Optimistic Game Chapter 80

Edited by: Priapus, Thorn, Marethyu

– God of Darkness –

In the boundless expanse of the cosmos, two celestial beings wielding the forces of light and darkness stood over the planet below. The world they surveyed was a desolate wasteland, lifeless and barren—an echo of existence stripped of all mortal life. 

The radiant entity, composed of pure, blinding light, gazed thoughtfully upon the landscape. His brilliance stood out starkly against the eerie stillness of the dead world. Meanwhile, his brother, the Lord of Darkness, was enveloped by a suffocating sense of boredom.

It felt like eons had passed since the two gods embarked after their first 'experiment’. Now, they drifted through the ever-expanding universe, their curiosity propelling them forward. They traversed from one solar system to another, gliding through the luminous distant galaxies. 

Each new world they encountered unfurled before them, but none felt quite right. None truly captured what they had been looking for. From planet to planet, all in pursuit of crafting their perfect playground—a realm in which they could continue the entertaining game they’d once started back in the first world.

But each time they’d create mortal life and bless them with the power of magic, the idiotic mortals would rebel. Their arrogance would blind them and turn them against the two brothers in a matter of a few hundred years. It was bizarre. Did they not know just who they were fighting against?

The humans would call them tyrants, evil oppressors who enjoy nothing more than their suffering. And for what? Because they’d asked for a few offerings? Despite it being their right as creators? These mortals should be glad for the gift of existence.

He couldn’t help but smirk at the dead world below him.

Oh, who was he kidding? Nebris was no delusional fool like his brother— he knew exactly why these humans would quickly grow to despise them. The gods’ unreasonable demands, the wiping of countless towns and villages over imagined ‘heresy’, cursing and toying with kings and queens, and the public humiliation of these so-called heroes over the pettiest reasons.

And, of course, as the God of Darkness, Chaos, and Destruction, Nebris found it all so incredibly entertaining. It was in his nature, after all. To enjoy the death and suffering of those beneath him.

Unlike his brother, whose domain was one of Light, Order, and Creation. His opposite. His other self, so to speak.

“No, no, no…” Luxen muttered to himself. Despite being responsible for the immeasurable destruction of the world beneath them, he showed no remorse. Only confusion and frustration. “I do not understand. This is illogical.”

But his brother was a clown. A naive idiot who only cared about ‘Order’ and ‘Balance of the universe’. A god so easy to manipulate that even mortals could trick him. So hellbent on creating a perfect society, yet unaware that such a thing could never be achieved, because mortals were also fools.

Being given free will and then expected to be perfect worshippers—his brother truly was an idiot. Despite many attempts, he simply refused to see that. But, of course, he would refuse. There was no one more arrogant than Luxen. After all, he could do no wrong. He was the ‘personification of goodness’. The perfect law. The ideal divine.

At the very least, Nebris was fully aware of his wickedness. He knew of the wrongdoings he had committed. The countless evils he’d done for the sole purpose of his own entertainment. To him, mortals were nothing but playthings.

So were they to his brother, but Luxen would never admit such a thing. He was utterly deluded into thinking he was a savior who could do no wrong. Only to be just as bad as the God of Darkness. It was laughable.

“What is it you do not understand, brother?” Nebris questioned, wanting to be entertained by his counterpart’s delusions.

“How come mortals always view us as evil?” He wondered out loud. “We give them life, power, and the free will to do whatever they want, and yet, they turn against us.”

“Oh, I wonder,” The God of Darkness chuckled. “Perhaps assigning that corrupt priest as the king of the world wasn’t quite the wise choice after all.”

“Corrupt? He was not corrupt. That man was a wise and strong leader who worshipped me,” He responded, showing naivete that Nebris found incredibly humorous. “He would never betray me.”

In reality, that priest was a freak who killed, lied, cheated, and violated for power. An absolute piece of scum who was so angry at what the gods had done to his ‘village of heretics’, that it impressed the God of Darkness himself. Nebris had nearly turned him into a champion, but he knew letting everything play out without his interference would’ve led to a much funnier conclusion.

