Knocking on Heaven's Door [MtG/Multicross/SI]

[shadenight123]

Chapter Twenty-Nine (Terminator-Earth)

A singularity of technology was the tipping point beyond which the scale would rock off the charts. A singularity of flesh was the tipping point where what amounted to a simple Sliver became a devastating monster of death and destruction, even if at its birth he had been nothing more than a tool of Venser's will. The Legion strengthened one another, the call roaring across the reverberating synapses as everyone copied everyone else's quirks, mutations and evolution patterns to achieve what could be defined as perfection.

Yet perfection was always out of reach, and so improvement had to keep on happening.

Tall, towering figures with tentacles twitching beneath frames of hardened skeletal matter stood tall and proud, vigilant for incoming foes. Undaunted, unafraid, and with deep embedded root-like flesh squirming across the ground, their vision was shared with that of the Hive. Large and towering, the canopy of trees nearby was dwarfed by the presence of ape-like Slivers who easily crushed the trees, making way for new Hive-Clusters to form.

The Skep wasn't just a specific piece of rock, but something that went beyond it, a churning, mass-producing location from within each eggs could safely spawn and leylines could be drained to ensure the further mutation of the eggs within.

Already, Slivers emerged from the formation with their skin tinted of a metallic hue, or with deep unsettling red eyes. They took in the Mana, they took in the world's very own nature, and then they were born out of it, mutated into something that had but one purpose. Well, once it had just one purpose, but then I came along and so their purpose changed to something more human-like, to something more understandable.

It was no longer about survival or expansion.

Now, it was about something else.

"The leylines have been breached," I muttered to myself, my eyes cast upon the sky as the flying Slivers swooped back and forth between the clouds, their forms morphing every now and then as they separated perhaps a bit too much, only to then tighten their formation once more. "The net's expanding," I whispered as Slivers with pale blue scales thrummed with power, disrupting the Aether connection and reinforcing the borders between this plane's reality and the Blind Eternities.

A Sliver emitted excited shrill verses nearby, his body coiled around a scared-looking soldier who had been sent to investigate. The man's whole body was covered with blood, and his eyes were wide, not in fear, but surprise. These were hardened men who had fought the machines and won. They didn't fear the Slivers, but that was the grace of their ignorance. Had John Connor become their messiah? Had he delivered them from evil, and were they now convinced he'd do it again? Had the man used his powers to heal the sick, bring life back to the dead and do wonders for the rebuilding project?

Whatever the reason, as squirming tendrils cast themselves over the green grass, their natural blue luminescence turned the green grass into a dark purple, the Skep began to pulse like the living, beating heart of a newly born Sliver. The soldier stared at me, the only humanoid figure in an otherwise seemingly infinite army of monsters, and yet did not speak. Tentacles soon soothed his worries, his eyes rolled back, and then he was no more, just another addition to the Hive's mind. His knowledge transferred to another Sliver, whose body twitched and morphed to assume his semblances.

He knew not what he was doing, or why, but yet just as they had escaped the Riptide Project once, now here one of them was once more, donning the skin of other animals for no reason but that it was the way forward, as decreed by the will of their leader.

The soldier walked away in a daze, at least, the creature that resembled the soldier and together with him, the shadows loomed and followed in turn. The air's temperature slowly began to increase, the squirming of the bodies of the Slivers now reaching a critical mass. In the smoldering heat, talons sharpened themselves as the newly born mutated further, their chattering through clicks drowning out all other forms of sound.

John Connor had sensed my arrival without a doubt. He had probably sensed the exponential increase in my forces, and understood that I was going to cut him off from escaping. Not that he'd escape. I was on his home plane, because he hadn't even bothered planeswalking elsewhere, thinking I had been sufficiently distracted to not track down his passage. He was wrong, of course. As the Leylines' purity was breached, and the Mana of this world began to dwindle down greedily sucked out, he knew and he understood he didn't have much time left.

I could fight in the vacuum of space upon the crevices of a shattered world. He could too, and so could RIto, but the rest of his people? They would all die, and without Mana, he'd have no way of bringing life back to his planet and to them.

He had a choice to make, and he made it.

"Men," his voice reached my ears. My spy had successfully infiltrated among his troops, his eyes mine, his ears mine, and his whole body at my command. "We once more face a threat—"

He really could have sent someone to talk things over with me. Also, where had he dropped Rito? He was nowhere in sight, neither among the gathered crowd or nearby. Honestly, now that I had the time to stretch my senses to feel the Mana, and my surroundings, it became quite clear that he wasn't even on this plane to begin with. Perhaps John Connor had moved him away?

Still, I could gleam John's plan in his entirety. It wasn't a bad plan per se. White had always been the color of judgment and decisions, of laws and absolutes. Thus it was pretty obvious he didn't want any of his allies nearby, and instead shifted them all towards evacuation. Blue was control, logic and technology. It was also the future over the past or the present. It was illusion over reality, it was...a lot of things.

The intricacies didn't concern the Hive. White mana was energy, just like Blue, Red, Black and Green. Energy, even without color, was energy. Energy became heat, heat became power, power warmed the eggs, and the eggs hatched to create more strength for the Hive.

Still, as my feet stood atop the crest of a giant worm-like Sliver with sharp scales and equally sharp talons. The Slivers extended to the far reaches of my vision by now, the Skep outpouring so many that it was a constant stream. The land died beneath our combined might, and as I clicked my tongue against my teeth, I raised my right hand up in the air.

No words were spoken.

As one singular entity the Sliver tide marched forward. Seemingly liquid in its spreading, like a tsunami made of flesh, claws and hungry mouths it advanced upon the land blighting it with its passage. The opening ranks and files of the Hive thundered with strength shared among the rest, and as the whizzing noise of artillery came closer still, shields of pale energy rose to withstand the assault.

The skies' brilliant sun shone brighter than ever, beams of purifying light spearheading down upon the vast bulk of the Slivers', and yet...

Yet nothing happened.

Undaunted and unchallenged, the Slivers kept advancing, the first buildings crumbling under the weight of their passage, the first lines of defense presenting nothing more than a meager token defense.

John Connor wasn't afraid.

He knew he was facing the maws of a hungry dragon armed with a flimsy stick, but he wasn't afraid.

Credit had to be given where credit was due.

And honestly, I knew he was probably ripping his hair out of his head because he couldn't seem to get his Time spells to work. He wasn't blue because of his love of technology, but because of the concept of Time warping involved with his existence. To him, it perhaps came easier to freeze time, undo it, or alter the events. He had thought that he could travel back in time to a moment before my arrival and set up traps there, but he realized that he couldn't.

Because everywhere I went, time was blocked. Everywhere I stood, fissures of time stabilized and closed.

The Hive had thousands of eyes, and the Slivers with the right mutation could peer into past, present and future simultaneously, before snapping back into the current course. To a beast, this would mean nothing more than a mere way to avoid getting hurt, but to a Planeswalker, to someone with brains and the ability to think in terms of long plans...it was an invaluable skill.

"So, John Connor," I said amiably as I came to a halt right in front of him, the wisps of blue mana around his hands dangerously primed, and yet unable to be unleashed. I hopped off the Sliver I had used as a travelling vehicle and stopped at an arm's length from him. "Not coming at me with your angels or soldiers now? Are you going to sing me a spiel of martyrdom and sacrifice for a better tomorrow?"

"It would be useless with something like you," John retorted. His eyes narrowed. "At least, the new Planeswalker will be safe."

"You think I won't be able to track him down?" I remarked.

"No," John replied with a smirk, "But I think you won't dare reach for him in Zendikar."

I blinked at the sudden proclamation. "Zendikar," I said slowly. "Out of all the places you could have sent him, Zendikar? The Eldrazi are there and the Phyrexians keep knocking—"

"And even those two combined are the lesser threat," John interrupted me. "When compared to the likes of you. He will be safe and in time, he will become another who opposes you, Tyrant."

I narrowed my eyes, the psionic thrumming of my Slivers increasing rapidly as I clicked my tongue against the back of my teeth. "Nissa Revane," I said sharply, John's sour face driving home that I had been right on the money. "You probably threw him straight to the wolves," I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Why did you do that? He hadn't even fully embraced his Spark. He was nothing more than a kernel, a popcorn yet to pop."

John didn't answer. "You think I'll just let this slide because it's renowned that I despise fighting?" I asked in the silence that stretched between us. He simply glared. "Playing the silent game?"

I exhaled and then lurched back, as if a punch had abruptly struck me in the guts. The sensation of a thousand eggs being crushed reaching and churning through my body as I gritted my teeth together, clenching my fists as the Slivers around me began to rustle about in an increasing frenzy.

