Chapter 927 - System slave (Patreon)

The fish falls silent after delivering the message and starts flopping around like a normal fish trying to get free. Without much hesitation, I throw it behind me, where it slaps against the face of the Demigod charging my way.

The entire mental space continues to break, and the thought acceleration keeps changing. At times, for a few seconds, it feels like more time passes outside than in here, and at other moments, a single second outside stretches into hours in this place.

I have no reliable way of finding out when Sophie sent the message or how quickly it reached me. I cannot tell if I received it instantly or if just a few seconds remain on the disciple communication token.

Yet, I do not feel much worry over that. Even if Vega disappeared right now, she has wounded the Demigod plenty enough for me to have a really good shot at beating it. It does not matter if the lion looks like it has healed, because the damage is still there.

I absorb all of our momentum and step to the side, causing the lion to pass by. As it does, I reach out and grab onto its tail, causing it to yank us and pull us ahead.

Regalia surrounds both me and Vega. It grows in size as I hold onto the tail and then absorb all of the momentum once again, causing the lion to come to a sudden stop. I pull myself closer, and from my back, Vega delivers multiple vicious minion punches that break the twisting Demigod's bones, splattering both of us in flesh and blood.

The Demigod turns back, headbutting into the armor, but I let the armor explode while creating a smaller barrier of mana around the two of us. This barrier blocks the explosion as I move closer to give Vega more opportunities to punch.

I know this is just a projection of its mind, but it makes me really curious about how durable its physical body outside might be. Because if it were not for Vega, this would be a messy fight.

Using its front paw, the Demigod slashes again, pulling away and escaping through the tear in the air.

Coming to a stop, I allow myself and Vega to sink into the sea, where the light looks much different. It wavers together with the water, and its beams pass all over our surroundings.

Vega's hair floats around her face as she flexes her biceps for me. However, the smile she makes causes salty water to get into her mouth, twisting her face as she tries to spit it out, which only causes more to get in.

I grab the postcard floating in the water next to me and tap on it with my finger. The area around us instantly changes, and we appear floating high in the air, right next to the International Space Station, which I grab onto before we float away into the depths of space.

Even through the vacuum, the lion speaks to me. "I will show you no respect, slave, as our sides are at war."

I watch it float through the space around us, waving its wings in a way that seems to defy logic. Even if it is not as big as a kaiju, it is huge even in comparison to the ISS. Against the backdrop of dark space, its white fur almost seems to glow.

It launches itself at us again, but this time I reach out and absorb all the kinetic energy, taking all the momentum from the space station.

If I remember correctly, the station is flying ten times faster than a bullet, moving at around 17,000 miles per hour. I hold onto that massive amount of energy, spin it around myself, and throw it back at the lion charging us. The impact blows the beast out into deeper space, while pushing the two of us so we begin falling towards the ground at a staggering speed.

Though it is not needed, I turn us around so that my back is pointed at the ground, and I begin to absorb the heat from our reentry.

"I do not know when you will disappear, but thank you for your help, minion," I say to my disciple.

"I bet master could deal with that cowardly lion even without me!"

"That is true," I confirm. "Did you have fun?"

"A lot of fun!"

"Do you want to get one more punch in?" I ask, gesturing at the sight of the lion rapidly approaching us from space.

"Yes!"

"Very well." I pat her head and then absorb all of our momentum, redirecting it so we shoot upwards towards the Demigod at the exact same speed we were just falling.

Vega stretches her hand out in front of her, and as we and the Demigod crash against each other in a massive impact, she slams against it first. She strikes with such a force that it breaks the lion entirely, causing its broken body to flop and spin around as it continues to fall back to the ground.

I do not know if it was just a feeling, or if it was my subconsciousness doing all the calculations and monitoring the thought acceleration in the background, but in the very next moment, Vega is gone.

"Something about you has changed," the Demigod's voice returns, sounding perfectly calm and cool even with how horribly broken its body is. I can hear that it is now fully awoken.

Without the disciple communication token supporting the mental space, the Demigod begins to gain the upper hand. It pressures me and my mind, trying to suffocate me and erase my very sense of self. It even regenerates much faster now, although the barrier rejecting mana does not seem to reform anymore.

I reach into my pocket and pull out a torn off corner of a pamphlet. I disappear just as the Demigod reaches me, instantly appearing back on the snowy mountain that is now fully restored.

The mana that has been circulating inside of my body the entire time compresses further, snapping to a solid black color. I force it out of my body into the shape of a javelin that shoots ahead the exact moment the Demigod steps out of the tear in space. That black lance stabs completely through, pinning the lion against the snowy mountain. It thrashes around with the most erratic movements it has shown so far. Its eyes are full of absolute fear and rejection of what is currently happening.

"This is not possible," the voice becomes louder as the lion struggles and bites against the lance, attempting to pull it out. "You cannot be one of his..."