And he was right. That moronic mortal rallied the world against them, a mistake made by countless other civilizations before them, only to be wiped out in the blink of an eye. Truly, it was funnier each and every time. To see the despair and regret consuming them right before their impending doom…

“Unless…” Luxen turned to his brother, staring accusingly. “Was it you? Did you corrupt him and turn him against me?”

“Not at all.”

“Then whose fault is it?” The God of Light said. “Don’t lie to me, brother. It was you. You turned them away from the light. It’s what you always do.”

“Truly?”

“Indeed,” His delusional brother nodded with a scolding tone. “When will you understand that mortal life shouldn’t be toyed with? Just because they’re not like us doesn’t justify such cruelty.”

Nebris glanced at the dead world, chuckling a little, then stared back at Luxen.

“Perhaps it was time you looked at the mirror, brother,” The God of Darkness replied. “I’m not the one that wiped them out.”

“Do not try to put the blame on me,” Luxen responded. “With your revolting chaos, you’ve turned them into monsters. What else was I supposed to do?”

Always prepared with an excuse, pointing at Nebris for their failed experiments because a god of light and goodness could never do wrong. Of course, the God of Darkness did not find this annoying. 

Trying to make Luxen open his eyes might turn him into one worthy of his namesake. And Nebris did not want that. He liked his brother the most when he was this delusional, self-righteous moron. He was so much easier to control that way.

“Of course, of course. You are right,” Nebris said. “It seems I let my emotions get the better of me once again, brother. I’ve gotten envious of you, seeing how much the mortals prefer to worship you.”

Pure nonsense, of course. True, he might’ve felt that once upon a time, but now? Oh, he’d grown disillusioned. Where once he’d found mortals to be fascinating— even considering them his and Luxen’s greatest creation, he soon realized that they were nothing special.

They were just toys a tad more entertaining than his Grimm.

“I understand,” Luxen replied, showing misplaced compassion. “But this is not how things should be done. We are gods. Our responsibility is too great to let things such as envy get in the way.”

Nebris wanted to laugh. A fool through and through.

“Now, let us create another world,” Luxen added. “One that can hopefully last more than two hundred years.”

“Naturally,” Nebris nodded. “Shall we look for a new planet?”

“No. Thankfully, this world is still intact,” The God of Light, extending an arm toward the planet. “We can reverse the damage, and humanity may begin anew.”

As Luxen restored the dead world to its former glory, turning it from the forsaken ball of ash and dust to the one teeming with life it once had been, Nebris paused, feeling something strange in the distance.

He glanced to his left, sensing a faint source of divinity that disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. What was that? Divine power? From whom? And where had it come from? The only other entity that was ‘divine’ in nature was the relics they had left in their first world.

Was this the call? After so long? But that energy felt foreign. It did not feel like it came from the relics being gathered together.

Was he imagining it?

“…Brother, do you mind if we visit Experiment Zero sometime soon?”

“You mean our first world?” Luxen questioned. “We mustn’t. We’ve made it clear that we will not return until humanity has gathered the four great relics. We must stay true to our word.”

“…Yes, of course,” Nebris huffed. “I must’ve forgotten.”

Disregarding his brother’s wishes wouldn’t end well because it would quickly lead to a fight. And with them being so equally matched, the God of Darkness did not want to test his luck. Not like it really mattered.

It meant nothing to him. True, he was curious to see how everything had turned out after their departure, but he also had no hopes for humanity. Not when Luxen had resurrected the hero Ozma, blessing him with endless life to stop his wife's tyranny.

And especially not when Nebris had gone behind his brother’s back to sow the seeds of conflict by creating a second race.

After all, humans hated anything that didn’t look exactly like them.

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– Ruby –

Peering out from the bullhead's open door, she cast a cautious gaze over the landscape of Anima, her brow furrowing in concentration. The vibrant colors of the terrain blurred as she strained to detect any signs of the rampaging Titan Grimm, her senses heightened and Observation Haki working full force.