"Oh...smart," I chuckled, "Poor Rito, being used as an express pony delivery boy. He must have landed face-first into Nissa's breasts knowing his luck," I pointed a finger at John Connor, and made a quick no-no gesture. "I'll retreat this time. Let this world's scars be a reminder," I continued. "Don't mess with mine," I slipped into the shadows, the vast majority of the Sliver hive dutifully following before what could be considered a miniature sun shone into existence up in the air, coming in a downward swing of heat and smoldering fire that easily dwarfed the strength of a supernova, and yet had quite the fine control to its movement and deadly grace.

The Skep shattered before I could even retreat towards it, but I knew better than to press my luck and try to recover the scraps of it. It had served its purpose, and as the Slivers by my side awaited my command, they swiftly began to merge with my body as I rushed on a path for the unknown, minimizing my presence until the very last moment.

It was one thing to face a Planeswalker. It was another to face a good dozen of them.

A second type of net began to extend through the world's atmosphere, clearly trying to trap me inside. Unfortunately for them, I cut my losses.

This was another difference between the Slivers of old and the new ones. I knew when to call it quits. I knew when to leave, and return another day. The ones left behind would go mad, frenzy, and seek out new ways of survival. They would be cut off the synapse grid, left to fend for themselves in a hostile world, or die within mere minutes.

Yet if only one got away, then he'd mutate, become asexual, and start to reproduce once more.

And he would not be civil about it like I had been, or orderly in my advance.

It was probable not one would survive though. They had grown pretty used to hunting them down, and without me to guide them, they'd—

Uh, I had left the Sliver-soldier to follow the evacuating civilians.

Well.

They were John Connor's people.

He could deal with resurrecting their bodies after piecing their remains back together.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Thirty (Shokugeki no Soma)

The Lemon Curd Italiano Semifreddo was delicious. The smoothness of the ice-cream and heavy cream mixed with the light firmness of the lemon curd. I felt at ease as I gingerly ate the thirtieth iteration of the dessert, my eyes closed as a hot cup of flawless coffee soothingly emanated a delicious aroma to fill my nostrils. The trattoria Aldini had long since gone past the closing hours, but I hadn't been imposing myself. I handsomely paid for the privilege of eating all the Semifreddos I wished to, and while they were baffled that I had reached the thirtieth, the thirty-first was already coming to my table.

A bottle of limoncello was half-empty nearby, and a gentle and soothing violin orchestra played in the background.

I was at peace.

My little slice of heaven was once more finished, and this time I decided to stop at thirty-one rather than keep the tally going. I drained the mug and bid the waitress goodbye after leaving a generous tip, and then decided to simply take a walk through the streets, at least until something caught my eye. Well, not really someone as much as something.

"What are you doing?" I asked the small Sliver, whose major characteristics seemed to be that of having most of his hardened exoskeleton replaced with fluffy pink fur, and two tiny blunt talons to skitter about on the ground.

The Sliver screeched, and then extended his talons upwards in a pick me up gesture. I exhaled, loudly, and did just that. He was soft and warm admittedly, but his appearance meant something else too.

"Kischur," I said dryly, my eyes locking with those of the old man standing proudly in front of me. He also dared to smile. "Have you grown tired of your immortality?"

"I think I found one of yours yet to awoken, Tyrant," Kischur replied with an amused expression, and as he did, I felt strangely at ease. My eyes glanced down at the fluffy pink Sliver who emitted gentle sounds of soothing peace. I scratched his back, and then gave him one last hug before letting him return to the old man's side, where he merged seamlessly with one of his shoulders.

"I hate that place," I said nonchalantly. "Who is it? If it's too troublesome, I can just ignore them."

"When you understand something, it stops being special," Kischur said. "Why should I take away the novelty?"

"Because I'll just rain fire and watch who doesn't die out of the whole plane?" I replied quite calmly. "There are billions of people in that plane, and I can kill them all in two hours and twenty-two minutes. I have better things to do than waste two hours and twenty-two minutes."

Kischur's smile didn't leave his lips, utterly nonplussed by the empty threat. "Like what? Eating and drinking?"

"Two hours spent eating and drinking delicious food are two hours well spent," I replied. "The remaining twenty-two minutes I can waste sipping coffee."

Kischur shook his head once, his gloved hands both atop his walking cane. "Normally, I'd share the sentiment," he said plainly. "But you did ask to be warned should one awaken or be felt as such by myself. Considering the circumstances that lead to that, why are you surprised I have no intention of divulging more?"

"You are one annoying old flea," I said with a sigh. "Thankfully, I am a kind person. Just stick to your curfew and don't go out at night. If the world starts burning, then you called it upon yourself."

"What a fickle god to oversee us all," Kischur replied, bowing his head slightly. "I shall offer you a most insincere prayer."

"Coming from someone who hands stuff over randomly to random people, you should be thankful I have an appearance of logic," I retorted as I gave him a curt gesture of dismissal with my head. He disappeared back where he had come from, and I exhaled, pushing my right hand against the side of my head as I felt the connection with the planes and past them, into the Blind Eternities and their passage.

Amusingly, there was a neat distinction between a Plane and a Dimension. Planes were the largest possible denominator, and they encompassed both the principal world, the alterations and variations of it, and the same world cast in different time-streams. Thus, one could go from one world's dimension to another where apples were called oranges and viceversa without leaving the same Plane, or one could effectively travel to another Plane where such a thing was possible too.

The difference was all on what belonged to the so dubbed Prime world when compared to the infinite shadows and mirrors that composed all of the other parallel dimensions.

I appeared inside a typical Japanese house, the wooden floor creaking menacingly as I didn't care one bit about the fact one wasn't supposed to keep shoes while inside. The problem with flinging a meteor down on the whole town of Fuyuki was that if I did it, and the Planeswalker triggered and escaped, I might end up not being able to follow his or hers tracks due to the residual Mana.

I didn't even know why I was bothering with it. It was a matter of centuries ago, I reckoned, back when perhaps the likes of a True Ancestor or the Goddess of the Sun might have brought forth trouble had they Sparked.

Right now I could easily rip out all of Amaterasu tails and force-feed them to her without qualms, but it didn't mean it would be as easy if she actually managed to acquire some time to prepare and understand how vast and different her powers could grow up to be. The decisions on whether or not to rip the Fluffy Tails aside, I could feel Kischur's lingering scent —calling him Zelretch was too easy, and he had no way of opposing me if I ever decided to call him fluffy bunny anyway— and wondered why he'd actually come all the way to this seemingly meaningless place.

While it was Fuyuki, it also wasn't the house of Shiro, or Rin, or any other important individuals to the Plane itself, if such a thing had any worth. This person in particular had to be a meaningless one. Maybe they had the same name as the most common name and surname in Japan, or perhaps they had been nothing more than a background character. Their identity, what made them unique, what made them different would awaken with a period of great stress, or an abrupt near-death experience.

It was because of that reason that my encounter with this young girl happened as it did.

"Enough crying," I said as the girl tensed and gasped within the confines of her sheets. "Come on out. The sooner we leave this place, the better."

The girl had pale skin, and white hair. One of her eyes was red, and the other was covered by a colored eye-patch with the drawing of a bunny atop it. I looked at the girl in question, and then I cursed softly.

She looked frail, and bandages covered most of her body. Whatever form of death she had faced, it had probably decided to kick her in the teeth while she was down too.

"Who...who are you?" she asked, her voice not even rising to the level of proper speech, and more of a whisper instead.

"Someone without a name," I answered with a small smile. "You don't look too well," I extended my right hand to my side and, as if by magic, conjured forth a chair. The girl's eyes widened as I sat down. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The girl looked in wonder at the chair that hadn't been there a second before.

If there was one thing that I honestly disliked...

...it was when the burden of power was placed on shoulders too weak to hold it.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Thirty-One (Nasuverse)

The girl didn't fully come out from her sheets, but remained with them draped over her shoulders, her eyes a mixture of fright and curiosity. I crossed one leg over the other and clasped my fingers together as I materialized from thin air a cute little dog, an internet-renowned Doge, also known as a Shiba Inu by the common folks. He waggled his tail and lolled his tongue up and down a bit, perked up and excited just by being there.

He made a happy bark, and then slowly neared the girl before sitting down in front of her, his eyes shining with the unspoken words of pet me, pet me, pet me, pet me repeated constantly through his wagging tail and body language.

"Mom says I can't touch dogs," she whispered. "I could get sick."

I inclined my head to the side, and then I smiled. "That's a magical dog," I said. "It can't make anyone sick."

The girl looked at the dog again, and then extended a hand. The Shiba Inu proceeded to lick the incoming open palm, and thus the girl giggled in turn before bringing her hand down to pet the dog's head. Barking happily, the Doge settled down in front of her and turned on his back, letting her rub his belly to her heart's content.

The girl's giggles died out after a few minutes, but the smile remained on her lips as she looked back at me. "Are you a wizard?" she asked.

"Yes," I said with a slow nod. "I am a great wizard," I smiled softly. "An Archwizard, the most powerful there is," I grinned. "I was told you were sick and needed help, is that so?"

