R-a - Volume 4 - Chapter 78 (The Final Chapter of Book 4) (Patreon)

R-a - Volume 4 - Chapter 78

(Note: there is a short epilogue that I will release later, tying together all loose ends - no deadline for when, b/c I can't keep a deadline to save my life)

Immediately after Micheal yelled out to Shin, he did something rather strange.

He paused briefly to stare at Prime before tapping on his Spatial Ring and pulling out a plain, gray notebook.

“Here.” Micheal tossed the notebook to Prime.

“Read it when you get time. It will help.”

Micheal watched the Director snag the small journal out of the air and then bowed his head.

“Thank you for such an incredible gift. I understand your intentions.” Prime raised his head.

“You have my word that I won’t act against you, at least not until the Human Race is no longer in danger.” The Director finished.

Micheal paused, taken somewhat aback at the abrupt response.

‘Ah. He froze time and read all of it.’ Micheal belatedly realized.

‘Right. He can do that.’

.. .. .. .. .. ..

“So the rumors of him being a Seer are true.” Prime muttered, in a world frozen in time.

He glanced again at the notebook he had been given, stunned by the information it contained.

‘Advice on training Ki, Mana, Magic, Abilities, and an extensive list of the horrific monstrosities that humanity will have to face, and much more.’

It was a gift that, assuming all of this information was reliable, possessed such incredible value that he could hardly put it into words.

A gift that could change the fate of humanity as a whole.

A gift given to him, despite the fact that Prime had tried to murder Micheal just a few months ago.

Prime clasped his hands together briefly as he sighed.

“...perhaps you and I could have been friends in another life.”

A long time passed as Prime stood still, his mind mired with confusion, excitement, and frustration.

It was only after those emotions faded that Prime allowed time to resume…

But not before opening that notebook one last time, turning to a page that had stood out to him beyond all others.

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—- Nameless Mana Breathing Method used by Typhon, a Transcendent Dragon —-

Rank: SSS+

Effects: Allows specialization in either the development of Mana Circles or of a Mana Heart, or both. Vastly strengthens Mana density and capacity, greatly enhances the user’s body, and grants unique properties to one’s blood.

Successful practice of this Mana Breathing Method shifts a creature’s body into a state of constant evolution and growth that only ceases with death.

Successful practice of this Mana Breathing Method to Completion grants its user the ability to transform into a Dragon.

Note: Only a Dragon, the descendants of a Dragon, or a being in possession of Draconic Blood can practice this Mana Breathing Method.

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.. .. .. .. .. ..

It was the second notebook Micheal had given out today.

The first he gave to the Nirvana Saint, as they parted ways after coordinating on a plan to take Orion down.

Micheal had put a great deal of thought into crafting these notebooks, in-between his training time inside the First Gate.

'The changes I’ve wrought to Humanity’s fate have been monumental but…’

He was only one man.

He couldn’t be everywhere and do everything.

And already, now, things had begun to spiral out of his control.

‘The Vile King never pulled out of the Second Layer in the first timeline.’

‘The Six Lord’s Sanctum Raid never succeeded in the first timeline.’

‘There was never a Titled Deity on the Second Layer in the first timeline.’

Everything he had witnessed and experienced had led him to this conclusion.

The fate of Humanity could not rest on his shoulders alone.

“He’s reforming his body inside there.” Prime’s words snapped Micheal's thoughts back into razor sharp focus.

“Got it. Anything special about it?” Micheal returned with a nod, trusting the man’s word.

“...no, not that I can tell. His features are slightly mishappen, his flesh turned gray. I-” Prime paused briefly, a frown appearing on his face.

“I thoroughly destroyed his brain and nervous system when I attacked but now…” His frown deepened as he continued,

“That gray fog of his is somehow managing to ‘re-knit’ the missing parts of him together, including the arms you severed. I have no idea how he managed to retain consciousness.”

Micheal’s eyes pierced towards the blob of fog protecting Orion like a hawk, never letting it leave his vision.

“He’s a Dark Wraith that possessed that body.” Micheal answered,

“Even if you destroy his brain, the consciousness of a Dark Wraith is stored in their Soul.”

“Ah, I see.” Prime returned, his face completely emotionless.

‘...how many times has he stopped time in this conversation?’

While the details were small and subtle, Micheal picked up on several minor hints that let him know it was more than once.

“When you- scratch that, he’s waking up! Does your plan need any help?” Prime’s voice took on a hint of urgency.

“No.” Micheal shook his head as he steeled himself.

And then…

He put his sword away, storing it in his Spatial Ring.

“We'll handle this.”

.. .. .. .. .. ..

Throb.

Shin inhaled.

Throb.

Shin exhaled.

Throb.

‘Focus, man.’ Shin thought to himself as his hands shook, his entire body trembling.

An enormous amount of energy was currently rushing through his body, pulsing through his veins and pumping through his heart.

This energy was a special type of power called ‘Enhancement Energy.’

It was a power the Nirvana Saint used to great effect in the first timeline, an Ability the man stored in Solomon’s Book during his first year, according to records leaked by Dark Void.