It was so sudden. One minute, she and her friends had been finishing up their training for the day before they had been contacted by Ozpin, telling them that a new Titan had been discovered tearing apart small settlements after some kind of strange event took place in Mistral. A pillar of golden flames that split apart the clouds.

Ruby had no idea what Ozpin was talking about when he spoke of it. For a moment, she’d thought it was Reid’s doing, but her boyfriend almost always used blue flames, not golden. Besides, why would he even do such a thing in the first place? In the middle of Anima, too? Last she checked, Reid only did his funny experiments away from people.

It all sounded very vague, but the girls had no time to ask questions. They were needed on site as Reid had already beaten them there somehow, fighting the beast on his own without any help. Now, of course, Ruby trusted her beloved. He could handle it with ease, but this was their responsibility, too.

Yes, theirs.

Ruby turned to her squad— Weiss, Blake, Yang, Levi, and even Uncle Qrow. All of them were called to battle. Reid was incredibly powerful, but not all Titans were equal in strength. The Titan class was very clearly a very diverse one, ranging from something like Fenrir and Angelica to far more powerful Grimm like Thanatos or that Forest thing.

She then returned to her search. And considering that this was an ‘undiscovered’ Titan, it could be one of the more powerful Grimm. So, while Reid could hold on his own with relative ease, it was always better to be safe than sorry. She didn’t want him to get hurt.

Besides… Ruby frowned in worry.

Ruby was a lot more concerned with how he had been acting these past two days. For a moment, she’d thought it was just her. That she was only imagining it and Reid was only a little stressed from work, but she knew better.

Perhaps it was her Observation Haki that had warned her, but Reid felt incredibly angry. So mad that he felt like he was an inconvenience away from blowing up. Ruby had never seen him like that before— even though he was trying so hard to hide it as to not worry her or the others. He was so angry at something.

…No, not at something. But almost like he was mad at himself. Ruby didn’t understand any of it. Why was he feeling that way? Had something happened? If so, what was it? The last time she’d seen him before he started feeling that way, he’d said he was going to Teralos for a ‘dangerous dungeon dive’ as he put it. It was the reason that he refused to let her go with him.

Something must’ve happened there. Something horrible.

“Girls, I’ve just gotten a report,” Ozpin suddenly said. “The Titan is of the Beringel type. It’s proficient in fire magic and is still engaged in battle with Mr. Astera.”

“If it’s still alive, then it’s nothing to scoff at,” Blake responded thoughtfully. “Would it be reasonable to say that the Titan has some resistance to fire?”

“Apparently,” Uncle Qrow nodded. “Titans aren’t like weaker Grimm. They eventually gain an ‘affinity’ to one of the elements. Or so Reid once told me.”

“Wait, isn’t Reid’s most powerful elemental magic fire?” Levianna asked in concern. “Oh, no. This isn’t good. He might be in deep trouble.”

“Don’t worry— Reid can use light magic as well. The antithesis of Grimm,” Weiss reassured her.

“Aw man, I’m so darn excited! I’ve never fought a Titan before!” Yang giggled. “Any sign of them, Rubes?”

“Not yet.” She answered.

“Please be careful,” Ozpin told them. “I know you’ve all trained for this moment, and your confidence is well-deserved, but do not let it blind you. Be cautious.”

“Naturally, headmaster,” Weiss responded, giving him a confident smile. “Team Wildberry has faced and triumphed over many powerful adversaries. We know not to get ahead of ourselves.”

“Good,” He nodded.

“By the way—” Yang glanced at her team leader. “We should do something about our team’s name.”

“What do you mean?” Blake blinked, looking inquisitive.

“The thing is, Ruby’s basically part of the team, right? Yeah, she’s not a Beacon student, but I feel she deserves to be part of Wildberry,” Her older sister pointed out, making Ruby pause. “She trains with us every day, everyone likes her, and we even made a few team moves with her.”

“Huh?” Ruby looked at her sister.