"Uh-uh," the girl said, biting her lower lip with her teeth, "Mom says I can't go out and play with the other kids because they're dirty, and I can't do anything because if I get even a tiny cut I end up having to stay sick in bed for weeks." She looked down at the barking dog and smiled. "Will mom let me keep him?"

"I'm sure she will," I said. "But why don't you tell me why you aren't in bed?"

The girl hesitated, and then looked at the happy wagging tail of the dog. "Because mom is angry at me," she said in a hushed whisper. "I was bad," she added, as if it explained everything. "Can I keep him even if I'm bad?" she asked worriedly, and I nodded.

"Of course you can," I replied, "What did you do?"

"I went outside," the girl said. "I dressed up all alone," she said as a point of pride, "And then I went out," she clutched the sides of her sheets, enclosing most of her frame within it and bringing the dog inside too, who was all too happy to start licking the side of her face, much to her giggles. "Mom was angry when she found out."

"I guess she was worried," I said. "Did something happen while you were out?"

The girl hugged the Doge, bit her lower lip again, and then unashamedly shook her head. I looked at her, plopping my chin on my open palm, "You aren't in trouble," I said.

"There were strange men," the girl said in the end. "They wanted me to go with them, but I was scared, so—" she closed her eyes shut, squeezing onto the dog who barked happily in turn, rubbing his furry cheek against the child's own. "So I screamed, and then..." she hiccuped. "Then they became puddles."

"I see," I remarked. My fingers clasped together as I took a deep breath. "Listen," I continued. "Your mother loves you very much," I said gingerly. "She loves you so much, she called me thinking I could help you. And I can help you," I said as I stared into her wet eyes now looking up at me, "But you need to be a brave girl, and come with me for a while."

"But I can't leave the house again, mom will get mad," she said in a hushed whisper. "She said I...I was grounded."

"It will be fine," I said gently. "We'll wait for her and then you'll see, she wasn't angry, just worried."

"Only...worried?" the girl said, her eyes downcast once more. "I made her worry? I—I should tell mom I'm sorry then."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "What a polite little girl you are," I said. "I am Shade," I presented myself, a hand patting my chest. "Archmage of everything nice and kind."

"I'm Claudia," the girl said in a whisper. "Can you...can you make cotton candy?" she asked after a brief second of silence. In answer, I extended my left hand by my side and then sharply moved it downwards, letting a white stick appear from thin air with a ball of cotton candy upon it as big as a head and of a fluffy white color.

"Do you have any preferences concerning taste?" I asked, earning a scrunched up expression from the girl. "I mean, would you rather have it taste like strawberries, lemon, coke—"

"Chocolate," Claudia said resolutely and as she said that I waved the cotton candy stick around as it tinted itself of a dark brown hue. She emitted a small verse of surprise as I handed the candy over, and hesitantly, she took her first bite of it. I sighed, shaking my head slowly.

"It's good!" Claudia said with an excited voice as she munched on it, the Doge whining softly by her side for some of the tasty treat. "Can I give some to the doggie, Mister Shade?" she asked next, a hopeful tone in her voice.

"Dogs can't eat chocolate," I replied. "It's poisonous for them."

"Oh," Claudia said. Then, most resolutely, she looked at her cotton candy stick and demurely made to hand it back. "Can I have it in strawberry, please?"

I shook my head and snapped my fingers, a second cotton candy stick appearing from thin air of a bright reddish color. Rather than take back the chocolate one, I handed the strawberry one over.

"I'll prepare something for dinner while we wait for your mother," I said next as I stood up. "When you feel like it, come in the kitchen."

I walked out of the room with both of my hands in my jacket's pockets, and as tiny Slivers left my frame, they rushed outside in the street and past it, to where melted human remains had been attracting flies and carrion eaters. The purulence and virulence of the plague had already spread, the nearby houses devoid of life as the unnaturally powerful plague had killed and melted down everyone who had come into contact with it.

Even Claudia's mother judging by the puddle that stood only a small distance away from the house itself.

This was the problem with Black.

It gave power. It was honest about it. It delivered death in spades and had no qualms in being upfront about it.

But uncontrolled, it lead to death beyond foretelling.

Burning white mana left the bodies of the Slivers at my command, the puddles reverting back to their human forms as they forgot the latest events. It was the duty of the adults to take care of fixing the children's mistakes, and as the closest adult, it was my duty to ensure Claudia's wrongdoings were fixed.

There was no television in the house, and as a few minutes later Claudia entered the kitchen wearing only her pajama and clutching on to a stuffed doll of sorts, she took a seat by the kitchen's table and began to munch on the snacks that I had materialized over it.

Her mother would return in time for dinner, and as the plague hadn't really left the few city blocks, I easily contained and dispersed it.

I sneezed together with the Shiba Inu beneath the table, who had dutifully followed Claudia in the kitchen.

"God bless you," Claudia said from the table.

"Thank you," I replied. "Shouldn't you be wearing socks?" I asked next, an eyebrow raised. "You'll catch a cold without them."

Claudia pouted, an honestly childish pout, and then hopped off the chair to head back into her room. The Shiba Inu shared a singular glance with me, and I looked back at him.

What doesn't kill Us makes the Hive deadlier.

So protective! Much deadly! Wow!

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Thirty-Two (Nasuverse)

Claudia's mother returned home after a few hours, and appeared utterly nonplussed at my presence. Her mind had been altered after all, as had Claudia's father, who would be returning later.

"Claudia," her mother had a hand on her hip, her expression sour. "What are you doing dressed like that? Is that any way to dress in front of the Archmage of kindness and nice things?"

I suppressed a snort, I suppressed it really hard. In my modest opinion the fact that the girl had decided to ask for a pretty silk dress similar to those of fairy tale princesses and ribbons to tie her hair with was simply adorable. Still, I hadn't altered her mother's fashion sense, and so obviously the fact both the dress and ribbons were eye-searingly gold had something to do with it.

"Moooom," Claudia whined, looking up at her mother with a sad expression. I felt the wave of Black Mana pour out from within her frame and disperse harmlessly across the air, only for my left hand to spin lazy circles around in the air in between the two and summon a bouquet of flowers, hiding the cleansing effect of the spell itself behind them.

"Now, now," I said with a smile, handing the bouquet over to Claudia's mother. "She asked to be made into a princess, who was I to say no?"

The woman's eyes softened as her hands grabbed hold of the bouquet to smell the flowers' scent within. She sighed, and then neared her daughter with a small smile. "You should change back in your pajamas. What if you make your dress dirty, dear?" she said gently. "How's your cough? Has it passed?"

"Uh-uh," Claudia said with a shaky nod. She scuttled off to her room to change, and while she did that, her mother neared to look at the bubbling pots and already half-finished dinner preparations.

She took over half of the kitchen counter, and as I lingered about in wait for the broth to finish cooking, the woman finally spoke. "You're a blessing from God," she said. "Both my husband and I prayed so much—"

"Your prayers have been answered," I acquiesced. I was as much of a blessing of God as I was his favorite scourge. The seven plagues all merged together in one beautiful package of death and devastation. Claudia returned a few minutes later wearing her pajamas, but with the orange ribbons still firmly keeping her hair tied. The Doge was wagging his tail happily, and as he rested his head on the girl's lap, Claudia began to pat the dog's head gently.

It was that way that her father found us. He was the epitome of the priest, and quite honestly it made sense for him to be a priest considering the western sounding names. He didn't as much as stiffen at my appearance. Then again, I had altered his mind too. "Oh, the Archmage of kindness and nice things," he smiled as he said that. "How do you feel, Claudia? All better now?"

"Yes dad!" Claudia beamed him a smile.

It was as dinner reached the halfway point that I brought the argument forth.

"I have studied Claudia's sickness in great detail," I said, "And I think I can cure it," I continued smoothly. "But she will have to be a brave girl and come with me for a while."

"Oh, did you hear that, Claudia?" her mother said with a beaming smile, "The Archmage will heal you! It's wonderful news."

Claudia grimaced. "Will it be like the hospital?" she asked, and I simply chuckled, shaking my head.

"I am the Archmage of kindness and nice things," I said with a bright smile. "It will be like nothing you've ever seen before." My words didn't really work the miracle I expected, but she clearly was willing to extend me a modicum of trust. "Also, it won't take long. Just a few hours at most," I continued with a smile. "Think of it as a day trip, but you'll have to be brave, because your parents can't come."

"They can't?" Claudia whispered.

"We'll be praying for you, Claudia," her father said, "God saw fit to give us this challenge, and now he is answering our prayers. You deserve this," he smiled as he said that. "And the Archmage is here as God's messenger." He nodded as he extended a hand to clench his daughter's own. "You'll finally be able to go to school and make friends—"

It was enough, and as dinner came to an end, I promised to return the next day to whisk her away into a land of kindness and nice things, into a realm of fantasy and cotton candy. I smiled wistfully as I stepped into the streets and began to walk away from the house itself. I could spend the night anywhere. I could theoretically spend it with anyone if I felt so inclined. In the end, I decided that since this was a period quite a bit behind the times, my best bet was to find a local sushi bar and spend the rest of the night in it.

