Chapter 295

Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland - 11:10 AM

Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland - 11:10 AM

I was in hot pursuit of Aaron’s champion. The inky black smoke billowed off of his body as he rode his motorcycle. It disappeared after only a few feet as it was magical in nature, but it was certainly leaving an impression on me. Leaning forward, I urged the Heelies of the Twice Blessed to go a little faster.

We very quickly made it to the obelisk that had been set up with his turrets. They all started to turn towards me as I entered their range. I wasn’t just flying over them this time, which meant that they would have a chance to fire on me. Aaron’s champion zoomed past them, having clearly left a path to escape through between the defenses, before speeding away.

With all the confidence in the world, I followed after him. The turrets began exploding one by one as the bullets never left the barrel thanks to my earlier sabotage. My enemy’s head turned to look back, and I had to wonder what kind of thoughts they were dealing with. With the sound of their motorcycle’s engine revving up, they started to pull away.

I sped up to the fastest I could go, which meant I was gaining slowly. Focusing on the motorcycle’s brake, I tried to Pull it to slow them down. It worked for a whole second, and then the area around him was blocked from my telekinesis. I arched an eyebrow.

An Anti-Psionic Shield wasn’t a huge surprise, but it was something they had to jump through a bunch of hoops to get. I knew they had Psychic Resistance because of what they had done back in Sedona, destroying the scenarios where the mental energy was most prominent. Each Vortex had removed a bit more of the safe zone until it was too small to hold the town, which meant a lot of people had suddenly been in danger.

To synthesize it to this degree, along with the shadows obscuring my sight and aura, showed a sort of obsessiveness that reminded me of myself. There was a problem—which, in this case, was me—and they had done everything they could to make sure they had a winning chance.

I respected the effort. Unfortunately for them, the Anti-Psionic Shield only lasted a few minutes and had a 24 hour cooldown time. At this point I expected the enemy to have something that let them renew it faster, but that would only delay the inevitable for a short time.

Plus, it didn’t stop me from doing much more than messing with him and his bike. I had other options.

Reaching out in front of me, I lazily swiped my fingers. Most of the cars on the Irish road were valid targets for me, and I cherry picked those that I knew I could Orbit in front of the enemy in a timely manner. The vehicles slid across the pavement slowly and steadily, their great weight and distance meaning they couldn’t move as quickly as I would have liked, but they had the desired effect.

Aaron’s champion had to swerve out of the way of the cars in his path. Once he had, I simply moved to the next one. My mobility was far greater than his since I wasn’t constrained to a motorcycle. He avoided the vehicles while I simply jumped over them. It was fairly easy for me, and I was catching up faster now.

We were nearing the end of Phoenix Park when I felt a bullet graze across my shoulder, coming from the southeast. I gritted my teeth and raised my hand, Constructing a large shield on my forearm. The next shot dented it, and the one after nearly broke it.

I looked off in that direction, still Orbiting cars in front of me, to see Nebraska’s obelisk. This one was set in front of the Wellington Monument, dwarfed by the other structure, but I could see a very expensive Sniper Turret sitting on top of it. This one had an absolutely massive range, and it had been conveniently placed so high up that I didn’t see it right away through my aura.

“Cheeky bastard,” I said, unable to help but chuckle at the attempt.

Replacing the Construct with a series of Force Fields, I Bent the front axle of one of the overturned cars and lined up my shot. The turret managed to fire three more times in the process, shattering one of my protective abilities and causing another to shimmer, before I launched my own projectile. It was ignored in favor of a fourth shot.

The axle almost rammed into the turret, but another gun on the ground shot it out of the way. It missed by a hair. Aaron’s champion had put up some anti-air defense to protect that one piece. Annoying, but not insurmountable. Stopping the car plan for a moment, I ripped off four car doors before sending each of them flying like frisbees.

This time, more turrets started firing and I was down to one Force field. The final door did hit it, though, knocking the automated sniper rifle off of the monument where it plummeted to the ground. I returned my full attention to Aaron’s champion.

His plan was already apparent. He was going to lead me through the city, hitting up different obelisks in an attempt to soften me up. My mind couldn’t help but wander back to the Writhing Juggernaut and my usual plan to deal with the raid boss. The only difference being that, this time, I was the monster.

Fitting.