“Well, I suppose that does make sense…” Weiss muttered.

“I mean, even if she’s part of the team, why would we change the name?” Levianna said. “Her name starts with an R. It’ll be W-L-B-Y-R.”

“Levi, that’s WILBER, not Wildberry,” Yang responded with a raised brow.

“No, that’s not the point,” The green-haired girl shook her head. “All we need to do is just rearrange the letters. So it becomes W-Y-L-B-R.”

“Huh, that’s true…” Yang crossed her arms with a hum. “…Doesn’t that feel kind of awkward to you, though?”

“How?” Blake questioned.

“I mean, our team’s letters are arranged Partners-Partners.” The blond pointed out. “Weiss and Levianna. Blake and Yang. Changing the letters kinda messes it up.”

“Why does that matter?” The team leader frowned in confusion. “Team Juniper’s letters aren’t arranged that way.”

“I guess…” Yang huffed. “Okay, look, maybe I don’t like the team’s name, alright? Why can’t we be renamed to something kickass like Titan Destroyers.”

“Oh, but when I suggest Reality Consumer for your dragon, that’s too childish!” Ruby complained with a scoff. “You’re such a hypocrite.”

“There’s a difference between the name of a living being and the name of a squad, alright?!” Yang argued.

“That name doesn’t even work,” Blake said blankly. “You and Levi have never even fought a Titan yet.”

“And I can still kick your ass,” Her partner responded confidently. “Besides, I fought a dragon.”

As the team of five continued to bicker, Ruby noticed Ozpin and Qrow's incredibly concerned looks, reminding her that they were on the way to fighting a Titan that even Reid might be having trouble with. It spoke of the group’s morale to be able to speak about silly and stupid things, but it would probably help if they took this more seriously.

So, as Ruby was about to tell them off, her eyes suddenly widened.

“I feel it!” She said as she looked over the continent, shutting everyone up. “Over there! Girls, follow me!”

“Right behind you!” Weiss responded as the first to stand up.

“Finally!” Yang grinned, cracking her knuckles.

As Blake, Levi, and Qrow gave their silent nods, Ruby leaped off the bullhead, spotting the battle in the distance.

“Ruby,” Senketsu spoke.

“Not now,” She replied, admittedly not feeling the best about having to use the uniform’s power in public. “We’ll assess the situation first. If things turn out to be dangerous, lend me your strength.”

“Understood.”

In the distance, Ruby saw the explosion of magic from Reid and the Titan. Roaring blue flames engulfed the forests of Mistral, swallowing the crimson fire as the Beringel struggled to keep up with her beloved. This made her more confident. She knew Reid was doing well for himself.

He wouldn’t fall to mere Grimm. He was too awesome for that.

Ruby used her Semblance, carrying her team with her toward the battlefield. Descending like a red comet of hope and heroism, they landed with grace, quickly spreading out in an attempt to surround the Titan and assist Reid in taking it out…

…Only to see something none of them expected.

The scene was a thing to behold— The gorilla-like monster was over twenty meters tall. A single arm was larger than the trees around it, and it was covered in thick armor from head to toe. It was much more threatening than any other Beringel Ruby had seen before.

It glowed red— intense crimson flames roaring from its mouth, head, arms, chest, and back. It was a Grimm worthy of being called a Titan. In fact, comparing it to Angelica, the Titan she fought tooth and nail to defeat, it was maybe twice or three times as powerful.

The heat of its flames, although not directed at them, felt fierce. Ruby knew that fighting something like this would push her to her limits, even with the reliable squad behind her, even with Senketsu’s boost.

And yet…

“R-Reid…?” Ruby muttered, not sure if she was supposed to be happy or horrified as Reid, in silver armor she had never seen before, wiped the floor with the beast.

As the massive Titan swung its enormous fists in a futile attempt to land a blow, Reid danced with agility, evading each attack with almost effortless grace. When he countered, his strikes were powerful enough to create shockwaves, sending splintered trees crashing to the ground. 