The place was clean, that much was sure, and as I sat down and made my orders the chef behind the counter had to actually write them down. I then patiently split the chopsticks and poured the soy sauce in the tiny ceramic container meant for the dipping. Some guys by my right were roaring drunk already, but they wouldn't cause any trouble tonight.

As my orders were slowly fulfilled, and I munched quietly on the selected delicacies, a known face took a seat by my right.

"You never struck me as the sushi bar type," Kischur said.

"So speaks the old flea with a mantle on his back," I replied. "Have you any plans for this parallel world in particular?"

"No, not really," Kischur answered. "But I do wonder what will happen to the child. Will she return?"

"Probably not," I said. "Her fundamental nature was tainted by her sickness, and so her color's Black," I murmured before taking a sip of rice wine, "She is a danger to a world made of living beings, and I guess...it was because of her nature that you found her, isn't that right?"

"I never felt much of a dislike upon first impact with another as I did with Brunestud," Kischur said, "But...the moment I arrived in this dimension I felt her presence, and so I knew I had to investigate it."

"You had her leave her house?" I asked, only for Kischur to scoff and roll his eyes.

"As if I'd need such crude methods. I'm not something that needs to be invited in order to step inside," he smiled at me, and then proceeded to swiftly steal a piece of cooked shrimp from my platter. "It's passable enough, I guess."

"You guess? Why are you even eating that? Go suck someone dry, don't you know that stealing food from someone like me is a death sentence? You tired of being immortal?" I quipped while glaring at him.

"I'll never grow tired of life, not like you, Tyrant," Kischur said. "I'll spend time with you until dawn, so tell me your best stories. Particularly those of girls who do magic by waving sticks around, they sound absolutely hilarious to hear."

I sighed, and then began to talk.

The night flies by fast...

...when you're planning to troll people not yet born.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Thirty-Three (Shokugeki no Soma)

If there was one thing I had learned over countless centuries was that Phyrexia—or new Phyrexia—not having a single Planeswalker was definitely an act of God. I reckoned I could keep it that way by ensuring none of the Black Mana Planeswalkers ever decided to grow curious and have a peek at that Plane. Even as I justified it, it still wasn't something to grow complacent or even proud about.

Those who would sell everything for power died as soon as I found them, not even bothering to set up a due process or demanding guarantees. Now they could be honorable and proper, but in a few decades? What if their morality decayed and they began to descend into depravity? Urza had been a stark example, and it was one example I did not wish to see repeated ever again.

Of course, Claudia Hortensia was a sick little girl now. But what if she became a sick woman, and not in the medical term of the word? What if she decided that Phyrexia could make her stronger, or the Eldrazi could give her new insight in this or that thing? Even the best educated child could fall to temptation given an eternity in front of them. I had seen the depths of humanity's sick soul when given unlimited power, and I had quashed under my boot more than one seemingly once innocent Planeswalker. In the end, I had understood what the problem was and fixed it.

Planeswalkers needed to be reminded of the bigger fish.

They needed to be reminded of the existence of someone stronger, of someone more powerful, of someone who had everything and feared nothing—and they needed to be reminded of it long enough for them to understand that there would be punishment if they strayed from the path. Monsters like Jason, or Freddie Kruger did not get a tribunal, but then again, the tribunal, the judge and the jury were all the same person.

I was the Tyrant after all.

The one who rules over the rabble of pathetic simpering egoistic children who think they know better because suddenly they get to flaunt their powers upon their lesser.

Laws were in place. They were few, but good.

No Planeswalker shall die, lest by the hand of the Tyrant.

No Planeswalker shall consort with Phyrexia.

No Planeswalker shall consort with the Eldrazi.

And then, foolishly, I had done my best to enforce them. Whole worlds had been crushed and devoured as the Hives of War marched upon them. I ruptured holes into the Blind Eternities to connect with sheer brutality two Planes together, causing cataclysms that extended across both, and then I ensured the message was delivered as far across as possible, leaving behind no doubt that I would come should a law be breached, and I would show no mercy, no matter the excuse.

Humans could be replaced.

A Spark could not.

In a world where all men were born equal, we might have talks about how these rules belonged to only the most terrible of fascist dictatorships. I admitted that. I admitted that, and yet when your opponents kept on wishing to partake in the flesh of unborn children, then perhaps it's time to forget all about democracy and enforce a rule of talons and powerful magic.

And it worked.

For countless decades, it worked. I was wary at first, but as I saw silence descend in the Multiverse, as skirmishes and duels stopped happening, it became clear that the threat of being devoured whole by a legion of Sliver was working. Yet, nothing lasts forever, and when shows of strength are a distant memory, then mistakes are made again. Mistakes that need to be corrected swiftly and brutally, to ensure the lesson sticks around more the second time.

A congress of Planeswalkers was held in Dominaria to prepare a plan to fight back, to reacquire their freedoms to rut, to savage, to reap and to do whatever they wanted to do without consequences. Unfortunately for them, they had waited too long to act, and if there was one thing that one should take great care never to do, it is to give a Sliver time to breed and expand and incorporate.

Thinking back about it, if I had just let them kill each other, let them fight each other, let them consort with the Eldrazi, the Phyrexians and so forth then perhaps it wouldn't have come to this. Well, it would have been worse, what with the temporal rifts and the literal destruction of reality had someone not done something...and I had been that someone too.

My hero complex had drastically reduced itself since then, but there were rifts that needed to be mended, and there were Planeswalkers who were troublesome.

The solution was obvious as daylight.

I snapped Dominaria out of existence, locking it in a newly crafted Shard. I then placed Zendikar in its place, because the Plane was the closest substitute I could find. It had been a balancing act of great delicacy, but it had worked, and thus...thus Phyrexia had struck at Zendikar, rather than at Dominaria.

The Planeswalkers that hadn't been present in Dominaria did not, admittedly, approve of my methods. I, on the other hand, had no intention of apologizing for doing the right thing, but when children tantrum about a toy they have to share the best solution is to take it away from them, after all.

Yet all of these thoughts left my mind as I smiled, my gaze softening up at Claudia munched on the cream parfait with a few vocal verses of pure bliss. Trattoria Aldini served quite the delicious desserts, and it would be remiss of me as the Archmage of Kindness and Nice Things to keep a young girl like Claudia away from her sweets. Her skin was already a healthier color, and while the color of her eyes hadn't changed, the fact she was livelier than before was a telling sign that everything was proceeding smoothly with the subtle alteration of her health.

A Planeswalker, even a budding one, would have realized by now the changes to their bodies. Claudia was a child, a kid, and an easy tool to use and discard in the hands of people fighting for their home-Plane's continued existence.

Thus, she needed to be protected from the real monsters.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Thirty-Four (Dune)

Claudia looked at the vast expanses of crimson sands that surrounded us, and then at me. She wasn't stupid, no matter her young age. She fidgeted as she looked at the far off distance, clutching on to the side of my jacket as a giant worm descended back into the sands like a whale in the sea. Slowly, the Sliver net extended once more over our heads, cutting us off from the rest of the Multiverse.

"Claudia," I said gently, "There is something I have to tell you." I knelt down on the sand to look at her, and smiled gently at the same time. "You see," I extended a hand, letting tiny twirling motes of red mana dance upon my palm, "This is Mana. It is the energy I use to create things like candy and puppies, and which is at the foundation of Magic."

Claudia looked at the mana with wonder in her eyes, and as the reddish sparks sailed back and forth, the static air of the world began to charge, crafting tiny bolts of lightning that glowed with the colors of an aurora. "This is the energy I use, and that defines me as the Archmage of Kindness and everything nice." More motes of multicolored energy soon joined the first, and as the prismatic ensemble of colors twirled, they then dissipated harmlessly in the air to craft a majestic pillar of candy which rose in front of us gently to reach for the skies.

"And the reason I am explaining this to you, Claudia," I said in a soft-spoken tone, a small smile on my lips. "Is because you have this power too."

Claudia looked from the giant candy cane towards me, and then down to her hands. She opened her palms, and scrunched her brows, before looking at me once more. "How?" she asked.

"With training, of course," I replied. "You have the potential to become a great Archmage," I continued. "But you will need training. It will be like a school of sorts," I gestured at the towering candy cane, and as it melted back down into the sand, I knew I had the little girl hooked. Seriously, my brief stint as the leader of the Incubators had worked wonders for my manipulative skills, especially when I refined those kinks during those dark days where morals suddenly became meaningless baggage to drop.

"I've always wanted to go to school," she murmured.