It did exactly as its name implied: it enhanced the power of one’s Abilities.

‘Damn, this hurts.’ Shin thought, underselling what felt like molten magma as it flushed through his veins.

Despite the pain, his gaze never left Micheal as he watched his best friend, waiting for the time to act.

“Is it too much? I can slow my output.” The Nirvana Saint’s calm voice echoed softly in Shin’s ears. Sophia stood near them, staring at Shin with concern in her eyes.

“No. Keep it coming.” Shin’s eyes were bloodshot as he felt more and more energy condense inside him.

‘Micheal is counting on me.’

Throb.

Blood began to drip down from his nose.

‘I will not let him down.’

.. .. .. .. .. ..

Orion woke up.

Deep within the depths of his fog cocoon, the proud warrior grunted as he regained consciousness.

‘Did I… die?’

The only memory of the attack that hit him was a brief image of a golden haired man, appearing out of this air. After that, everything went blank.

He couldn’t remember any pain, any suffering, just blank, nothingness.

‘I nearly died.’

His entire psyche shook for the briefest moment before he regained control of himself, crushing any shred of doubt with his overwhelming strength of will.

‘I lay here at the doorstep to defeat…’ He realized.

‘But I am not dead.’

Orion allowed himself a grim smile.

‘I survived.’ As he always had.

The First Lord examined his body, staring at the odd, gray flesh that had grown to replace the countless horrific injuries he had suffered. His body had merged, in part, with the gray fog that surrounded him, giving it an odd, unsettling appearance.

‘I understand now.’

The Title he had just obtained… this was a power far greater than he had thought.

‘I cannot die.’

He had Ruined his own Death.

‘That is my destiny.’

His eyes glowed.

‘This is my purpose.’

He would not die here.

His intuition told him that, clear and true.

And it was here that Orion turned his focus outward, as his body began to finish re-knitting itself back together.

.. .. .. .. .. ..

“Human.”

Micheal resisted the urge to flinch as he heard Orion’s deep, gruff voice grumble out.

“You cannot stand in the way of destiny.”

The Titled Deity’s words echoed in the air, carrying with them a presence that felt as if it would crush all who opposed it.

“Hah. Destiny.” Micheal spat as he began to walk forward.

“There is no such thing.” He was living proof of that.

There was no fate that bound him, no destiny that controlled him.

“That is the excuse used by lesser men to commit atrocities.”

Orion paused at Micheal’s response.

“You know nothing of the burden I bear, Human.”

“Do I?” Micheal returned, tit for tat.

“You seek power and control, to form an army to kill a God.”

Orion was powerful, Micheal could admit that.

His martial arts were immaculate, his Ki incredibly pure, and he now possessed a Title that could warp the very fabric of reality.

“I do what must be done.” Orion’s replied,

“I take no joy in the harm I cause, but what I do is for the good of all.”

The fog around Orion gradually began to disperse, revealing his bedraggled, but now whole form.

Two pale, gray arms had replaced the energy constructs Orion relied on, the new appendages were not as strong as his original arms, but far better than nothing.

The rest of his injuries had been wrought over with gray flesh, from cuts and slashes to stabbing wounds and cracked bones.

“You see me now, human.” The First Lord stared at Micheal as he emerged.

“Your resistance is pointless."

"I cannot die.”

“I cannot lose.”

Micheal stared back at Orion.

By this point, he stood only a few meters away, face to face a newborn God.

Everything else was silent, still and frozen, not daring to interrupt the moment.

“You will fail.” Micheal replied simply.

“You are destined for failure, if destiny existed.”

Orion’s eyes narrowed.

“And why is that?” He returned.

Micheal took another step forward, instantly causing Orion to raise his guard, lightning coating his new gray hands.

“It’s simple, really.”

Micheal took another step.

“You fight fair.”

He took another step forward, until he was just barely out of melee range.

“And…”

Micheal smiled.

“You cannot fight fair if you want to kill a God.”

The moment Micheal finished speaking, he took one final step forward.

And it was here in this moment that several things happened, all at once.

Orion instantly attacked, holding back nothing as he punched forward.

A loud shockwave blasted through the air as Micheal took a close range strike to the chest, making no effort to dodge.

The First Lord instantly punched through Micheal’s heart, sending out a torrent of energy that passed through him and destroyed a pile of nearby rubble.

At the same time, as soon as the First Lord’s attack went through, Micheal reached forward and…

He grabbed tight ahold of Orion’s arm as he pulled it out of his chest, preventing the Titled Deity from stepping away.

As soon as Micheal made contact with Orion...

Shin teleported into existence behind Micheal and immediately grabbed Micheal by his leg, holding tight before he even landed on the ground.

And then…

All three of them vanished, leaving behind a rather confused Prime as they teleported far, far away.

.. .. .. .. .. ..

‘More-more-more-more-more.’ This mantra ran through Shin’s head as he forced himself to keep going, the world around him transformed into translucent lines of energy that connected space together.