The Titan's flames roared menacingly, lashing at the air with their furious heat. Yet they were no match for Reid's armor, which shimmered against the inferno, or for the brilliant blue flames that surged from his own being, casting an otherworldly glow around him. 

The Titan found itself trapped in a relentless struggle. Nothing it tried to do had done any significant damage, if at all. As for Reid? Each and every one of his strikes left the Beringel Grimm reeling as he first tore apart the thick armor stuck to its skin with his bare hands.

What should’ve been a heroic backdrop of the Titan Slayer dealing a powerful blow against the Army of Darkness stood as a horrific scene that Ruby never thought she’d see. Because Reid wasn’t defeating a Titan.

He was toying with it. Torturing it.

The Beringel, utterly beaten and spent, glared at Reid, who floated right in front of it as his Conqueror’s Haki threatened to tear down the entire forest. His fists were clenched tightly, waiting for the monster’s attack.

An aura of blue flames roared, tendrils of fire thrashing around as the Titan tried but failed to summon its magic. None of them could do anything— Ruby and her squad watched this scene in pure silence, horrified yet morbidly curious to see how this battle would conclude.

The Titan bellowed in rage, trying a last-ditch effort as it swung its massive fist at Reid. But the Titan Slayer caught the attack, not even moving an inch from his position. And with one swift movement, Reid tore the monster’s arm off, causing the Beringel to fall on its rear.

It wasn’t given even one moment to recover before Reid grabbed its head and smashed it to the ground, creating a large crater. As the beast tried to defend itself, Reid caught its other arm and, just like before, tore it off with one move.

It tried to escape, but Reid pinned it down and began wailing on it. With his bare fists, Reid struck it over and over, again and again, tearing it apart inside and out as his Haki wreaked havoc in its body. Even as the Titan died, its body slowly disintegrating, Reid didn’t stop. He continued beating its corpse.

He kept punching, going from its torso to its head. Each hit would widen the crater they were in, to the point where the squad was forced to back off. And although the helmet obscured his features, Ruby felt his anger. The overwhelming fury seemed to have only grown three sizes since she’d seen him earlier this morning.

No, it was more accurate to say that he wasn’t hiding it anymore. This was what he truly felt, what he’d been trying to hide from them.

Ruby wasn’t worried about him anymore.

She was terrified.

Just what the hell had happened to him? Why was he like this? Who was responsible for turning her beloved and kind Reid into someone so angry it made him nearly unrecognizable? She knew he was always brutal in real battles, but this?

Ruby didn’t exactly feel bad for the Grimm. It was a Grimm; it couldn’t feel pain, but that was why this horrified her. Reid knew that as well. Torturing them was pointless. The reason he was being so vicious wasn’t to make it suffer.

Ruby wanted to go there— make sure he was okay, ask if there was anything bothering him, but her trembling legs didn’t respond. She almost couldn’t believe what she was seeing or feeling. A primal fear prevented him from getting any closer.

None of her squad members moved, either. Every single one of them shared her feelings—what they were looking at wasn’t Reid. It felt like a completely different person.

But Ruby knew what this was. She didn’t fear Reid. She could never fear him. Angry as he was, she knew he would never lay a finger on her. 

She felt scared for him.

With responsibility at the forefront of her mind, Ruby gritted her teeth and made her first step. She had to stop him. Reid hadn’t even noticed them despite how sharp he always was. He was lost in his own anger. And he needed to snap out of it.

But before she could get any closer, someone beat her to it— the large man that Reid brought to the mansion last night. He grabbed her boyfriend’s arm, stopping him from mutilating the Titan’s corpse any more than he already had.

For a split second, Reid whipped his head at the man, almost directing his anger at Eero before he quickly calmed down. The large man quietly said something to Reid, something that made Blake’s breath hitch as her cat ears twitched.

Reid didn’t respond, and as his helmet ‘melted’ away for the lack of a better word, it revealed his tired expression of pure misery, making Ruby’s heart twist. It was a look she had never seen before. A look that nearly made her tear up.