We left Phoenix Park and continued heading east. The river was to the south of us, and up ahead were buildings lining both sides of the road. If he was trying to lure me into more traps, then he would head along the water before making a hard right towards Kansas’ obelisk. If he had taken over most of the western United States, then he’d want to stay in his domain for the fight.

As predicted, he turned over a bridge to get to the other side of the river. This one was used specifically for trains, but I used Pull and Orbit to slam two cars together at the end of the path. There was a train blocking part of it already, which was good luck on my part, and Aaron’s champion had pulled up the front wheel of his motorcycle.

He made it across, but it slowed him down drastically. I jumped, sailing over the cars, and retrieved the Vague Sword from my inventory. My attack wasn’t stealthy by any means, and he must have seen me in one of his mirrors. He reached up and attempted to block my strike with his forearm. I used Drop out of habit, but a splash of static disrupted my mental attempt due to the Anti-Psionic Shield.

Blood splattered on the road as my attack cut him, anyway. Not enough to remove a hand, which honestly would have been ideal, but it wasn’t in the cards.

“Damnit,” the guy swore before reaching into the space in front of him.

“Language,” I chastised.

Changing my target now that I was close and my initial strike hadn’t worked, I went after his bike’s rear wheel. A blue shield shimmered over it, causing my Vague Sword to bounce off. So, that was well protected.

I nearly ducked backwards ninety degrees as Aaron’s champion swung their sword at me. It was long, straight, and its blade was a mix of black with glowing green lines through it. Under his hand was a hilt wrapped in gold wire, and it appeared as though the same color pulsing through the metal was chambered in from the pommel.

This was the Blade of Trismegistus, a rare artifact that allowed the sword to be imbued with various alchemical items. In this case, I would guess either acid or something radioactive, considering he had access to the Uranium Rex. Either way, it wouldn’t be pleasant.

Lifting myself back up by the hood, I shot off every single one of my Starstones provided. Half of them went for the bike, and the other towards the enemy.

Even at close range, he seemed prepared for it. His body sped up as his sword flashed. None of his swings hit me, which meant it was a defensive skill used to strike down projectiles and not an attack like Mercury’s Tenfold Slash ability.

Aaron’s champion took out every one aimed for him, but couldn’t stop three of the Starstones from hitting his bike. I immediately slowed down as the first two struck the force field, breaking it, and the third hit the front wheel.

The projectile exploded. All at once, Aaron’s champion was skidding to a halt, his feet on the ground as he tried to keep himself from falling. He lost speed quickly as his boots, or whatever he was wearing, were worn down.

While he was distracted, I swung my blade. He wasn’t close enough to hit, but I fixed that with Distant Slice. The enemy twisted, blocking with his sword, before rolling off of the motorcycle to avoid my next blow. It was useless now, anyway, sliding across the ground before stopping harmlessly in the street. When Aaron’s champion rolled to his feet, he already had his weapon ready, and we clashed.

It felt weird in the Anti-Psionic Shield as I no longer had access to Empowered Body. I was weaker and slower, but I had experience to fall back on. He took a step back despite the difference as I had struck from a superior position, and I shoulder checked him.

It felt like running into a brick wall. I bounced off, ducking a slash, and went for his legs. He took the attack, redirecting his blade towards my shoulder. As much as a simple Force Field would have deflected it, I didn’t have that option. Instead, I raised my Vambrace of Wires and wrapped it in the Cable Conglomerate to give it some extra protection from the potential acid.

<<<>>>

[[Equipped]]

Vambrace of Wires

(Unique Item; +5 Strength, +5 Constitution, Cable Conglomerate skill acquired)

[[Skill]]

Cable Conglomerate

The Vambrace of Wires contains 50 feet of braided wire rope. At your mental command, any to all of this rope may be ejected from any spot on the item. It moves according to your thoughts and returns to the vambrace as easily as it is ejected. You may choose to unravel the rope into up to 7 wires and control each one individually. You may also choose to cut the rope at specific points, though you do not have mental control of any pieces no longer attached. This skill regenerates wire rope at a rate of 10 feet per hour, and any pieces removed from the vambrace disappears at the same rate.

<<<>>>

His sword was caught between the wire rope, which started to sizzle. That confirmed the acid angle. He was too close for a simple slash, so I put my weapon behind him and attempted to slice his back. The Vague Sword was as sharp as I could mentally imagine it to be, but there was no blood on it by the time I finished my movement.