A second lance shoots ahead, stabbing straight through the lion's head and pinning it firmly to the mountain. Its legs twitch a few times, but its voice sounds out with the exact same cold tone as previously.

"You worm. You fake. YOU SYSTEM SLAVE," it roars, and the entire mountain explodes. This breaks the space around us, which shrinks down to just the snow-covered mountaintop, leaving us surrounded by a neverending void of pitch black.

The lion is now physically gone, but I can feel it all around me as its voice still rattles deep inside my chest.

I can feel it trying to escape. Even though I am being suppressed, this is also my mental space. A single chain made of mana shoots into the black void, catching and pulling the Demigod back toward me while it keeps clawing and trying to escape my grasp.

"I am not finished with you yet."

POV Tess Hansen

Tariel the Undying is back, and even as Sophie tries to evacuate as many people as possible, the revival of the kaiju kills thousands of them and kindred as well.

Most of all, it reminds me of an enormous flying dinosaur. Reddish-brown in color, it is leathery, with eyes that, even after hundreds of years of being burned, show no hate.

From high in the sky, I watch it wave its wings and lift off.

(I will let him put some distance between you. I had to nudge him a little to get as far as possible. Otherwise, the impact will kill you.) Sophie sends.

And thankfully, the kaiju is fast, though you couldn't tell from looking at its size. Each swing of its wings takes it far away. Tariel the Undying doesn't even fly that high, and each swing of its wings acts like a hurricane that breaks anything below.

Meanwhile, I continue to gather primordial energy and touch my ring, checking how many attacks I have stored. The clouds over the area already begin to gather, darkening the sky and covering the sun as my white and red lightning begins to flicker within them.

(A bit further,) Sophie mutters.

(Nathaniel might not have time for a bit further.) I remind her through the link.

(As if. You know that lunatic better than me! Just a little bit!) Sophie calls.

It takes a few long seconds before she shouts, (Take cover!)

At first, there is silence. Everyone is looking around, searching for what to expect. I think I am the first to see that red object falling towards the ground as it unnaturally continues to gather more and more speed. It is not just from the fall, but Sophie is actively pulling him towards the kaiju like iron pulled to a magnet.

Min-Jae and I also add to it, allowing Blackie to gather even more speed.

Mere seconds before the crash, the red armor breaks open to reveal a demon Champion with that ridiculous trait. He pierces through the clouds, blowing a hole through them. Under the dark sky, only a single pillar of light shines on his body as he slams against the giant monster.

There is something to be said about the ridiculous kinetic impact of such high speed combined with the weight and power of the body of a demon Champion. There is no bright light, and the impact doesn't produce a sound. At least, not at first.

When Blackie crashes against Tariel the Undying, the air between the Demon Champion and the kaiju is compressed, squeezed into a fraction of a millimeter before the kinetic energy detonates.

For a terrifying second, everything stops, and there is only the pillar of light breaking through the storm clouds and absolute silence.

Then it starts with a white shockwave of super-heated air that shoots outward, instantly vaporizing the dark clouds for miles in every direction. Below the sky, the entire green landscape is compressed and further flattened into pulverized dust before the sound even arrives.

Then the trait etched into the body of the Champion activates further.

The absurd amount of kinetic energy bounces off the Champion, multiplying, roaring back and forth between Blackie and the kaiju like a light beam trapped in a room full of mirrors. Every bounce compounds the force exponentially. The red and brown leathery hide of Tariel the Undying doesn't even have time to tear and instead atomizes instantly.

A split second later, there is an ignition, a violent cloud of kinetic force turned into heat. Like a dome of white-hot plasma, it blooms over the horizon, expanding so fast it swallows the light, covering everything in a harsh glare.

The sound hits a moment later. It is a deep CRACK followed by roaring and screaming air that shakes the earth.

Where Tariel the Undying once flew, there is only a crater of liquid glass miles wide, glowing bright orange against the scorched earth.

(Is everyone okay?) I quickly send through after stabilizing myself in the air against the shockwave and heat that forces me to fly even higher. Even then, I continue to see everything as if it is happening just in front of me.

(I have Dennis, Kim, and Maya with me, and all are okay! I already healed everyone. Maya and I are heading to attack!) Lily sends first.

(Noodle, Izzy, and I are fine!) Sophie sends as well.

Confirming it, I watch as Blackie breaks through the layer of glass and climbs out, entirely unharmed.

Tariel the Undying is a different case. The giant kaiju is stripped of all flesh, and most of its bones are damaged and cracked. Even as it begins to regenerate, it is just way too slow, barely creating bits of tendons and muscle as the ancient weapon attempts to stand up.

It flicks Blackie far into the distance, even at the cost of another burst of reflected kinetic energy that damages it further and causes it to fall against the glass crater.