He looked hurt, almost on the verge of sobbing.

That expression quickly disappeared as he finally noticed them, turning into his usual grin as he waved at them.

“Heh, guess the backup was a bit too late this time, huh?” He chuckled. “Sorry ‘bout that, Yang. I know you were looking forward to fighting a Titan.”

“N-no, it’s okay…” Her sister muttered, equally put off by that brutal show as the rest of the squad. “There’s always next time…”

“True enough. Anyway—” He paused as another bullhead arrived— The press was here. “Tsk, I really don’t feel like dealing with them right now. Weiss, can I count on you to do that for me?”

“Um, yes, of course.”

“Great! I’ll catch up with you guys later,” He winked. “I still needed to do something before I was rudely interrupted. See you at the mansion!”

And with a farewell wave, her beloved flew away somewhere, leaving the squad. Eero looked at them with an expression of acknowledgment before he walked away himself, perhaps wanting to catch up with Reid.

The group was too stunned. None of them spoke for a while, likely taking a moment to gather their bearings and recompose. The first to recover was Ruby, who addressed Blake with a look of concern before the press’ bullhead landed.

“What did you hear Eero say?” She asked, making her flinch. “When he spoke to Reid.”

“H-he um…” Blake took a moment, showing an expression of bewilderment. “He said something about Reid ‘still grieving’.”

“Grieving?” Weiss parroted, stunned. 

“Grieving about what?” Qrow added.

“I-I don’t know,” The faunus shook her head. “And the thing is, he didn’t even call Reid by his name. He said ‘Alaric’.”

As Ruby heard that name, it dawned on her, eyes going wide. Ever since she met him last night, Eero had always seemed strangely familiar. Not just in looks, but his name rang a few bells. At first, Ruby didn’t make much of it as she’d been quickly distracted by other things.

But now, hearing that name…

It clicked.

“Alaric?” Yang blinked.

“Yeah. He said, word for word—” Blake said. “‘You are still grieving, Alaric. Calm yourself.’”

“Alaric is Reid’s Leviathan name,” Ruby answered, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “Alaric Delmar. Reid Astera is his human name.”

“Wait, Delmar?” Weiss was the first to realize it, eyes widening. “That man is a Delmar. That’s what Reid introduced him as, didn’t he?”

One by one, her friends started to realize who that man was, who Reid brought back to Remnant.

“I know who he is,” Ruby responded. “Reid once gave me a book explaining general Leviathan history. Its last few sentences were about Reid’s birth. Eero is his dad.”

“Hah…” Qrow rubbed his neck. “Now that you mention it, they do look alike, don’t they?”

“They share a lot of features as well,” Levi nodded.

“Waitwaitwait, I don’t get this,” Yang said. “If that’s his dad, then why is Reid so mad? I mean, wouldn’t he be happy that his own father came to Remnant with him? It’s not like they hate each other. The guy might look scary, but he feels like a decent person. It’s not like a me and Raven situation. Or I don’t think so, at least.”

“We don’t know, Yang,” Blake replied. “But if there’s anyone who knows what happened to Reid and what’s made him so angry, it has to be Eero.”

“We have a lead,” Weiss nodded. “Let’s regroup after this and figure out a way to approach him. Do we know where he lives?”

“He did sleep at the mansion last night,” Ruby said. “But if it turns out he lives somewhere else, let me be the one to search for him. I can cover the most ground, and even if I don’t find him, I can ask Reid. He gave me the book. He should know that I’d figure it out eventually. I’ll just say that I’m interested in meeting him.”

“You know Reid can sense when someone’s lying, Rubes,” Qrow agreed.

“He can, but he can’t read minds,” Ruby pointed out. “He’ll think it’s weird, but knowing him, I don’t think he’d care much. Reid still has no idea that we know something’s wrong with him.”

“I dunno, Rubes…” Yang looked a little apprehensive.

