Chapter 130

Servant of the Council (V)

Cain retreated back to his original position, appearing flustered; he hadn’t shared his and Larua’s conversation with anyone, keeping them in the dark, which in turn meant that others also started feeling far more weight on their shoulders. They saw Cain increasing his pace, attacking more fervently, and followed suit, as though there was a clock ticking and a bomb at the end of it.

Hidden in the shadows and cloaked by Nebulous Clouds of Beyond, actual King Albadesh had a wide grin forming on his face. Though he dismissed the supposed ‘thief’ as nothing more than a plaything, he was a cautious man on the brink of greatness -- he wouldn’t folly it because of his condescension. An opportunity like this would never come again, not to mention the likelihood of him perishing in the battle. The more he watched it, the more certain he was of his choice.

This wasn’t some random group of nobodies -- they were well-trained, in sync, and had more than enough firepower to bring him down. However, he was a witty and clever man -- and he set up a trap, one they fell directly into. It didn’t matter that they seemed to have realized something was off; his Ritual was close to being completed, and even if they doubled their firepower, they wouldn’t be able to kill everyone there in the time.

His eyes glanced ferociously at the winged-woman in the sky; though there was just a shell of her lineage remaining, that was a genuine Dragon right there -- a creature of myths and legends that even those he serves rarely came in contact with. Even in this state, her Essence still remained pure -- and if he could extract it and present it to them, he’d likely shot past being a Servant and straight to becoming a Herald, gifted power beyond belief.

The victory was all but certain -- he glanced to the side and at the alter dripping blood ceaselessly, with only a few minutes left until the end.

In the meantime, Cain’s group had managed to drag the ‘King’s’ Vitality to 50%, commencing the Borderless Realms. The world around them shattered into shards of glass as they found themselves adrift inside a spatial storm; Cain quickly charged Creation and Space to wrap them all inside a bubble, protecting them from the ripping gashes of spacetime. The world itself, in the meantime, was being tossed and turned, dimensions breaking down before them, shards like glass mirroring inside and outside amidst the raging thunder.

“What’s going on, C’?!” Emma asked hurriedly, echoing everyone’s thoughts.

“Don’t worry too much about it,” he grinned, patting her head. “Soon, right?” he asked Larua.

“As soon as we leave this place.” though she managed to hold up the front while on the outside, it was clear that her image had waned -- her youthful luster was lost, the imposing countenance having vanished into thin air, replaced by thinly-veiled air of death.

“Soon what?!!” Senna asked.

“... it won’t be an easily-fought battle, nonetheless,” Larua said as the frustrations grew. “Be wary.”

“I’ll win.” Cain said confidently. “Everyone--”

“Don’t,” Larua interrupted with a faint smile. “... don’t.”

“... fine,” Cain smiled back. “Anyway, you guys were really good out there! I’m so proud!”

“CUT THE FUCKING CRAP ALREADY!!” Senna exploded, grabbing Cain’s collar and yelling into his face. “YOU’RE GONNA DITCH US AGAIN, AREN’T YOU?!! TO FIGHT ON YOUR OWN?!! ARE WE REALLY THAT FUCKING USELESS TO YOU?!”

“... does everyone feel this way?” Cain asked curiously, noting the raw honesty and pain inside Senna’s eyes.

“Wouldn’t you?” Emma asked, sighing. “Time and again, we feel like just some background noise, C’, while you strum out your solo for the whole world to see.”

“I’m sorry,” Cain said. “But--”

“Don’t apologize if you’re gonna follow it up with ‘but’,” Jamal said. “So, you’re ditching us again? Be honest.”

“... kinda?” Cain said. “I mean, you could participate if you wanna.”

“Sure!”

“You’ll die, though.”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t anticipate this turn of events -- at all -- trust me,” Cain quickly explained. “Contrary to what became a fairly popular opinion among you guys, I don’t like risking my life. Rather, you could say I’m a bit of a pussy.”

“Yeah, right.” Senna scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“I’m serious!”

