do for them to be in the right place at the right time like this? Don't tell me she really knows the future?" This is the one point that bothers me the most. If we had arrived a few seconds later, Hestia wouldn't have been there to shield Kamii with her body. And if I had been a few seconds later myself, the fallen angel would have died. It couldn't have been planned out perfectly for me to witness Alverost's soldiers kill the little dark elf right before my eyes, could it?
Then again, if I had arrived later, the evidence would have pointed to her being killed by Alverost either way since his fortress would have been looming over the city. And unless he initially planned to kill everybody in this city, there would have been witnesses for me to ask if I had come here a few days later.
But what if I had come too early though? I wasted some time searching for the city, but if I had found it a day ago, I could have put a stop to it all before anybody got so close to dying, and Shelnir's plans would have been ruined.
Maybe she knew I wouldn't be able to find Zohigal without the giant marker floating above it, and she did tell Alverost to come at this specific time. If so, she really had it all planned out perfectly.
"She does. Shelnir is the only person among the false gods who has access to the Akashic Records." The bard responds to my rhetorical question, and I'm stunned for a second.
Wait, Akashic, not Akashi. And here I thought Akashi Records held some prophecy of what's happening in the real world.
"What are those?" I ask, considering there are many possibilities as to what that concept refers to. The most prominent one I know is that it's a compendium of all knowledge, past, present, and future. But that seems unlikely even with something as powerful as the Imagination Engine.
"It is the name of a device that calculates probabilities to a degree close to certainty. Of course, it is not perfect, or Miss Kamii and Miss Hestia would have died before your eyes."
That explains a lot. She's using some kind of supercomputer that calculates the future for her depending on how she tweaks events. It also makes sense that she would take the role of the oracle goddess then.
"Does that mean Zenlith isn't the leader of the bunch?" I ask, knowing that Senka is conveying all this to Exla as we speak.
"On the surface, he is. You may not like it when I say this, but Zenlith is a good person in his own way." Replying with a sideways glance, the bard replies. He's wrong assuming I wouldn't like it. I don't even care if that Zeus-knockoff is a saint who saves puppies from drowning. He was one of the main driving forces behind the death of my mother, and I will have his head for that no matter what. "But Shelnir is holding all the real power, as he does not care much for worldly matters. He enjoys the game to an extent, but he does not get involved unless called on by the others."
Is he trying to tell me that Zenlith only joined because the others asked him? Whatever the case, he's guilty either way. And even if the Guide of Tomorrow was the one who masterminded everything, the others happily played along.
"So Shelnir sent me here to die?" Rolan suddenly comes up from behind me, and I turn my head to glare at him. But then I notice that he's missing an arm and looks not only unkempt but haggard. The past year has been taking a toll on his body and mind, it seems.
Good. It's at least a measure of redemption for what he did. Not like anything - not even death - could ever absolve him of his crime.
"I did not want to tell you last time because I knew you would have thrown yourself into danger on purpose." With a slight frown of disapproval, the bard practically confirms the former party leader's suspicion. "I could not let you do that, my friend."
Rolan replies with silence, as being called a friend in such an empathic tone plugged up the leak in his lost heart - even if only for a moment. I glance between the two and wait for the conversation to continue; this couldn't have been all, could it?
"And after all, there is someone you need to meet." As expected, the bard does continue after this heartfelt pause. "I hope she is alright, although I expect that she will be quite shaken by the events that just transpired."
"Who is it?" The former leader asks with a confused look.
"You told me Shelnir's prophecy. Did you forget the last person you need to take back?" Pointing up at the sphere resting on the titanic trees, the bard smiles.
"Runa?" Rolan's expression brightens a little. Then he remembers that this was supposed to be his grave, so the presence of his beloved must hold meaning in Shelnir's plan. "Was she meant to witness my death and despair at it?"
"That is no longer of any importance." The bard shakes his head and reassures his former leader that it is alright to feel hopeful for once.
"So the whole gang is back together, huh? Then I can deliver justice to all of you at the same time." I step in and state with a calm expression even though my interior is seething. I'm trying to suppress the feeling for the time being, to let it all out at the appropriate moment.
"Please leave the others out of this. I was the one who-" Rolan begins, but I cut him off.
"I saw all of you there, next to those false gods. Only because you delivered the final blow doesn't mean the others aren't accomplices." I don't want to waste any more time talking to him and point at the shuttle so thoughtfully prepared by Alverost's now deceased soldiers. "Let's go."