“We can figure it out later,” Blake quipped, watching as the Bullhead landed near them. “Smiles for the camera, girls…”

Ruby’s fists clenched, faking a smile as she let Weiss take center stage. In reality, Ruby hid a look of determination and anger. She’d never been a person who would accuse anyone so willy-nilly. After all, a real hero was wise and didn’t let her emotions get the better of her.

But if it turned out that it was Eero who had made her beloved feel like this, then she would never forgive him.

Her narrowed silver eyes gleamed, concealing a simmering rage within. Anyone who harmed her precious Reid would meet their end by the blade of her scythe.

Of that, Ruby Rose swore on her mother’s name.

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– Reid –

Stepping through the dungeon’s door, I sigh deeply. Then, I look over at Gwyn next to me and give him a tired but appreciative smile.

“Knew I could count on you, buddy,” I tell him, making him nuzzle my face. “Things kinda escalated way too quickly.”

With Salem feeling cute and kicking me while I was down, casting that fucked up spell that nearly killed me, which also tracked me universes away, then me having to use Sentry’s divine energy twice in a day, and finally, a Titan showing up out of nowhere, one has to wonder if I’ve pissed off fate somehow.

I’ve barely had any time to breathe. All after that fucking dungeon, too. Just what the hell is going on? It’s just one thing after another…

And I would’ve struggled against that Titan if I didn’t have my armor and if it used any other element other than fire. Thankfully, it wasn’t really anything special. A straightforward fight with a Grimm that only knew how to throw punches and spew flames.

Granted, I had to take off my rings, but that’s because I wanted to finish it as quickly as possible. I could’ve beaten it with the limiters. I just didn’t want Ms. Sleeping Princess here to wake up and come for my head while I was too busy dealing with a raging gorilla.

I look down at the Divine Champion in my arms, wearing one of my much larger shirts, seeing that Salem’s magic crushed her armor. And the clothes she wore beneath it were both ruined and stained with blood.

I felt bad taking them off, but I really didn’t know what to do.

“At least she’s still asleep,” I sigh. “Which is a miracle, all things considered.”

Elves, like Leviathans, are sensitive to magic, even more so than us. So even though infusing my fire with divine energy and releasing all of it somehow didn’t wake her up, my fight with the Titan should’ve done it. But I’ll count my lucky stars and not question it.

It’s good that Gwyn managed to get her away before Salem… ‘respawned’. Turns out there was a common dungeon southeast of Anima, which was on the other side of the continent. Why a common dungeon? Because the girl is still unconscious, and I don’t want to leave her somewhere dangerous.

Though, an uncommon and a rare would’ve done the trick, too. She’s very powerful and can probably take care of herself when she wakes up, even without her weapon. Besides, I was gonna leave her with a few golems to protect her.

Getting the common dungeon quest popup minutes after entering, I mentally order Gwyn to wipe out the one hundred monsters in the swamp as I find a place to put the girl in. It doesn’t take too long for me to stumble on a small abandoned shack right above a pond.

I float toward it, make sure nobody is inside, and then lay the girl on the small dusty bed. I exhale and take out a few spheres made of dust-infused steel, take out my gauntlet, and use the circle drawn on my palm to create a few small golems to guard the shack.

Before the golems can take their positions, I’m suddenly hit in the back with a powerful magical blast, tearing a chunk of the shack and launching me outside. I grunt in pain and suspend myself in the air, clicking my tongue as I see the elf girl awake and scowling at me with a red face.

“Wretched savage,” She spat out, tightly grabbing the hem of her, or my, shirt. She seems embarrassed, humiliated, and ashamed, making me realize she got the wrong idea.

“I know this looks bad, but whatever it is you’re thinking of right now, you’re wrong,” I say quickly. “You were in bad shape, your armor and clothes were destroyed. I had to do something.”

“What a convenient excuse,” She growls, hands glowing with magic. The elf girl scans the room, eyes darting around before landing on me again. “Where’s that demon? I do not sense her presence. Where are you hiding her?”

“She’s not here,” I respond. “Just know that we got away from her.”

“We?” Her eyes narrow. “Are you not her accomplice?”

