Chapter 1235 – The Fate of Another Kingdom Finale – Tyrant’s Death


    They landed on the mostly flat remains of one of the pillars. The members of their group that could fly carried those who couldn’t and everyone took a moment to breathe. “Were you aware there was an obstacle to block that?” the Horned Rat asked, looking out at what remained of the black orb. His body language was perfectly still, but John could feel that he was annoyed with the destruction of whatever the hell that had been.


    “Yes,” the Gamer responded. Nia had written him periodic updates of her position, including where Eliana and Nathalia had fought. Her dutiful reporting had allowed him to use that final ability without risking hitting wherever in these depths Arkeidos stored Claire – and his phylactery. “We’re not done here.”


    “I really wish we were tho,” Rave groaned, shifting her weight left to right and back. A gesture Moira mimicked repeatedly.


    “Can you hold it in until we find Arkeidos or do you two want to take care of that now?” John asked, knowing exactly what those motions, not to mention the exchanged glances, were about. When it came to those two banging when this was over, he had taken it as a foregone conclusion the moment he set them against the same enemy.


    “There’s no way I’ll miss the end of this!” Rave declared.


    John nodded and glanced at how everyone else was doing. In general, everyone appeared either stable or stable enough. Fascinatingly, all four of the Artificial Spirits seemed completely fine. Their power was still part-sponsored by Gaia, their cost based on a percentage of his mana regeneration.


    That this was an unintended part of the system seemed obvious. Right now, John’s mana regeneration was a pitiful 3,12 per second. To sustain the three Artificial Spirits, he paid 0,47 per second. Obviously that was not a price fitting for the effect.


    Bothersome was that there was absolutely no way that he could have summoned any of his elementals with that mana available. She had assured him she was willing to make the sacrifice, but John would have been a lot happier if he hadn’t needed to leave Undine in her home plane for a full week. There was nothing he could do to work that miracle, sadly.


    “Show me your back,” Aclysia demanded.


    “What’s with his back?” Rave asked, immediately alarmed by Aclysia’s tone. John pressed his lips together. He had wanted to keep this until they were somewhere else. So far, his torn clothing had hid things well enough.


    The cat was out of the proverbial bag and so he pushed the button to remove his top completely. Through Aclysia’s eyes, he saw the injuries Arkeidos had left on him. Each tip of the mace had left a triangular scar, healed already through Gamer’s Body, and made permanent thanks to the Hellfire.


    Although John would have much rather not gotten hit at all, he had to applaud Arkeidos’ aim. The strike was symmetrical, or at least so minorly off that the human eye couldn’t notice it on skin. The upper pair of the triangular marks was on his shoulders, the middle pair below his armpits and the lower pair at the middle of his back. “In terms of scars, it’s the least bothersome.”


    “I like it,” Metra remarked.


    “I fucking hate it!” Eliana growled.


    “I can’t believe ya tried to hide that!” Rave complained.


    “Just until we were done down here.” John sighed.


    While they had that talk, two more people arrived at their congregation. One was expected. Nathalia, now in her human form, made her way over. She joined the ‘not happy’ camp when it came to the scar. The second arrival was Maximillian.


    John could see what had changed about him and was honestly too tired to be surprised by it. Regardless, he let Maximillian have his gloating moment. “And now, I, too, am a quarter elemental.”


    “Ya stole my thing!”


    “You will live on as a scar on this world and on me,” John told the tyrant.


    “A hollow accomplishment,” Arkeidos waved off. “I do not care to be remembered for what I was. All that ever mattered is who I am. I will cease now. An eternity lived, a millennia dominated. There is only one regret to have, fellow conqueror, and that was to have not investigated the possibility of worlds like yours sooner.”


    The two of them looked at each other, through the open pillar that contained the phylactery. “I would have defeated you one way or another,” John declared.


    Arkeidos laughed. “Oh, how arrogant you are. It could be stimulating to discuss this. Alas, as we both have admitted before – the time for dialogue has never been.”


    With a two-handed swing, Arkeidos hammered down on the display in front of him. The roof shattered, then the mace slammed down on the beating heart. Black ichor splattered out, so thick that it only flew half a metre before coming to a stop. Even with the head of the mace in the middle of its flattened shape, the heart desperately kept beating.


    The crystals, pieces of Arkeidos’ expanded souls, around it were gradually sapped of their magical glow, turning into mundane gemstones. “My life was always mine to claim,” Arkeidos bellowed. He let go of his weapon and sprawled out his arms, as the ghostly energy began to drift off his ghostly fingers. “Rummage through my ruins. Bask in the glory I have gathered. All that I have accomplished, fellow conqueror, admire it. You have earned your keep.”


    “I can only wonder what a force of good you could have been under other circumstances.” John shook his head. He blinked once, then the smile on the tyrant’s lips was gone, leaving behind a disfigured skull that dropped lifelessly to the floor a moment later.


    “Well, that’s the end of that,” John said and turned to his followers. He opened his mouth to address the Horned Rat. The god was already gone. ‘Great, now I got a loose schemer running around... should I just... yeah.’


    The Gamer raised his hand and exited the Iron Domain, pulling everyone who was still around with him. The fact that it was possible at all meant that their victory was indeed universal and that no one was still in a threatened position.


    “Allies!” John shouted, staring specifically at the back of the Horned Rat. The schemer turned around, a minorly annoyed glint in his red, flickering eyes. Ignoring it, the Gamer continued immediately, “We have won this day!”


    Cheers broke out all around. No matter how injured or exhausted, everyone added to the volume that filled the dark space of the I.D. Gate. John tried to continue, but the accomplishment the members of the coalition felt, for good reason, continued to echo. Vikings screamed at the top of their lungs, the knights of the Golden Rose beat their shields, members of tribes from around the world stomped their feet in a fascinating display of multicultural unity, and the Hobomice unloaded a full magazine of bullets into the air. It was a wild display.


    “Allies... ALLIES!” John finally managed to overpower them for long enough that he could grab their attention again. “We have three days to sort out what remains. It will not be enough to set that world into order, but we can put it on the right path. More importantly, it means we can do so after we have rested... and counted our losses.” Looking over the crowd, John had no idea if there even had been any. A list they kept would reveal this soon enough. “Those who wish to rest, please leave this space. All who remain will re-enter with me in ten minutes.”


    The vast majority of people streamed towards the door that stood in the middle of this void. There were wounds to treat and naps to take. John did not begrudge any of them if they took it easy for the entirety of the next three days. What had needed to be done had been done. He could not help but smirk though.


    Foremost of those leaving were Rave and Moira.