"Then I need you to be good," I continued, gently rubbing her head once. "Can you do that for me? Once you grow older, I'll be back and I'll take you on as my apprentice, but until then you must promise me never to reveal anything, never to show anything, never to do any magic, even by mistake."

Her eyes widened, "I—I can't do magic?"

I shook my head. "No," I whispered. "There will come a time where you might feel angry, and a sudden rush of energy will swell within you," I extended my right hand, and took her left, tiny motes of Black mana swirling upon it. She gasped and began to breathe heavily, her eyebrows scrunched up in concentration. "And when that happens, you must suppress it. Can you do that?"

"How?" she mumbled.

"Close your eyes, and think about the connection between us. Think about the twirling motes, think about them as a river, or a current, or a chain made of hundreds of tiny links. And once you do, then you must simply cut the chain, or dam the river," I said as slowly, the tiny traces of Black mana began to flicker off and disappear from the back of her hand. She opened her eyes and smiled, looking up at me excitedly. The next second, a small burst of Black Mana resulted in the sand taking on a darker color, which was quickly swept away deeper below.

Claudia blushed, looking demurely downcast soon after. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"If it were easy, then there would be plenty of Archmages of Kindness," I said with a light chuckle, which Claudia soon joined.

It didn't take long for her to learn, and it took even less for me to return her home. With the healthy body she now had, it would be fine. I'd come back for her in a matter of years, and until then, a Sliver net would keep her Plane safe from other Planeswalkers'. I was sure Zelretch wouldn't mind keeping an eye on her too.

Once, I wouldn't have minded twice about altering her mind, and taking her with me to train personally. Once, I wouldn't have cared about the triviality of the action. Even further before that time, I would have cared a great deal, and I would have believed myself incapable of doing such a thing. For a time, I had been that hopeful in my own morality. That hope had died a long, long time afterwards.

My next Planeswalking brought me to the summit of a tall and imposing mountain, blanketed in snow and cold biting winds. Upon it, a lonely old dragon with scales of dark green rested peacefully, his eyes settled upon the horizon.

I yawned gently, the noise enough to attract its attention.

"Hi daal, Wuth," Paarthurnax spoke, inclining his head down. "Decades have gone by," he continued, "Have you found out your peace?"

"No," I said with a sigh, "Only eternal ceasefire," I hopped on a nearby rock, and then landed neatly right by the side of his head. "We are both relics, are we not? Perhaps they should cast us in gold and place us somewhere to be remembered."

Paarthurnax chuckled deeply, turning his head back to the view in front of him. "This breathtaking view I have seen for countless years, Wuth," he spoke. "And each day and each night I wonder at it. That one day I may feel that no longer, it pains me beyond doubt." He emitted a small gust of wind from his mouth. "Everything mortal fades away with time, but to think even the horizon will one day fade away...like the Dwemer of old. Only mortals should fade, remaining in Spirit thereafter. And yet...it is not so." He shook his head. "It is both a pleasure and a sadness to witness you, Wuth."

"I have spoken with beings whose wisdom seemingly extended past the boundaries of mortality," I said with my chin plopped over my open palm, "And I have grown tired of the countless arguments we have had," I glanced at Paarthurnax, and then back down at the fresh snow. "I...I think I must find a successor."

Paarthurnax stared at me, and then shook his head. "Aal hin viing siiv staad wah praan, Wuth."

"Aal hin sil mindok drem, Paarthurnax," I replied with a bitter smile. "But before I leave, perhaps forever, perhaps for just a few decades, why not speak a bit?"

Paarthurnax smiled, if a smile could be made with countless teeth, and then he looked towards the horizon. "Last time we met, you told me of war, of blood and of death. I have seen it come, and I have seen it pass. How about peace and honey and mead? Shall that come too? Will my weary heart stop aching?"

I smiled, and then I slowly nodded. "All wars fade away into peace in the end."

"And all peaces return to war," Paarthurnax said. "But still, my mead and honey, I will enjoy. The Dov is kind and comes to speak to me, he brings the news of the world to my old ears."

By the time I left that Plane behind too, Paarthurnax was no more.

I had come, after all, at the dying embers of his life. He had understood, of course, and he had accepted it gracefully for what it was.

Another Paarthurnax could easily be met, and befriended once more. Countless dragons named Paarthurnax could become trustworthy friends as long as I desired it.

And yet...

Once was enough.

Now it was time to prepare.

For the war to end all wars.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Thirty-Five (Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?)

Orario was a beautiful city, if not for the monster-spewing dungeon that was neatly tapped with the tower of Babel. I couldn't care less about the tower, as my steps brought me inside the Hostess of Fertility, the relaxing air of the inn doing wonders. The girl who showed up as soon as I stepped inside had raven hair and bright green eyes. Her cat-like ears twitched only slightly, while her tail swished back and forth gently.

"Good evening sir," she said with a charming smile.

"Good evening," I replied with a smile of my own. "I'll need a table."

"Right this way sir," Chloe Rollo said with her smile fixed on her face. It was cute, but at the same time, it was the obvious default smile given to all customers. It would take someone on the levels of Self-Delusions of Johnny Bravo to actually believe she had anything but work in her mind. Then again, I had nothing but food in my head, and I needed to eat a bit before heading off to do my work.

I sat at the table and then smiled, "Quick question, does the owner accept jewels or only gold?" I remarked nonchalantly, receiving a frown in answer.

"Miss Grand will have to examine the jewels in question," Chloe replied, and I nodded as I pulled out from one of my jacket's inner pockets a pouch filled with flawlessly cut diamonds.

"Here you go," I said nonchalantly. "If she prefers gold it's the same, but she might need a barrel to keep it all in."

Chloe blinked, and then scurried off towards the counter. She returned a few minutes later with a tankard of ale, my pouch minus a few diamonds, and ready to take my order. She had to be told it twice, and as I pushed the pouch back towards her, I grinned. She nodded, took the pouch, and then left for the counter once more.

The first roast arrived at my table five minutes later, and as I began to eat, I knew I was firmly in the radar of Miss Grand, the stocky dwarf woman owner of the inn. The diamonds weren't stolen, and they had a true master of the craft cut them. Each of them alone would be priceless in a world where jewelry stores existed, but in a world of magic where monsters could drop them, they were simply a nifty substitute for currency.

By the time I finished the roast in question, an entire pot of soup arrived in its place, and I ate that too. The warmth filled me even as the broth wasn't on par with what I could have obtained elsewhere. It had a hearty taste to it, and even as I could taste the burnt bits and pieces in the whole broth, and the slightly charcoal-like taste of iron of the pot, I still drank it all down without a sound.

Some of the people in the inn had become to stare too at the spectacle, quickly understanding that something was underway. Roasted duck and geese came next. They were quickly followed by hot buns filled with honey, whole forms of cheese, large pieces of ham, and the freshest of produces. It wasn't, of course, enough. I smiled as I finished the umpteenth tankard, the noodles arriving next in a bowl meant for a table of twelve, and yet served only to me. I ate them as the spices made, or at least tried to make, short work of my tongue.

I ate without care.

I drank without end.

The clock slowly ticked the time forward. I could have arrived right on time, but it would have been boring. I could have arrived months before, but it would have bored me to do so. I was no wizard, so I didn't arrive precisely on time. I arrived whenever it suited me. In this case, it was a few hours before the main event.

"I hope next time you'll warn in advance," Mia spoke with a rich baritone voice from beyond the counter as I stepped forward to retrieve my pouch and the remaining diamonds.

"Where would my honor as pantry-emptier go if I did that? Larders all over the world weep as they see me arrive," I smiled brightly, a hand in front of my chest. "For I am Sir Ver, Sly Ver." I sat down at the counter, and then glanced at the liquor collection.

The dwarf woman looked at me, and then at the neatly arrayed bottled behind me. "Oh no you can't," she said hotly, "I don't believe you can."

I smiled, my fingers crossed with each others, "Oh..." I said as my smile grew a bit more. "Want to wager on it?" I wriggled my eyebrows.

"Man don't do it," an adventurer nearby said, "her liquors might be fruit flavored, but they're gonna knock you out!"

I unclasped my hands and pushed the pouch forward. "I win, you owe me the next batch of lemon-flavored liquor you produce. You win, you get to keep the whole pouch. I'll still pay the consumed liquor, of course."

Mia laughed heartily, thumping a hand against the counter top, "Very well you rascal, if that's how you want to play it, let's play it."

A hour later, and Mia Grand had no choice but to collapse on the floor as I walked away with a bottle of liquor per hand. Needless to say, I made a statement. More importantly, I disliked having to play the big bad evil guy. My steps brought me to the entrance of the Dungeon, and as I emptied both bottles and threw them to the side, the satisfying crashing of the glass against the cobblestone echoed in the otherwise empty square.

The Slivers squirmed beneath my skin, roused from their slumber. Twitching talons and tentacles, skittering limbs and gnawing teeth, and tiny beady eyes began to frenzy as they awoke, their hunger unquestionable.