Blood gushed from his nose in a torrent as his body processed the enormous amount of energy the Nirvana Saint had imbued him with, allowing him to activate his Warping Phaser Ability at a level he had never done before.

Inside the First Gate, Shin had spent enough time practicing his teleportation powers to truly master them, controlling them at a precise level that gave him accuracy down to the millimeter.

What he needed here, however, wasn’t just exacting precision.

No, he needed distance.

Vast, overwhelming distance.

For, as Shin teleported not only himself, but also Micheal and Orion as well, he was hurtling through dozens and dozens of miles of space all at once.

It was a distance he had never before attempted to travel, especially not with two additional bodies tagging along for the ride.

‘MORE. MORE. MORE.’

Whenever Shin teleported, at least in the eyes of others, it appeared to be an instant technique.

Shin knew, however, that the longer he had to move, the more time he spent in this state here, in-between existence, following along the translucent lines that held reality together.

‘MORE. MORE.’

Pain began to wrack Shin’s Soul as he overdrew on his Ability, testing and exceeding the limits of what was possible for him. The sheer concentration and strain he felt was crushing, battling his will to make him fail.

‘MORE.’

He kept going.

Shin didn’t know how long he remained in this state, his consciousness blurring it all together as if he was in limbo, where time no longer mattered.

Eventually, however, as he neared the end of the Enhancement Energy the Nirvana Saint had blessed him with…

Shin found his target.

176.384 miles to the North of the Sanctum, within the territory of the Silent Sword Sect, lay a rather innocuous looking forest. There wasn’t anything special about this forest, it wasn’t a Magic Forest teeming with Magic Beasts, but rather a plain, normal set of trees.

If there was anything special about this place, however, it was the fact that Micheal knew exactly how far away it was from where Shin had been standing, and was able to give pinpoint accuracy coordinates to guide his teleport.

In a flash, Shin, Micheal and Orion all appeared between two large trees, falling to the ground in a split second.

As soon as they appeared, Micheal shattered a Life Orb, instantly healing his body back to full. His chest was coated in blood from having been caved in just seconds ago, but his eyes were alert and focused.

Orion, in turn, looked shocked and disoriented, the strange sensation of teleportation catching him off guard. Gray fog began to pool around him as he activated his Title.

However…

Before anyone could do anything.

All of three of them vanished once more.

This time, however… instead of finding themselves in a forest, a river, or even a mountain range…

Micheal, Shin, and Orion Thunderfist all found themselves floating above a dark, endless Void, just a couple meters away from a large, floating island covered in trees.

The 3rd Layer.

‘It’s just like I remember.’ Micheal recognized the place they had spawned at.

The trio had just managed to cross through the Valley of Souls, the name of the unique location every being was given when they arrived on the 2nd Layer, the one spot in the world that connected the 2nd Layer to the 3rd for each individual, a location every human could instinctively feel as soon as they arrived.

Micheal had dragged all three of them together, forcing them to cross over with him.

“What?” Orion stuttered despite himself, unable to comprehend yet another disorienting leap.

The warrior pushed back at Micheal as the trio began to fall down towards the Void below, trying to leap towards the floating island just meters away. Shin took this opportunity to teleport away, landing on the island nearby.

Micheal didn’t allow Orion to escape, his eyes glowing as he refused to let go of Orion’s arm.

“Gravton ul Hangor.”

A wave of Mana left Micheal’s Soul as he cast the 2nd Circle Spell ‘Earthbound.’

Blue Mana wrapped around Orion in an instant, forming a large circle that imprinted itself upon his body. The Spell took effect at once, sending the Titled Deity hurtling downward as the gravity he experienced began to increase.

As Micheal tried to let go of the warrior’s arm, Orion’s eyes glowed with rage. In a fraction of a second, a spear of gray fog formed and punched through Micheal’s chest, instantly killing him, for the third time now in their fight.

When he died, however, his body vanished once more as he shattered a third Life Orb, escaping Orion’s grasp.

Micheal reformed his body as far up and away from Orion as he could, appearing near the side of the floating island. He used his final remaining Life Orb to support himself, balancing on the Orb as he levitated upward.

His focus, however, remained down, staring intently at the rapidly descending figure of Orion Thunderfist.

‘Almost there.’ His eyes flashed as he watched the warrior fall into the Void, waiting patiently.

‘Almost…’

The enhanced gravity Orion experienced continued to grow more and more, the Spell’s power drawing on the Mana in the air to maintain its growth. This sent the Dark Wraith hurtling down like a missile, rocketing through the air at a breakneck pace.

And then…

Orion vanished from sight.

And Micheal smiled.

“He’s crossed the Demarcation Line.” Micheal spoke aloud, half to himself, half to Shin, as he landed on the floating island in a heap, his hands set to trembling as he realized how close he had come to losing.

The Demarcation Line. The Point of No Return. The Maw of Death.

Once crossed, it could never be undone.

He was now trapped in the dark, endless Void.

“Like I said, Orion.” Micheal whispered.

“If you want to kill a God…” His eyes gleamed.

“You cannot fight fair.”

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