Chapter 326 - You've been strong (Patreon)

While down in the closed-off bunker, I walk from room to room, controlling air filtration systems I power up with my mana through anchors I placed near them.

Making them work wasn't that difficult, just a bit annoying since the core here is broken and the room with it is buried by stone.

So even though this place is cut off from outside, all over, my thermal orbs float, letting out a light that is bright but soft to the eyes. The filtration system hums gently, and otherwise, it's eerily quiet.

Just me and my minion moving around, examining the rooms when we are bored, and practicing as much as we can.

I have decided to spend the remaining few days here, instead of getting outside, where who knows what is happening. Here I'm also getting used to my skills that leveled up during the fight with my duplicate. Plenty of them did.

Maybe I could get a few more levels or level up some skills. I could get into fights with powerful opponents, yet every time I look at Vega, I hesitate. She is strong, but soon she will return, and I won't be able to help her anymore. So I hold back and train her.

This sort of selfless thinking isn't something I do that often, and it once again reminds me how attached I have become to this smug little half-demon. This silly minion of mine.

“Master! [Mana Manipulation] leveled up again!” Vega comes rushing from somewhere behind me.

“Good job, minion,” I answer, and happy even with that little, she smiles and focuses back on the mana stone she holds.

It all helps her to take her mind off my duplicate. She got to like him in the days we spent together.

Looking at her, I touch her mana with my senses, and she allows my senses to pierce through her natural barrier, something she got used to.

I observe her left eye, the one she got implanted from the duplicate, and I still sense his anchor connected to it, even now making small changes as he continues to improve his inscriptions.

For a while, I examine the web of delicate pathways, something he is able to do because of his experimenting and cooperation with two healers on the Bastion. Unlike me, he spent most of his time on this kind of stuff, so I, who practiced different skills, don't understand it fully yet. And yet, even I can tell that this is not enough.

I head back to the room where I put most of my things. Looted items from the bunkers, station, and bastion. Items I still have ever since the 4th floor from the auction. There are plenty.

Then there is also a small tube that holds Vega's original eye. Something we have kept in case the duplicate fails and the eye he gave to Vega disappears. Irvin also put a mark on the eye. Something that will activate by sending a little bit of mana through. Then that mark will release some healing mana and help to reconnect the eye.

I wonder how soon Lily will be capable of something like that.

***

One day remains when others start sending messages in the Community.

Sset (Hell, group 4) - Stay safe, Noname, I will see you on the next floor.

TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - I learned a lot, and I can't wait to show you, Noname!

Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - I hope you didn't forget the promise we made!

FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - food!

Izzy (Hell, group 4) - I will see you soon, dumb Noname!

I pick up a few messages, and then they disappear, and group 4 enters the 6th floor.

Unlike me, they got to the 5th floor around 24 hours earlier, so it's nothing surprising. Now, they left to join the twins, one of which had his disciple die and the other gave up on more time with his disciple to follow his brother.

So that's it. The floor will end soon, after that, there will be a short time on the 6th floor before the tournament will start.

What I don't like is that I won't be able to do the 3rd Beyond trial before the tournament; the timing just doesn't allow it as there is still a bit more time left.

That could be interesting as I think Savant should be able to fit the 3rd trial in. It could also be possible that Savant will end up stuck in the Beyond trial and won't be able to join the tournament. The 1st trial took one day, the 2nd trial took one week.

So there is a high chance Savant won't risk it and leave the 3rd trial for after the tournament to not risk missing it. That's what I would do.

Keeping my mind busy, I move to the room where Vega is and sit there, watching her train while observing her eye.

***

POV Duplicate of Nathaniel Gwyn

Well, that's it, I guess. I did as much as I could, and the personality imprint of my own is impossible as of now. What I did up until now is so terrible I would rather wipe it than let it stay in my minion's eye.

Over the past few days, more plans have failed, and a bit of hope is in imperfect personality imprints, something more akin to signatures my original created. There are five of them. One on me, one at the place where the original is, and three more all over the 5th floor.

So it's time for the annoying plan.

I poke the head at my feet with my shoe, “Come on, I know you are lurking around.”

A quiet laugh sounds from the cut-off head of the veil shrieker, and eyes open up, “So did you decide to accept my proposal, oh, unfortunate one?”

“You know very well I did not.”

“I might or might not know. The tutorial allows some privacy to all the attendees,” the mouth moves, but it is not at all in sync with the words. It's not even needed for its mouth to move.

“Hurting Vega is out of the question.”

“I understand, so, what would you like?” the tone it talks with shows a cruel enjoyment of my current situation.

“Help me to inscribe my personality into the eye of my original's disciple.”