I clutched the miniature Skep in my right hand, glanced at the empty courtyard, and then stepped into the dungeon myself. The massive construction that dug itself to the depths of this world recognized my strength, the walls themselves shuddering at my passage. I was no God. I was something far, far worse. I was a threat the likes of which it had never met, and as the monsters began to draw closer, they suddenly died by hidden blades and whip-like talons. Thick quills as sharp as steel pierced hearts and collapsed lungs of the monstrous creatures, their screams echoing in deep shrills all around me as I threw the Skep right at the end of the Beginner's Road.

It grew, siphoning off the Mana from the place. It grew, and as it grew the tower above us began to creak. It held, but the path downwards remained blocked.

The skittering hordes began to emerge, their crooning sounds tugging at my heartstrings as I knelt, my heart filled with motherly love as I clutched in my arms the first of the newly minted brood, the eyes a beady yellow, the skin a sickly green and poison dripping from its every orifice. "You're just so precious," I whined out softly, rubbing my cheek against its head. My smile split in a thousand fangs. A set of clicks and hisses soon began to spread through the walls of the Dungeon as mutations began to appear. Manes of crimson red and tongues of fire, nimble Slivers with—

"Bunny ears?" I remarked as I neared one of them, the skin a pale milky white and the eyes a beady red, and yet on its head, twisted and deformed by flesh and scales rather than fur, two rabbit-like ears stood. Soon after, they sprouted atop my head too, and with them I suddenly could hear the depths of the dungeon twist and shatter, walls caving in and rearranging themselves to present a harsher challenger.

I smiled.

My right hand disappeared into the depths of nothingness, and from it a coat of arms was pulled out, with talons and claws, teeth and head-crests etched upon it. Excitement rose from the pools of my stomach upwards, leaving in bursts of raucous childish laughter.

The Dungeon would not survive my passage.

Hopefully, his death throes would reveal to me new ways of waging war, and new monstrosities to be unleashed upon my foes.

And even if it didn't...

...Bell Cranel's Argonaut skill would.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Thirty-Six (Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?)

The Skep's reinforced walls came under attack half an hour later from behind, but no amount of strength could crack them. Only a Planeswalker could damage them, only someone truly versed in the arts of Red Mana could incinerate a path through the thick reinforced walls made in equal part of rock, of magic and of Slivers fossilized into their very depths. I did not need to fear from behind, and I did not worry about the front.

Talons ruptured the thick skin of wolves, and the monstrous rabbit-like enemies did not last more than a single hop. Blood drenched the ground as I advanced, the tide of Slivers pulsing as it swarmed into the crevices and the tunnels, tentacles draining the ground of energy as other Slivers' with their gem-studded hides crooned peacefully near them. Sparks of Mana flew in the air and struck my back, from which tentacles ruptured to easily acquire the transferred energy.

My throat hummed pleasantly as the advanced reached for the lower levels, Slivers crawling down the vents that lead to the depths of the dungeon unimpeded. It was night in the dungeon, and so there wouldn't be many adventurers in the middle levels. Yet as my forward scouts reported the situation on the lower levels back to me, I sighed, and shook my head. The Goliath had already spawned, and currently was being battled by a small group of people.

It was Hestia's team, the one she was a part of and that had probably headed into the dungeon while I had been busy drinking Mia Grand under the table. They were inconsequential. It didn't matter if they had a few Level Four adventurers. For what their rankings could signify to me, I was a Level Infinite.

The Wall of Sorrow, as it was called, was a massive crystal wall from which the Goliath would spawn once every two week. The moment I laid eyes on it, and on the Goliath's bruised and battered body, the Wall began to crack menacingly. I began to walk forward, my eyes glancing just a tiny bit towards the figure of Hermes, the tall God turning to look at me, and his orange eyes narrowing only so slightly before a smile settled on his lips.

I passed him by as the Wall of Sorrow emitted one last bellowing snap, and from its confines, a dozen Goliaths' emerged. Ryuu Lion, the blond-haired and blue eyed elf who for her revenge had murdered countless others realized immediately that something was wrong, and her green cloak fluttered in the wind so quietly that only my ears could hear its sound before she reappeared a fair distance away from the collapsing wall. She did so with grace and style, since she was Waifu material, so who cared about the blood dropping from her fingers? Sometimes, I wondered if being a Waifu meant that the Geneva convention didn't apply to you.

Asfi was the second one to realize something was wrong, perhaps only of half a nanosecond later than Ryuu, but the bespectacled aqua-haired and cyan-eyed princess had the decency to warn the other adventurers, who had already begun to beat a hasty retreat of sorts. Well, more like a paralyzed in terror realization of sorts. They were Level Two, and yet perhaps because their levels were low, they understood all too well what it meant to be the weakling in a fight.

The Goliaths lumbering forms drew near with their massive dark frames, but as all of them couldn't hit the same spot, some stood behind ready to intercept any movement to avoid the blows.

I did not avoid the blows.

I reckoned the effect, in the eyes of the witnesses, was similar to seeing someone punch a shredding machine. The unlucky Goliath who would have hit first didn't just lose his fist, but most of his arm as teeth and talons shredded the skin, the muscle and the bone, devouring everything on their path to the shoulder. If a second Goliath hadn't thrown him away, he would have lost his head swiftly.

As it was, the heroic Goliath number two did lose his head, which neatly landed on the ground with a thundering crash, cracking apart as tendrils of Sliver hatchlings began to fester and rupture out of the dead corpse.

From the bubbling flesh of the beheaded behemoth Slivers pulsing with egg-filled bellies crooned and sang, their task similar to the unholy union of the most mind-breaking of creatures. The mind-devouring insects of Starship Troopers bred together with the lethal abilities of the Mummy's flesh-eating scarabs, tied with the humble Spiders' egg-producing skills. They were a spectacle to behold. Well, they also were somewhat terrifying for the non-discerning eye who couldn't appreciate their beauty, but I did appreciate them.

They were my beautiful Slivers, and they would increase tenfold the numbers of the Hive.

They simply needed to eat.

A third Goliath screamed hoarsely as he tried to stomp one of my babies, only for long worm-like pincers to grab his foot and chop it off, the spraying of blood not even reaching the ground as countless tongues cleaned the droplets before they could as much as reach the rock floor.

A Sarlacc merged with the worms of Dune was terrifying, but adding to them the humble ragworm made them...interesting, to say the least.

The thick skin of the Goliath was nothing but butter, and I could sense the displeasure of the upper echelons of the Hive, most noticeably myself, me and I, at the thought that there would be nothing to learn from these upper levels.

"It is the eighteenth floor," I grumbled as I felt the rest of the swarm reach into the large cavern, their traits and frames soon morphing and merging together with those that were already fighting the Goliaths. If before it hadn't even been a fight, now it wasn't even worthy of being called a scuffle.

"I'll give you a friendly suggestion," I said as my eyes moved to where the group of adventurers was now surrounded on all sides by my Slivers. "If you don't hurt my babies, I won't devour your intestines while forcing you to watch."

Hermes smiled in turn, "That is...quite the friendly proposition!" the messenger of the Gods kept his smile up, even as most of the Slivers began to move forward, headed for the passage to the eighteenth floor. "We'd really like to keep our intestines."

I exhaled, scratching the back of my head. "Mah, I wonder." I glanced towards Ryuu, "I guess some of you are going to try to fight the inevitable, so I should perhaps say this now and get it out in the air while we're still in friendly terms." I smiled. "I'm going to destroy the Dungeon and every single living monster within it. Kindly steer clear of me and mine and you'll be allowed to leave once I'm done."

"Nobody ever succeeded," Asfi spoke firmly.

I shrugged. "I'm not nobody," I said. "I'm...let's see," I tapped my chin. "Ah, I'm the God of the Gods of Gods," I raised my right hand, making a thumb-up gesture. "I'm a Cubic God!"

I received only flat stares in reply. "Tough crowd," I slumped my shoulders, shaking my head. "Oh well, doesn't matter. Say, any of you have seen Bell Cranel anyway?" I asked next.

"Who?" Hermes asked nonchalantly, making a big show of blinking his eyes and expressing genuine surprise. The rest of the group understood the implicit signal of Don't tell him anything, but I was simply toying with them. Gaining time for Bell to have his final goodbyes perhaps.

"White haired, red-eyed, kind-of looks like a rabbit," I continued. "You see, I'm really sorry to say this, but I've got to kill the kid. I've got to kill the kid and eat the kid." I shook my head. "Man, I hope he'll be tender."

"That sort of thing—" Asfi's voice actually had a bit of a queasy tone to it.

"You're a Xenos," Hermes' said, his eyes taking on a slightly harsher glint.

