Chapter 133: Ch171. Last stand
Across the world, battles between Task Force Shadow groups and coalitions of New Dawn members raged everywhere.
The blood of innocents was already washing streets, sidewalks, woods, forests...
No matter where it was, the wielders’ destructive powers showed themselves more and more, for all to see.
In a few places around the world, however, those assigned to fight still did everything they could to protect the regulars who had not yet been able to evacuate.
And Evellyn was part of one of those groups.
At that moment, she was running, desperate, dodging attacks and hiding from very large groups of enemies.
’How did this happen...? How could I not have predicted this?’
The memories were still fresh in his mind.
Of how she and her friends had suddenly been separated, after a particularly devastating attack by three enemy leaders together.
Unstoppable, the three charged at the group, which contained hundreds of experienced and powerful wielders, as if they were nothing more than a brick wall.
And so, the carnage began.
Evellyn couldn’t help but smile, because if it weren’t for young Robby, everyone there, without any exception, would be doomed.
When the confusion began, Evellyn lost sight of everyone, and having been tasked with predicting the enemies’ next move, the young woman could do nothing to scour the battlefield for her friends.
Therefore, what was her surprise, in the midst of all the confusion, when the skies began to darken, and a small figure appeared in the middle of everyone.
Just a small shadow at first, as the skies darkened, and the nearly black clouds sparkled with lightning, the owner of the shadow began to glow in the same tone and intensity as the clouds above them all.
As the carnage continued, that detail didn’t seem to be enough to attract anyone’s attention.
But when the first bolt of lightning struck one of the enemies, reducing him to nothing but a pile of ash and charred bones, the adversaries finally took their attention away from the bloodbath they were performing, and looked up.
’What the fuck...-’
BOOM!
Another bolt of lightning descended from its home amidst the clouds, striking an acolyte squarely.
Suddenly, one more.
Other.
And another one.
Until at least half of the acolytes and older members had been reduced to nothing.
And when Evellyn opened her eyes, after the great withering flash...
The small luminous shadow was no longer there.
***
Strangely, however, when Kurt activated his skill to cover the surroundings around him and Mono in darkness, the dome of darkness that used to be created around Kurt did not appear.
On the contrary.
What happened was that when Kurt activated his skill, the entire world around him and his opponent was covered in darkness.
Kurt’s eyes, accustomed to the darkness, not only because of the natural affinity that his power granted him, but now because of the years spent in the vicinity of the crater of the great Calamity, widened when he saw that, as far as the eye could see, everything was covered. by his darkness.
Mono squeaked, squirming, trying to escape the iron grip of Kurt’s fingers.
But in vain, as Kurt exerted so much force that Mono’s bones almost broke under the Conqueror’s incredibly hard and resistant skin.
"From Conqueror to conquered..." Kurt whispered, with a smile that Mono wasn’t able to see on his lips. "... How does it feel to have your roles switched?"
"W-What do you want?" The Conqueror asked with a shaking voice. "I can grant it to you! Master can grant it to you... Say it, and everything will be yours, please... Please...?"
"All?" Kurt asked.
And the brief intonation of what Mono believed to be greed in the young man’s voice made the Conqueror gain a little confidence, fearing a little less for his life.
Feeling that his opponent had fallen into the trap.
"Yes! Anything, everything!"
Mono’s tone even sounded desperate, silently crying out for the executioner not to take his life.
"Um..." Kurt pondered for a second, but still keeping his grip on the Conqueror’s leg.
A wicked smile spread across Kurt’s lips.
"You, or your master... Can you turn back time, and stop everything that has happened so far?"
Kurt saw the light of hope disappear from Mono’s eyes as the significance of Kurt’s speech realized in the Conqueror’s mind.
"Yeah..." Kurt said, sighing heavily. "I didn’t think so."
Mono’s screams echoed throughout [SHADOW WORLD], as Kurt slowly tore off the monster’s limbs piece by piece.
***
Rodrick was bloody, one arm was broken, and one of his eyes was just an empty socket.
But the monster before him was in no better condition.