Aaron’s champion shoulder checked me in return, causing me to stumble backwards a few steps. He readied himself in a traditional stance with his blade raised and two hands on its hilt. I smirked.

“So why’d you call me a fucking psychopath back there, sport?” I asked. Swinging the sword around once, I matched his stance. “Just trying to rile me up, or what?”

“Because I know what you are,” he spat, his voice still distorted.

“Amazing? Handsome? A winner?” I asked, arching an eyebrow. “Better than you?”

“A fucking psychopath,” he replied.

“Well, that’s just hurtful,” I said, holding a hand to my chest. “After all, you’re the one who’s working for Arontalscion. You know, the guy who’s literally the system’s analogue for the devil?”

Aarons’ champion lunged forward while my stance was broken. I managed to get my blade in between us and step to the side, expecting him to pass by me. Instead, he planted his foot in the middle of mine and heaved. My sword was raised up, and he tried to hit me with the pommel. I leaned back in time, but then acid was released from the canister.

There was no dodging that. My face started to bubble and boil, and my eyes burned. I immediately let go of the Vague Sword. Blinded with no way to see where he was through my aura, I knew that the moment he got away was going to be a bad one for me. I took a step forward.

My arms wrapped around him, pinning his sword to the back while I headbutted him. His helmet definitely wasn’t made out of metal, it didn’t make the right noise, but I couldn’t tell what it was made out of with all the acid eating my face. Aaron’s champion tried to break free, lifting their knee towards my groin.

“Foul!” I called as I shifted. It had been an easily telegraphed shot, but I still had to move out of the way. Some things you just don’t do to another man. Behind him, I summoned the Staff of Raphael in both hands to keep him trapped while accelerating my healing.

“The massacre of Battle Creek,” he spat.

I wanted to freeze the moment I heard it, but he was still fighting me and my body continued to move on its own. My eyes were already starting to get better as those were priority targets for Heavenly Hero, even if the rest of my face was not.

“The fuck you say?” I asked.

“The slaughter of Sri Lanka,” he continued, his voice only becoming more violent as he tried to break free from my grasp. “Butcher of Madrid, the Slayer of Saint Patricia and her cabal of healer nuns, the murderer of Klaske Bos.”

Stunned, I faltered. The mere mention of some of these drew up old memories. Terrible ones, of a time where I couldn’t possibly have been proud of the man I was. Of things that I still considered myself atoning for. Back when I was a broken mess of a man.

Aaron’s champion managed to slam his elbow into my nose, and my grip loosened. He took a step back and slashed out. I heard the wind whistle as the blade cut through the air, and I managed to get my vambrace up in time to block. It still cut through my chest, some of the leftover acid making my skin boil.

I retreated, paying careful attention to the sounds around me. My eyes were better, but that only meant they stopped burning. I opened them, the world a mix of hazy colors, and I blinked rapidly as I tried to focus.

My enemy was standing there, something green in his hand. I thought it was another cartridge at first, to go into his Blade of Trismegistus, but he crushed it in his hand instead. The item disappeared.

“How do you know those things?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

“You have sinned against humanity, Anthony Franklin,” he said before spitting on the ground. “How many reruns do you get until you’re satisfied? How many people do you need to leave in your wake before you’re satisfied? How many alternate timelines do you have to leave behind, broken and destroyed, until your depraved mind is satisfied?”

“Everything I have done, I have done for Earth,” I replied with conviction in my voice. My eyelids blinked rapidly, as if that would make me regenerate faster. “How do you know? How can you possibly know what I’ve gone through?”

“Because the world isn’t just about you, and I have seen your work,” Aaron’s champion said. “I have seen  your madness, when you thought the whole world was your enemy. It doesn’t matter how sane you can make yourself seem now, Warmonger, Vigil, whatever you go by these days. I’ve seen you broken, and I’ve seen the damage you’ve caused.”

I licked my lips. My vision was almost repaired now, but he seemed to know that. The enemy lunged, and for once I was caught off guard. I was put onto the back foot, tracking his weapon with blurry eyes and my ears. His fist caught me in my cheek, and I spun with it, lowering myself and holding out the Staff of Raphael.

The Anti-Psionic Shield disappeared, and I Pulled the Vague Sword back into my hand. I blocked an overhead blow with my staff while swinging the blade towards his hips. He shifted minutely, and it bounced off of his armor instead of cutting it cleanly.