"I am honestly surprised that there exists in this universe a term that means precisely the same and yet at the same time something completely different from another universe," I replied pointedly, before patting my chest, "But you hurt me by calling me a stranger, Hermes! I am not just any stranger, I am the Stranger Danger type! And yeah, unfortunately I'm here to suck this dungeon dry, kill Bell and then, who knows, perhaps I'll eat a couple of Gods too if they annoy me."

I watched impassively as Ryuu Leon rushed forth like the wind, nimbly jumping past the Slivers who stood around them, her foot catching hold of the back of one of them to propel herself forward. A Sliver rushed to bar her path, one of her short swords by her belt leaving the sheathe seemingly unseen as it struck my beautiful mass of tentacles and talons in the neck. It would have been a lethal spot, had Slivers any anatomy that couldn't shift at will.

She proceeded to bat him away with the flat side of her longer blade, the distance between us shortening until I could see her face. And just as I saw her face, I saw her eyes widen in disbelief as the crunching sound of a blade, a flawless, perfect, perhaps even magical blade, did not even pierce my hide as much as shatter into countless grains against it.

Ryuu looked down at the hilt of her blade, all that remained of it, and I gingerly patted her left shoulder.

"Nice try," I whispered to her ear.

"Ryuu!" Asfi yelled, only for my right hand to gently pat the elf girl on the chest. She flew backwards with blinding speed, her shock visible on her face as she was thrown off like a leaf in the wind.

"Understand the depths of our difference," I drawled as I watched her crash against the tattered remains of the Wall of Sorrow, what little of it still remained after the magic in the air had been sucked dry. "And learn your place as an ant on the ground."

The next second, Hermes' boots planted themselves deeply on my back, the feeling of countless infinite weight making me momentarily spend effort to actually hold him back. My right hand morphed into a vicious multi-articulated claw that struck right behind me, but Hermes was gone faster than the wind, his boots shining with golden wings behind his calves.

"I don't know how, or why," Hermes said quite gingerly, a smile on his face. "But if the Dungeon's devoid of magic, then it won't notice what I'm about to do."

"Lord Hermes?" Asfi mouthed, "The use of Arcanum—"

Hermes sighed, a golden rod materializing from thin air. "I suppose I will have to head to Heaven afterwards," he groaned. "Nothing but work up there but if that thing goes beyond this spot...then it will spell a lot of trouble," he valiantly tapped his hat, and a cloak made of fine wool covered his body. "I'll open you a path, take it and run," and as he said that, he swung his golden rod forth, the Slivers between the path of his rod and the passage below evaporating into thin grains of sand.

They weren't actually evaporating as much as aging beyond the point where their flesh and regeneration could restore them.

I stared at Hermes thoughtfully.

"It's been a while since I last killed a God," I said, cracking my claws as scythes and fangs began to grow out of my body.

I smiled.

"Let's see if you'll taste as delicious."

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Thirty-Seven (Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?)

Bell didn't know what to make of it. After all, how could he understand what was going on when, after a few minutes of Hestia ensuring he was alright, Ryuu had dropped down faster than he could perceive and outright began to pull him away?

"We have to hurry," she said with her no-nonsense voice. Aiz Wallenstein hadn't been that far behind, the blond woman actually sharing a glance with the green cloaked elf before everything suddenly clicked. Well, it didn't click.

There was a clicking, skittering noise of sorts that began to echo all around them as the top of the trees rustled to an unseen breeze that seemed to grow with each passing second. A cold shiver rushed through Bell's spine, as Hestia's body tensed, his Goddess carefully putting her body actually in front of his.

"Where's Hermes?" Hestia asked.

"He remained behind," Asfi said grimly. "He spoke of a Xenos, Lady Hestia—it looked like a man, but he soon changed his form. He claimed he would drain the dungeon of magic and eat Bell—" Bell's eyes widened as the dread he had felt until then grew tenfold, "Lord Hermes decided to use everything he had to fight him, we are here because he opened a path with his Arcanum."

"He did what?!" Hestia's eyes widened, her head snapping towards the passage. "The Dungeon would—no, it can't be." She looked grimly towards Aiz. "Take another way out and bring word to Loki," she said resolutely. "Go warn everyone in town too!" she pushed Bell towards Aiz. "And run," she brought a hand to her chest and took a deep breath. The divinity that had been suppressed until then coming to light.

"Surrounded," Ryuu said grimly, her eyes scanning right and left in the meadow as the grass blades fluttered to an unseen wind. Bell strained his sight, grabbing hold of his daggers. Slowly, but surely, he began to put something strange into focus. It was a chameleon-like creatures , with a triangular-shaped crest and beady eyes the color of the grass. They neared so silently that it was as if they glided on the floor, the blades barely perturbed by their passage.

The first sprung up like a coiled-up spring, the talon sharply thrust forward headed right for Ryuu's head. The elf woman nimbly avoided it, before thrusting her blade straight through the creature's chest and shattering its rib cage. The blood seeped on the ground, but as soon as it did the grass began to die around it. "Blood is acid," Ryuu said, the sword she had used melting away to nothingness.

The lower-level Adventurers could but stare in disbelief at the speed of the attacks and of the parrying, "What can we do?" Kashima Ouka muttered, his double-ended spear held tightly. There was fear in his voice, a creeping fear that he would forever be ashamed to feel, and yet felt anyway. It seeped into his bones, this feeling of being weak, pathetic, unworthy—it whispered in his ears, it clung to his skin and to his failures.

"We can do nothing—" Hitachi Chigusa muttered, her bow trembling in her grip. Her eyes tried to catch glimpses of the creatures, but they failed. Her eyes were unworthy. Her eyes were unworthy and perhaps she should stab them out.

"Something's wrong!" Yamato Mikoto snapped angrily, shaking her head as she slowly began to slap herself, letting go of her sword which fell on the ground. "There's—There's something wrong—"

Aiz's sword danced behind them, and as she removed a trio of darkly colored scarab-like creatures from their backs, the three members of the Takemikazuchi familia crumbled on the ground senselessly.

"I've never seen monsters like this," Aiz spoke, flicking her sword to free it from the creatures that didn't disappear, as much as collapse upon themselves on the ground. The sword princess nimbly danced around the monsters that encircled her, their camouflage replaced with bright orange and crimson colors, the blunt side of her blade the only acceptable tool to use against their skin pulsing with caustic substances. "Are they from deeper floors?"

Ryuu began to chant, her voice sounding clearly across the meadow even as she ducked and weaved through the whip-like talons and claws, "In the sky of a now distant forest—"

A burst of twitching blue made Ryuu's voice falter, her next step a stumble into a thicket of greasy and rubbery tentacles that seemed to engulf her from all sides. "Lion!" Bell yelled as he rushed forward, his daggers shining and twisting in the air as they dug deeply into the rubbery flesh, spraying the corrosive blood capable of melting even the strongest of magical steel. Ryuu somehow disappeared from the clutching folds, reappearing right behind Bell to pull him away from an otherwise deadly acid shower.

"What one has, all have," Aiz spoke as the creature she had been fighting suddenly grew blueish tentacles from its frame, forcing the sword princess to nimbly jump back.

"Enough!" Hestia's voice reverberated in the clearing as bellowing flames burned through the grass, incinerating the closest monsters as the fire seemed to have a will of its own. The heat was intense and yet oddly soothing to Bell's soul, like the homely hearth of home. "You won't hurt these children under my watch!" as she spoke, her raven twin-tails danced from the hot air her body generated.

A spear of golden light slammed home right in-between Hestia's feet, forcing the petite Goddess to cry out in surprise as she found herself falling to the ground due to a familiar sight. "Ah...ah..." she gasped, "This is...Hermes' rod..."

"Goddess!" Bell yelled, worriedly rushing forth and kneeling by her side.

"Lord Hermes was wielding that staff when he—" Asfi muttered, her eyes wide as she turned towards the thrower of the object in question.

I held up a head in my right hand, and quite calmly spoke. "Ah, to be or not be," I said gingerly, throwing the head on the ground to roll forward, "That is the problem." I extended both arms upwards. "Rejoice! For today, you witness power beyond your understanding—"

Burning hot flames ruptured forth from fissures in the ground, aiming to scorch me alive without question. Crimson scales pulsed and resonated from my skin as the hottest flames of hell would be no more than a breeze to me, and as I stepped out of the ground's fissure heading forward, I backhanded out of the way both the Sword Princess and the Elf Woman, coming to a halt in front of the determined-looking Bell Cranel, whose daggers were nothing more than hilts by then.

It didn't matter who made a blade, because eventually, it would rust and be destroyed all the same.

I yawned as I then placed both of my hands in my pockets, gingerly glancing with a bored look at the hero, the Argonaut, and the flimsy protagonist of his own story. "You know," I said nonchalantly, "Deep down, I'm sure everyone fears one day to wake up and realize they can't escape death forever." I extended my left hand forward, watching with morbid fascination as Cranel's Firebolt spell crashed against my nearing grip relentlessly, and yet sorting no effect.