“Then don’t fight,” Emma said. “Whatever it is -- let’s just escape. We’re clearly way in over our heads here.”

“... I can’t,” Cain shook his head. “If we do escape... it’s likely that the entire second floor will become a wasteland nightmare that we won’t be able to step into for decades to come.”

“... this is who he is,” Daniel suddenly spoke out from the side. “What are you getting angry over? Would you instead like to walk out there and fight whatever nightmare he’ll fight? Besides, he wouldn’t have made it all the way to here without us. We aren’t just random noise -- we are his enablers. Like those celebrities. Sure, they have their talents, but, really, there’s a whole crew behind them that nobody ever sees that ensures they remain as famous as they are. You knew that would be our role from the first time you saw him fighting.”

“Well, though I do admire the sentiment,” Cain said. “I disagree. You were never the ‘crew’, Daniel. Without all of you, this whole thing would have been pointless. Don’t worry -- you’ll also get to battle your own crazy nightmares in due time and will wish you didn’t have to. Today just happens to be my turn.”

“...” the silence slowly fell over the group as everyone returned to their thoughts. Cain sighed inwardly, but didn’t say anything else; he knew that their reasons for being so angry were all but selfish -- in a way, they felt useless, as though they were throwing all the difficult things at him and just getting the benefits for it.

It was nigh impossible for him, however, to destroy that idea without also revealing everything about himself. And though it might help, it was too risky. He was comfortable with sharing it with Emma and Senna since he knew they would be fine, but what about Jamal? The man is already walking tight ropes in terms of comparing himself with Cain -- what would happen if he learned that he likely won't catch up for years if not a decade and upward? It might entirely break his spirit and ensure he never actually surpasses Cain, something he certainly had potential for.

Cain noticed that space was slowly starting to reconfigure, healing up from having been destroyed. As they slowly began to return to their reality, Cain quickly noticed a newcomer atop the 'platform in the sky' -- the actual King was grinning from ear to ear, standing next to a bloodied altar above which an even bloodier sphere rotated, dripping blood and then washing it back up into itself.

“Ha ha ha...” the King was laughing freely as everyone slowly landed onto the ground; other Servants had vanished, no doubt gobbled up inside that rotating sphere. “You’ve played straight into my hands, Mortals. I must give it to you -- you have surprised me with your strength. But your wits leave a lot to be desired.”

“Traitor...” Larua mumbled, appearing to be on her last breath. “Divines will condemn your soul to torture for all Eternity!!”

“Divines?” the King scoffed. “The same Divines that still refuse to leave their holy halls no matter what? You worship the wrong power, Dragon fledgling; if you had any wits about you, you would have long since joined our side. That is why... today, you will die. Don’t worry--your death won’t be in vain. I’ll use you as my stepping stone to greatness!!”

“... damn, even villains from other worlds like to monologue during their big reveal,” Cain mused, stroking his chin, appearing relaxed. “Step back, everyone,” he added, turning toward them and smiling apologetically. “I promise, the next boss battle, I’ll be sucking on my thumb and you guys can do whatever you want.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, just go and kick some ass...”

“Be safe.”

“Get us some good items, dude!”

Cain stepped forward and helped Larua who nearly stumbled and fell; she was now skin and bones, her wings having withdrawn back into her body. She was hunched over, gasping for breath, but gathered enough strength to look up and meet his gaze and force out a faint smile.

“Thank you... Cain,” she mumbled. “For... everything...”

“... rest,” he mumbled. “And watch us from above.”

“Always...”

But a moment later, she turned into a mote of light and in yet another moment... vanished, as though she was never there. The King stared at the phenomenon with his lips agape, eyes wide open, wondering what just happened.

“W-what did you do?!!!” he screamed at Cain, his voice quaking the world. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!! ANSWER ME, NOW!!”

“... she’s dead, moron,” Cain’s gentle tone vanished and was replaced by a cold and indifferent one. His gaze pierced into the King’s soul, causing the latter to shudder involuntarily. “Now, it’s just you and me. And I’m really in a bad mood at the moment. Don't disappoint me, you bag of shit-stained bones."