As hard as it was to see, his movements were cleaner now. More precise. As if he had practiced his swordsmanship for a thousand swings between the last one and this one.

And then it hit me, he had.

“You remember,” I accused, hardly believing my own words. “You’re not a regressor, but you remember.”

The green object he had used was a Memory Orb.

There was no response as Aaron’s champion continued his onslaught. The Anti-Psionic Shield didn’t come back up, but I was too distracted to throw anything at him. My mind raced as my body moved on its own, centuries of muscle memory kept me going.

How could he possibly have a Memory Orb? What did it contain? Where could he have gotten it? I had absolutely no idea.

Could it have been from Aaron himself? Did he have access to old memories? If Sara was the Angel of the End in the Hall of the End, then what was he? He had called himself the Fallen, the Heavenly Calamity, the Disaster from the Skies. None of that denoted memories.

Or, he could always have been withholding information. Aaron was the silver to Sara’s gold. What if he was the second place prize?

Lost in thought as I was, I barely noticed as I swung for the champion’s neck. He lowered his sword and shoulder, giving me a clean blow. It was barely a twitch, one that I wouldn’t have recognized if it didn’t suddenly hit me that I knew exactly who this was.

I tensed up, trying to slow my strike. Orbit went to work immediately, attempting to stop the blade that was given unfettered access to the champion’s neck.

He leaned into it. This was a devastating blow, meant to sever heads. In my shock, I had performed a killing blow.

But it wasn’t his head that came free from his shoulders. No, I had realized too late who this was and now I was paying the price for it. There were very few people who had access to a Full Counter, and it was unfortunate that they were standing in front of me now.

<<<>>>

[[Warning!]]

Your once-a-day passive, Heavenly Hero, has activated. You are invulnerable for 5 seconds, except from damage caused by Demonic sources, and you will regain 4% of your hit points per second during this time.

<<<>>>

My head rolled to the ground, and my body regenerated thanks to that wonderful, life-saving passive. I was in such pain, equipped only with my Cowl, and the shadowy figure reached down for my body.

In an instant, my mind snapped back as centuries of experience repositioned my thoughts. The only thing that mattered was survival, and that was it. I Pulled my body towards me, slapping my hand against it, and sent it into my inventory. The next second, my mind worked furiously due to the danger, each and every piece of equipment I usually wore reasserted itself on my body.

“Coe Valen,” I said, all emotion gone from my voice. I tapped myself with the Staff of Raphael, healing half of my hit points, as I stared at the streak of blood that my self-beheading had made. He had stopped at my proclamation of his name. I flew up, reorienting myself so that my feet were on the ground. “Rubberbuilt, the premiere damage reflecting class. Bearer of the Heart of America, which makes him the best tank in the world. I see that Arontalscion picked one hell of a champion.”

Normally, Coe’s start was very slow and thus he had never been invited to the Star Spangled Shadow Invasion. Regardless, he was one of the few people to always be at the endgame. Coe didn’t always survive, as he was always on the front lines, but more often than not he did. His tenacity and integrity made him Sara’s favorite player before I was able to get her the Memory Orb.

What she must be feeling right now, unable to talk about any of this due to her blasted restrictions.

I finally looked at him. He was in his stance, but I could tell that he had flinched at my gaze. Coe Valen, who took on the forces of Hell with nary a second thought, flinched. That was rich. I wondered what my face looked like, now that I actually felt like I needed to ensure my survival.

“There he is. That’s the look I was expecting you to have,” the old man said. “The Broken Tyrant.”

“I was called that, once,” I confirmed, nodding. This name didn’t bring up any pleasant memories, either, but it didn’t matter. “I don’t know what he’s done to you, Coe, or what kind of fucked up half memories you must have rattling around in your brain, but I’m going to knock Aaron’s influence right out of you. As a man of integrity, I can’t even fathom what must be going through your head to team up with that thing.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to end this game and protect the people,” Coe replied, his vitriol replaced by a calm caution. “And you are just not good for humanity, Anthony.”

“I’m their best shot, and I’m going to remind you why,” I told him.

The feeling of oppressive dread, laced with the black flames of death itself, raced over the area like a pall. My enemy, and he was absolutely my enemy at this moment, steadied himself under the full force of my gaze.

“You want to see the Broken Tyrant? I’m not that man anymore, but I can still throw down like I am,” I growled. “Now, the only one that’s going to break is you. Let’s see how your conviction holds up to mine, old man.”