I sighed. "If this is the depths of your skill," I grumbled, "Then it's truly a pitiful ability."

A small chime sang in the wind, and this time I did feel some heat. Even though my scales were set to resist the heat of a Supernova, apparently some heat still passed through. This was due to magic, rather than an actual conjuration of flames stronger than those of a mighty star. "Uhm," I remarked thoughtfully as the clouds of dust lifted. I could sense them, of course, running away. And as I could, so did all of my Slivers.

I allowed it.

The only figure who didn't leave was apparently the one who was clutching the God Hermes' head with both of her hands, her eyes firmly set in an expression of hatred that was all too familiar to me. When you murder enough fathers, mothers and sons, the survivors always give you that look as if they actually had the power to change reality by hating you hard enough.

It doesn't work. Power is power. Those who have it make the morals. Those who don't suffer the consequences.

A world where dog eats dog and yadda yadda. Just because you don't like reality it doesn't mean reality stops working that way. Only some truly foolish people think that way.

At the same time, it is when one reaches the heights of his power that one discovers his true nature. Anyone can proclaim himself a saint who wouldn't harm a fly just as long as they actually can't harm a fly. Now, a toad who swears it and keeps his promise is truly a Saint. A fellow fly? Not so much.

Her dagger didn't even break my skin. It simply shattered with the sound of breaking metal and burst in the opposite direction, cutting the woman's hand deeply as blood began to fall on the ground.

"You're weak, pathetic and meaningless in the great scope of things," I said offhandedly, my right hand gingerly plucking her up by the scruff of the neck. My eyes stared into hers, and I smiled. "Savor this feeling," I whispered to her. "Delight in it. Because the day it stops...is the day everything else becomes meaningless." I dropped the hold on her clothes, letting her fall back down.

She hit the ground with her eyes closed, her body slumped over and unconscious. In her arms, Hermes remained in the same situation, if deeply asleep.

I yawned as I walked past the sleeping duo, peacefully embracing each other while they slept as a light sheen of dirt and grass covered them both from sight.

True kindness is not found only in grandiose miracles.

Sometimes, it's the act of the merciful man who opens the window, rather than squash the fly.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Thirty-Eight (Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?)

The crystal ceiling of the eighteenth floor had begun to pulse darkly for a while, and in no small part it was due to the Slivers draining it of its light and energy. As the pieces were sucked dry, they would crumble and fall down, the trees dying all around us as the Dungeon's screaming cries of pain remained unheard by the common folks. I twirled a flawless replica of Bell's dagger in my right hand, even as I walked calmly and alone towards the outskirts of the village of Rivira.

The adventurers standing there were battle-hardened veterans, men and women who didn't need to be told how much life sucked to understand it was truly horrible.

"Hey yo!" I said, grinning and waving a hand in the direction of the men on the walls. "Listen up!" I deftly summoned forth a flawless replica of Asfi and Hermes' heads, starting to juggle them for the rest of the adventurers to see, "I want Bell Cranel! Hand him to me, and I'll spare you all. Defend him, and I'll have to kill you all." From the nearby lake, a massive towering behemoth of tentacles and teeth emerged, easily overshadowing the village itself as it bellowed to the skies a mighty war cry. "You have one minute."

The cries from within the village of Rivira were all I needed to hear. The wooden large doors opened up abruptly two minutes later —I was kind enough to give them an extension, since I had a bird view of the inside of the village, and it appeared that both Loki's adventurers and Ryuu didn't seem inclined to hand Bell over to the angrily demanding citizens of Rivira. Lili and Welf were easily recognizable in the rabble, and they too seemed to be keen on defending Bell's life, even though the boy's eyes soon took up the glint of the hero ready to die for his friends.

When he spoke, he said nothing I didn't already expect him to say. When he stepped out of the village, he stepped outside alone. I discarded the two heads, letting them roll on the ground and come to a halt quite close to Bell.

His crimson eyes shone with determination as he clenched his fists, and as they did, I hummed and threw in an upward arc a replica of his daggers to land squarely at his feet. He glanced down at them, and then picked them up, his face for a brief instant showing surprise. They weren't just replicas, but to his fingers, to his very being, they were the real deal. "Why are you doing all this?" he asked, "What did I do to cause all of this?"

I summoned two more for my own use, and then laughed. "Well then, Mister Cranel," I said with a drawl. "You have something I desire," I gingerly took a stance that outright copied his own flawlessly. "Don't mind if I claim it from your body."

I rushed forth, my body nimbly spinning in mid-air as my entire being deformed. The next second, my bright smile would have blinded any weak-willed woman, for my white hair and red eyes, coupled with my face, were now a flawless replica of Bell Cranel's own. We clashed, our fighting styles identical as the daggers met and crossed, both nimbly dodging each other's attacks. Thrusts followed feints, parries were met with kicks and elbow strikes. The noise of the blades crashing against one another were the prelude to the energy that I knew was building within Bell.

"You know," I whispered as we locked blades, "Your goddess will die next," I continued with a cheeky grin. I slammed my foot into his stomach, sending him to skid on the grass as I laughed uproariously. "Then I will kill your precious Sword Princess," I hummed, twirling my daggers. "I reckon the fact that they'll die while gazing at your face will be the sweetest of things don't you think?"

Bell screamed as he rushed forward, small chimes ringing as his next blow actually broke through my defense and my rib cage, spraying out blood by the score. I smiled as the wound sealed itself shut a second later, my daggers twisting and slicing into Bell's chest with vicious precision. Enough to hurt, enough to make him bleed, but not enough to kill him. Our blades locked once more, the desperation in Bell's eyes slowly replaced with the determination of a Hero who believed he could win, who had seen his enemy bleed and so knew the enemy could be defeated.

It was the folly of youth. Just because someone bleeds, it doesn't mean they can be defeated. Sometimes, they bleed just so they can unleash acid from their bodies. Every single attack he made was batted away, every single firebolt thrown met with a similar one. I flawlessly copied his fighting style, his strikes and his actions down to the very last twitching of his muscles. He suddenly spun on himself as he brought both daggers down in a vertical swipe.

The move made no sense, but perhaps he had realized I was copying his fighting style and was trying to improvise a new one on the fly. I disarmed him with grace, shifting my blades' position to strike him with the blunt side of my daggers' pommels. He jumped backwards, fingers dragging themselves on the ground as I scoffed, glancing toward the spectators that were crowding the wooden palisade's top.

"Eeny Meeny Miny Moe," I said nonchalantly, "Here you see my dagger go," I threw my left dagger with speed and precision, and as it impacted with the target I had intended, Liliruca Arde's eyes widened for the last time as the hilt of Bell's replica dagger was all that stuck out of her forehead. She fell on her back and out of sight, even as the scream of Hestia from the balcony was soon echoed by Welf Crozzo's own.

"LilI!" Bell's scream signaled the boy's frenzied rush forward as he grabbed only one dagger, the one Hestia had bought him, the one meant to grow together with him. I gingerly began to block and parry his thrusts, the smile on my face never ceasing to increase as I felt the power of the Argonaut overcharge and go past his limits.

"The next one will be Aiz," I said with a bright smile, "One minute, Bell! One minute and then your precious Sword Princess dies next!" bubbling laughter escaped my lips as I saw the dagger in Bell hand shine brighter than before, the attacks' increase in speed easily visible to my eyes. I smiled, I smiled as I felt the ringing sound of bells followed by a downward swipe that shone with brilliant light.

And just as it did, I slammed my free hand against his wrist and tentacles dug into the energies just eagerly waiting for release.

Pulsing mana crystals emerged from my back as they shone of the same brilliance of the sun, my face an inch away from Bell's own. "One day, everything you cherish will be lost to you, Bell Cranel." I gingerly lowered my forehead against his, the smile not leaving my lips, not even once. The light faded from Bell's attack, the boy falling down on his knees sapped of all of his strength, "But it is not today." I placed my hands in my pockets and began to walk past him, towards the passage that lead deeper into the depths of the dungeon, my face morphing back to my old one.

The gigantic Sliver that had until then stood watchful over the village of Rivira moved away from it, breaking the trees on his path towards the lower levels. The Skep that had been at the entrance of the dungeon by my unspoken command disappeared, reappearing in my right hand with but a thought.

Liliruca would probably wake up in a few minutes, her forehead with a dark blotch but nothing more. I hadn't actually kept the blade as I had hit her, and while I did knock her off the wooden palisade, I hadn't actually killed her in doing so.

"Leave the Dungeon less you wish to see it crumble over your heads," I remarked. "And if I were you, I'd evacuate the tower of Babel too. When this falls...then, well, the tower's going to fall too."

The satisfying thud of Bell's body hitting the ground was music to my ears.

Then, when the day comes that you decide to end it all, let's have one last fight! My beliefs—they will certainly be stronger than yours!

Silly Bell. Strength is strength. Beliefs...mean nothing to it.