“It's amusing how much tamer you are now, unfortunate one,” the mouth moves in a soundless laugh. “What would be in there for me?”

“After getting my body back, I would be…”

“No.”

“No?”

“Yes, no. You are not worth such an investment. Outside of the tutorial, I already have multiple Vessels and beings that serve me; you can't hope to reach any of them.”

“I see, in such a case, how about a bet?”

The mouth of the head closes, and eyes turn right at me, nearly radiating amusement, “Tell me more, unfortunate one.”

“I will kill Gaiathra on my own. I know you don't give a fuck about me, but my succeeding would be amusing enough, right? Might be a nice way to spend time before you continue to stalk that guy.”

“Gaiathra is level 367, meanwhile, you are over 130 levels lower. Do you even realize the sheer difference in your status?”

“Won't that make it more interesting?” I know I don't have much time remaining; I already feel my body starting to weaken. As the system said before, the mirror wasn't supposed to be used that way, and my body is only temporary.

So even if I fail, why not end it with a bang?

“You have made preparations,” the intent of the Ruler muses, most likely finding out.

“A few, but that shouldn’t change much, right?”

“Why not, I always love watching bugs like you realize where they belong. Entertain me then, and I will help you.” After that, the head stops moving and the intent is gone, yet I'm sure I'm being watched.

I kick the head, sending it flying, and then straighten up.

The asshole might be lying, but it doesn’t change much. Killing my original is something I don’t think I can do, and I don’t want to merge with him. I’m my own being. I won’t be turned into memories, erasing my personality with barely anything left behind.

Deep breath in and out.

I can do it.

Taking a few steps, I pass through the barrier into the Valley where not a single life presence can be felt, all monsters wiped out from existence.

Only a single one stays alive, standing and looking towards where I am.

[Gaiathra- lvl ???]

At its feet, a big hole is dug out, revealing pieces of the Veil Ignition Station.

I guess the big danger noodle didn’t like us stopping the mana radiation it slept right over.

But now the core is revealed, the patch made out of Nevan’s alloy gone and the core radiating more mana than ever before. All to the giant monster's liking.

The big yellow eyes turned to me as the snake with six nimble legs moves around.

I have only one chance, and that is going all out. A single series of as powerful attacks as I can. Prolonged combat is not something I will be able to win.

My eyes activate, the inscriptions I etched into my skin shine, and black mana seeps into my body in amount higher than ever before. The amount is sufficient to destroy this body beyond any possibility of repair, yet I do not hesitate.

I shoot a javelin into the air over Gaiathra with an anchor tied to it. Then I connect to the anchor inscribed into a mana stone I left near the core. Its mana signature either too low or weak for the monster to care.

Yet the monster notices me when I appear near the core. Simultaneously, the mana radiation from the core crashes against me in waves and almost instantly destroys the epic pendant Nevan crafted for us.

But even that short moment is enough, and a black mana orb forms near me, growing stronger until it's made out of half of my body mana.

I activate the anchor on the javelin that now passes over the monster's head and appear in the air over the giant six-legged snake.

The monster ignores me, curiously staring at the black mana orb that with immense speed devours the crazy amounts of mana the core is still leaking.

A massive tongue flickers as Gaiathra tastes the mana leaking from the core and seeping into the black orb that even now keeps the same size. The orb devours and dominates the mana round it, strengthening itself further and then even pulling on the mana the monster radiates.

Oh, and Gaiathra doesn’t like it.

Its yellow eyes shine, and corroding mana seeps through the earth and surrounds the orb.

To the monster's surprise, it gets absorbed as well, devoured, taken over, and pulled inside of the orb that feels increasingly terrifying.

Staggering amount of mana surrounds one of the monster's six legs, creating a barrier around it. The monster swings it, hitting the orb and sending it flying away, even out of the Valley.

Then, the monster turns its head towards me with a speed that feels unnatural for something as big.

But I'm already all set with my preparations. The orb plan has failed, so it's time for plan C.

I lift my left arm towards the air and towards my anchor I feel high up there. Then I use a skill my original will never be able to use. He is not in a state of mind to get it, unlike me who got used to the thought of dying over the past few weeks.

He may never even consider trying to learn the skill as he might never be in the situation as me.

But I can do it. I haven't tried it before, but I know I can.

“[Sacrifice],” I call.

My left arm disappears in its entirety.

I need to follow the traditions, don't I?

Notifications arrive as the skill levels up, and I use it again, my left leg disappearing as well, and the crazy amount of mana flows through me.

The barrier I create blocks the playful attack of the monster and nearly drains me of what I just gained and some more.