In much the same way as Rodrick, one of the creature’s arms was broken, he was limping towards his opponent, and pieces of his claws lay on the ground, like pieces of bone forgotten by an especially large dog.
Toshinori, after an intense battle, looked at Rodrick and could see the extent of the damage.
"My gods..."
"Go... You won’t get a chance like that again..." Rodrick stammered, trying to keep his conscience alive.
Toshinori and Asahi, along with Daichi, charged at the creature as one, katanas drawn, prepared to slash at whatever was in front of them.
A smile appeared momentarily on Rodrick’s lips, when he saw that the creature was not able to move, just like him, and because of that, it was unable to retreat, nor dodge the wielders’ merciless blows.
’That’s right, son of a bitch... Die at once...’ Rodrick thought, unable to hold on to his conscience for much longer.
And then, seeing his colleagues destroying the enemy leader, and granting them a brief victory that boosted their comrades’ morale, the world around Rodrick began to darken...
***
When Kurt felt the last shred of the Conqueror’s life shatter, it was as if a whole new world opened up around him.
It wasn’t as if [SHADOW WORLD] took on shades other than the gray it had always been colored with.
However, Kurt was able to feel the vastness of that place, as if it were truly a part of the young man.
And that feeling made Kurt finally understand that, regardless of what happened from then on...
That world belonged to him alone.
No one else.
After a heavy, satisfied sigh, Kurt looked at his hands, dyed with the alien’s bluish blood, so dark it almost looked black, flexed his fingers, and felt energy rush through him.
’So that’s what Essentium meant...’
Kurt felt invincible, but at the same time, he knew that that power wouldn’t last much longer.
"Time to get out of here. Arias, Groth, go ahead. Find my friends, and help them with whatever they’re facing." He said, being overcome by a foreboding sensation.
Arias and Groth nodded in agreement, and Kurt felt them disappear from his shadow, immediately being taken to Kurt’s home world.
He closed his eyes, sharing the sensations of his family with himself, and a sense of urgency took over his being, making Kurt widen his eyes and breathe heavily.
Blood, death, destruction.
The world he would like to return to seemed to no longer be there, having given way only to a red-stained battlefield.
And from a distance, Kurt could feel Octavius’s evil energy, glowing in that sick shade of red that Kurt had learned so much to hate.
Without even a word to activate his skill, Kurt floated into the air, and was immediately enveloped in darkness.
And when he opened his eyes, he was in the infirmary bed, still in Tokyo, at the headquarters of the Hana no Nagame guild.
Kurt flexed his fingers, moved his feet, bent his knees and elbows, and felt the weight of an endless period of immobility in his muscles, remembering when he had woken up from a coma, years ago.
"Okay... Time for some improvements, then..."
Kurt closed his eyes, and behind them, a greenish glow flickered briefly.
When he opened them again, all the tension was gone, and his body felt good as new.
Darkness enveloped Kurt’s body once again, and the guild headquarters gave way to a place he was already a little more familiar with.
The facade of the North American Wielders Association.
Countless bodies lay on the asphalt in front of the building, and many more lay on the sidewalk.
Some wielders, however, were still standing, trying to fight, but without any hope of victory.
Kurt realized the prospect of an attack forming in front of him, coming from Octavius’ hands, about to head towards the wielders, who looked more like a bunch of defenseless children, fighting a particularly vicious adult.
Kurt no longer even needed to think about activating the skill.
It had already become something almost instinctive.
Kurt simply felt the darkness enveloping his body again, and when the darkness dissipated, he stood before Octavius, with one hand holding the hand of the Dread Paladin who was about to launch the devastating attack.
Kurt’s other hand was resting on Octavius’ chest, who was looking at his son with a frown, not understanding why there was a mask of shadows covering his face.
"Now you will fight me." Kurt said, but his voice was distorted, as if the shadows covering his face transformed his voice, changing the timbre, tone, everything about it.
"It’s good to see you again so-"
Octavius’ speech was cut off by a violent cough that affected the Dread Paladin.
Immediately, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and, as if suffering from some kind of delayed effect...
Octavius gelt a violent impact on his chest.
And his body was violently thrown against the entrance to the Association building.