I focus on the most damaged bones, pulling primordial lightning strikes down like a railgun from the sky and attacking those parts, causing the kaiju to stumble. I don't hold back or try to save mana or primordial energy. Like pillars, dozens of these attacks shoot down, drilling holes into the cracked bones and further slowing down the healing.

Lily and Maya are the fastest to reach the kaiju. Maya is in her Armament, using her mana storages to make it as big as possible while carrying an equally large tricolored sword. Instantly, she begins to block the kaiju's attempts to move and cuts through its tendons.

Our healer's skelesuit is smaller than Maya's. It is akin to an Armament, but this one is made of bones, and Lily is visible in the middle of its chest, so she is able to see out of it. All that bone and flesh is hers, sharing the durability she has and conducting her skills. And it can also heal.

Unlike Maya, Lily attacks with her [Disintegration] covering her hands.

Soon after, there is also Noodle, growing into a similarly large size with flames flickering across his skin. Izzy stands on his head, further fanning these flames that spread almost over the entirety of the kaiju, damaging only it and not hurting anyone from our group in any way.

And while Dennis, Aaron, and Sophie work on cutting off the connection and trapping the Demigod with Nathaniel, Min-Jae begins to pull on his rods placed into orbit with an impact that sends the slowly moving kaiju crashing straight back down to the ground.

POV Nathaniel

I do not know how long it takes. It might be days, or maybe weeks, but the Demigod and I become very good friends. We play tag and catch all the time.

It tries to run, and I stop it, giving my best effort to pull it back. Sometimes it waits patiently and tries to attack and destroy me, but I am not so easy to deal with.

Even with most of the mental space out of my control, I refuse to give up. No matter how deeply it looks into my memories, pulls elements out of them, or changes the surrounding area, I remain. And I continue to adapt to this place.

It is none of my traits or my mana reserves that carry me through this, but rather my mind.

I might not be the fastest learner, but I get used to it and grasp the everchanging rules. And I hide too, I sneakily attack, and I continue to block the Demigod from pulling away.

Its anti-mana barrier does not restore anymore, and it carries wounds that make all of this easier. Though I often wonder how it even makes sense. Neither of us uses real mana here, and the wounds are just a reflection of our subconsciousness.

So in the end, it is just our thoughts and perceptions reflected here, making certain things completely unchangeable. These things that are ingrained in us, and that no delusion could ever change.

I perceive the lion as being without a barrier with every thread of my being, and so it does not have any. I continue to "use" mana and primordial energies because, at this point, they are an inseparable part of me. The demigod has thoughts of its own too that force themselves onto the mental space we share.

After some time, that mental space changes too. It feels like the breeze that could constantly be felt in the air is suddenly gone out of nowhere, and the air just becomes stale.

And I know that Tariel the Undying was not so undying in the end.

The Demigod realizes it as well, hiding somewhere deep inside to lick its wounds, or maybe to try to devour my sense of self. But I track it there, and the world that was built from our subconsciousness breaks, shrinks until only a single thing remains in the black void.

An apartment building that has seen much better times. It is ten stories tall, with an exterior made of bricks and even has a rusty metal stairway on its walls where people dry their washed clothes.

Walking slowly through the void, I reach the glass front doors that have a crack through them, held together by duct tape. I know that I do not even need a key, and I just push a bit harder against the door until the lock gives in, slips, and opens into a dim hallway lit by a flickering yellow light. The scent that washes over me brings so many memories that I stop for a moment.

The sound of footsteps bounces off the walls as someone walks towards me. I know she is fake, of course I do, yet I still hesitate as Vega stands there.

"Master! What am I doing here? Did you summon me again?" She takes a few steps closer, looking confused but excited.

It is entirely my fault that I hesitate, but before I can react, she quickly passes the remaining distance and stabs her hand at my belly. I barely deflect it, and she tears a deep wound through my side.

Still keeping that excitement on the verge of a smile on her face, she speaks, "We will have to beat that cowardly lion properly!"

Even while saying so, she attacks again with her other hand, and as I grab it, she tries to bite into my arm.

She is looking at me, about to say something else, when I grab her by the head and slam it against a wall. A loud crack sounds, and her body gives in, falling onto the dirty floor. Her leg gives a few more twitches and only then completely stops moving.

Her body does not disappear, remaining there as blood begins to pool below her.

(How are you enjoying your tutorial, system slave?) The Demigod's voice sounds from what seems like low-quality stereos placed in the building, cracking one more time before falling into silence again.

There is just a tiny whiff of mana left inside of my body. It is an amount comparable to what I had at the start of the first floor. When I glance to my side, the wound is still there, bleeding heavily through my clothes.

I reach down, tearing a piece off of Vega's shirt, and press it firmly against my wound. On the ground, I notice what seems to be a piece of a broken-off broom handle. I pick it up as well, breaking a bit more off of it to create a much sharper point.

Then I begin to walk deeper inside the building and towards the stairs.

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