The mana batteries on me empty, and I reach through my domain and place an anchor right over the six-legged snake, and then use [Tether], connecting two anchors. One on a physical object high up, and another is on a spot over Gaiathra.

Then, like iron pulled to a magnet, the object I kept floating high in the air gets pulled downward at a speed that continues to increase as I feed the skill with more mana.

Gaiathra senses it but still sees me as an annoyance at most, it just shoots another attack at me, this time a bit stronger.

[Sacrifice] activates, and my hair disappears, my right leg as well, and a few fingers of my right hand, my last remaining limb. Even then I barely block the attack.

The third attack Gaiathra throws at me is much more serious, and keeping [Tether] on, I do something even Lily was unwilling to do.

I sacrifice my memories.

The first ten years of my life disappear, and the barrier that blocks the attack still cracks, and all over my body, corrosive wounds start appearing, eating away my flesh.

At the same time, it's finally here. The skyscraper-sized mana crystal from the bunker I have got outside. Later, after examining the Bastion flying, I have placed it high in the air, and currently, it's pulled at high speed to the spot right over the snake.

And best of all, it's to a scary degree filled with a mix of my mana, thermal, and kinetic energy. Like a meteor, it shines in the air, with golden thermal energy, transparent kinetic, and pale blue mana swirling inside.

Gaiathra tries to move, and 11 more years of my memories disappear.

[Redistribution] activates, for a split second capable of grasping this powerful monster.

When the skyscraper-sized crystal crashes against the monster, I use my last remaining mana and teleport to the anchor far outside of the Valley.

And then I teleport again, sacrificing some of my useless organs to do so.

Without any limbs and with black mana and life seeping out of me, I appear on top of one of the cliffs, leaning against the stone behind my back.

I watch as far in the distance beautiful lights light up the sky, shining on the clouds from the bottom.

My attack and now fully broken core of the Veil Ignition Station and the sheer pressure of the explosion blows all the clouds away. Even where I am, I can feel the pressure and the shockwave followed by wind and sound after a flash of light.

The notification I was waiting for sounds after a few more seconds, and a chuckle escapes my mouth.

Thermal energy flows through my body, and I examine my mind, looking at what remains. The things that I subconsciously didn't sacrifice.

My mom and sister are there, something I wouldn't be able to sacrifice. But more faces pop up to my surprise. A girl with red eyes, a cute corgi, a silly blonde, at times a scary black haired girl, a young troubled boy looking up to me, and more.

People I barely know, yet somehow they are still here, my subconscious mind not wanting to give up on them..

(Not in a million years would I expect someone like you to be able to awaken a skill like [Sacrifice],) the voice of the intent sounds in my mind.

I blink a few times, barely able to keep myself awake, my heart beating slower and slower, and my life leaking out of me.

“Our deal,” I say.

(You showed me something really fun, so consider me entertained, oh unfortunate one.)

I use [Sacrifice] again, one of my eyes disappearing, just to keep my heart beating for a bit longer.

(But I lied,) the intent says.

The voice continues to sound in my head, (I wouldn’t be even able to give you the status of your original's disciple. I just wanted to see you kill her,) the voice sounds coldly amused.

(You have rejected me before, and for that, you will die.)

Well, I guess that's it. I gave it my all, I defeated an extremely powerful enemy and learned a thing or two about me. It's not that bad of a death.

This past year in the tutorial was fun even though sad at times.

“Fuck you.” I get out of myself.

(So fun. This is what I will do next. In a day, the little girl you call Vega will return to her world, and I will make sure someone waits for her there. I can't touch your original yet, but the disciple is fine. I can’t wait to see how he will react after finding out.)

I think the rage I feel now I felt only once in my life.

My heart beats strongly, and I'm about to stand up before I realize I have no limbs.

“Do not fucking dare,” I hiss between my lips, feeling blood in my mouth.

(Oh, but I will, so…)

(You will not,) another voice sounds. This one I can't grasp, unable to identify if it's a man or woman and not even age. Yet, at the same time, it sounds powerful.

Very powerful.

(Greed!) the intent hisses.

(He will not touch disciple Vega, nor will he interfere on her planet.) These words are said towards me, ignoring the intent.

Hearing them, I feel myself calm down, and as I do so, my heart finally skips a beat and the world drains of its colors.

The intent says something to Ruler of Greed, but it feels like a tiny dog barking at a much bigger one. He won't be able to do anything to Vega, I know at that moment.

I feel a smile appear on my lips, and before everything turns dark, I hear that voice again, (Keeping you alive would be against the rules, but I can make it so she will keep your eye.)

My mind wanders off and the last whisper reaches me.

(You've been strong, you can let go now.)

***

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