“No,” I shake my head, the thought of being Salem’s ally pissing me off. “She’s a monster.”

“And you are not?” She scoffs. “You, who had committed the ultimate sin? Don’t make me laugh.”

“I had to, alright?!” I snap at her, my fists clenching tightly. “It was the only choice I had! I needed to do that ritual!”

“What could possibly be so important that you would risk disrupting our plane of existence?!” She fires back. “Do you have any idea what your recklessness could’ve done to Teralos?!”

“Someone was in danger— a kid needed me to save him! He needed MY help!” I argue, feeling my boiling fury bubbling. “But I was stuck. Any other choice I could’ve taken was compromised. I-I was forced to do it!”

“Forced?! Are you insane?! You’ve broken divine laws just to save a single life?! At risk of MILLIONS?!” The Divine Champion’s right hand glows before a blade appears in it— the one she dropped in the other dungeon with Salem. One filled with divine energy. “You should’ve left this child to his fate.”

My eyes widen at her cold response. I almost can’t believe my ears, but now that I know she is serious, blue flames burst out of me, making her take a stance.

“How fucking dare you?” I snarl. “And you call yourself a Divine Champion?”

“You must be put down,” She responds. “Like the vile, bloodthirsty beast you are.”

As I’m about to attack, another popup interrupts me. Gwyn had just finished clearing the dungeon, thus making a door to Remnant about fifty meters behind me materialize. This makes me take a deep breath. Gamer’s Mind works wonders to calm me down.

“I don’t have time for this,” I mutter.

And with a quick swipe of my hand, I cast a great wall of fire between me and the girl. With that distraction spell, I kick her out of the party and fly toward the door as fast as I can, knowing this won’t keep her off me for long.

“You will not get away!”

And I predict right as I see her swing coming. The elf girl leaps through the flames and swings her sword at me, which I easily avoid before kicking her away. But then, all of a sudden, I feel like I’m being cut several times— each strike bypassing my armor entirely.

“What the—?!” I grunt. “How did she—?!”

Knowing I don’t have time to ponder what kind of fucking magic she can do, I growl and cast two giant fireballs, one thrown at her and one directly below me. The Divine Champion avoids the one aimed at her, but the other spell causes smoke, dust, and debris to fly everywhere, and as I lower my magic, I’m able to mask my presence from her entirely.

“Tsk…” She swings her arm, creating a gust of wind that clears everything, revealing me to her. “You think I’m so easily tricked, Leviathan?”

My eyes narrow.

“You tell me.”

The Divine Champion blinks at my choice of words, eyes widening as she finally notices the presence of the giant wolf behind her. The elf girl twirls around and blocks Gwyn’s pounce with her sword, giving me the window I need to end this fight once and for all.

The moment she pushes my familiar away, my haki-infused fist connects with her cheek, sending her crashing through the shack, destroying what was left and flying even further than that. It’s definitely not enough to kill her or knock her out, but it’s all I need.

“C’mon, Gwyn!” I call for my giant wolf, who barks in affirmation. “Before she has a chance to recover!”

With that, Gwyn and I exit through the dungeon door and close it behind us, clearing it and putting the girl in the world she belongs in. I sigh deeply, then give my wolf some well-deserved chin scratches.

“You did great, buddy. Like always,” I chuckle quietly. “Honestly, I didn’t think that plan would’ve worked so easily.”

Overwhelming her senses with big spells definitely helped with Gwyn’s surprise attack. Guess that’s a negative of having sensitive magic sensing.

“Let’s uh…” I rub my eyes. “Continue with this dungeon spree, eh? We still have about a week. I reckon that’s enough to clear out all Epic and below dungeons in Anima and Eastern Sanus. Hopefully, we’ll find a second and third Legendary, too.”

And with the power limiters, I’d be getting a whole lot more stats. Once I get it over with, then I guess I can…

I take a moment to think about it, realizing that I have no idea what to do afterward, but then I shake my head.

I can decide later. I have a mission now and don’t need to be distracted.