Chapter 383 - A Final Farewell

Everyone crowded around me, keeping their farewells short in anticipation for a departure just as short.

“I will continue to serve Master, even in your absence,” Ludmila said, devoted as ever.

I patted her head and gave her a warm smile, knowing that she would be alright regardless. Using a knife made of mana, I lightly swung it through her, extracting the power she held. She trotted off, running with the wind, no longer in any rush to be anywhere but where she wanted to go.

“It’s not going to be the same without you. You’re the one guy that can turn the room on its head whenever I make things awkward.”

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” I replied jokingly.

Saki looked away, slightly embarrassed as she approached me, but that awkwardness was something that I had come to enjoy in her company. I would have certainly had fun spending my school days as one of her friends.

“Besides, don’t you have Rika to cover for you now? If someone tries to put the moves on you two, you don’t have to worry about turning them into pancakes anymore!”

I verbally swung back, causing her to stiffen up. But then, she pulled back and unleashed a fist to my face. It smacked my head to the side with a bit of force, but no more than a strong girl of her stature.

“You’re right! I no longer need to hold back anymore! In fact, I think I’ll do it some more!”

I recoiled in panic as she leapt forward, but then, I froze as she dove into me for a hug. She squeezed as tightly as she could, almost in desperation as she whispered.

“Still, don’t be gone for too long. I don’t want to stay apart from anyone I care about, even if it’s for the future.”

I nodded weakly at her, seeing tears bubble in her eyes. She had learned to love, in more ways than one. And she was able to face it, without letting her strength force her to walk on imaginary eggshells.

“Of course.”

Cornelius was the next one to step up. She proudly stood before me like she had always done, posturing before saying whatever came to mind.

“There, I am open and defenseless for you to ruthlessly attack me and strip away my powers, leaving me feeble and dominated by yours truly!”

“Quiet, you! Or I’ll jab you in the neck and turn you into mush again!”

“Oh, how frightening! A memento to leave your mark on me- nghhh!!!”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Corny,” I replied after tapping a pressure point that made her stiff as a board before extracting her power. She would always elude me, like a magician coming up with new tricks. As I sighed from her final induced headache, I heard her speak in a normal voice.

“Take care.”

“Yep, thanks.”

But I knew that her ‘magic’ was more than nifty spells. That was just her way of hiding her feelings.

Lau made no effort to say any kind of special farewell, simply looking me in the eyes and nodding. He heaved a giant sigh after his power was removed. It seemed like a great burden was being lifted from his shoulders. For so long, his power had constrained him. But now, he had polished himself far beyond needing to rely on that.

As for Chrys, she leapt into my arms and gave me a hug, wishing me the best. I hugged her back before drawing out her Luck. Frankly, she was the one that I worried about the least, being much more mature than the rest of the gang. She was now a songstress, a baker, and a priestess in Sanshiro, having achieved all of those on her own. She honestly couldn’t be any luckier, with so many people having her back. It had truly become an irreplaceable home just for her.

Wen Lu and Wen Zhi came next. Just as always, they were a set that couldn’t be separated. Linking arms and marching toward me, I could still tell them apart even with all the synchronized movements. The two of them had embraced the differences between them, seeing them not as faults, but different sides that complimented each other. Even without their impenetrable defensive powers, I could surely bet that nothing would ever get between them. Not even falling for the same gal.

It was safe to say that they were now an inseparable ‘trio’ instead.

“You’re always welcome back to Sanshiro. No matter what,” said Wen Lu.

“I’d love to have a spar without your cheat power someday,” said Wen Zhi.

“I’m sure Katalina would welcome you anytime in Sistina as well. And for that matter, feel free to take a visit to the Earth from time to time. I’m sure I’ll be bored from all the sleeping.”

The twins crossed their spears and saluted as I struck them, drawing out their powers. Immediately afterward, Wen Lu decked his brother in the face, much to everyone’s surprise.

“Finally! Something that will register through your thick skull!” Wen Lu said, laughing as he ran away. Wen Zhi recovered and gave chase.

They ran past an armored knight who clunked forward with his fancy armor.

“You know what, Claude? I’m actually not too sad to see this power of mine go away.”

“Oh? Why’s that?” I asked, amused.

“Taking away our powers means becoming a normal person again. Which means that our weaknesses go away too, right?”

“Yeah, that’s the case.”

“Then, I don’t have to wear uncomfortable armor all the time, in fear of being KO-ed from an unintentional blow,” he said cheekily.

I tilted my head in wonder, as accidents didn’t usually trigger the stats of a person. It had to be an intentional act. But seeing my confusion, Koujiro approached and whispered.

“You know, the kids are growing up, and they don’t know how to hold back their ‘intentions’. It kind of sucks that I can’t play with them without some protection.”

The thought of a toddler accidentally slapping Koujiro silly was a pretty funny mental image. But I held back my chuckle.

“Well, that just means that you have to train properly then. You have seven lovely ladies to help you with that from now on.”

“Can’t say that I’ll ever get tired of it. Being an adult is so damn tiring… but it’s fun at the same time.”

Koujiro had no need to hide behind the guise of a hero. His life didn’t need overpowered abilities, but an assurance that he would be there for everyone, doing whatever ‘he’ could do. As I swung my knife at him, he could bid farewell to those unnecessary crutches.

Finally, Lamps stepped forward. It had been strange to see him now with his eyes open and a genuine smile on his face. He was a man that had originally parted with this world unfulfilled. But there was no sign of that anymore. He simply nodded to me and let me take the final piece.

Even as he lost the unending supply of mana that his powers called upon, the expression on his face said that he was no emptier than he was before.

“There’s a saying in the tech world amongst entrepreneurs that applies very well to you,” Lamps said.

“Sure, let’s hear it.”

“Aut inveniam viam aut faciam.”

“And that means…?”

“We shall either find a way, or we will make one.”

“Sounds just like you,” I smiled to Lamps, knowing that his dedication was nearly unmatched.

“Not only me, but all of us. We will not give up until you return to us.”

Lamps extended a handshake to me, lacking any of his normal conceitedness. We were colleagues with the same objective in mind – creating opportunity for everyone. And now, he could literally see how everything came together.

But then, Lamps dropped his smile.

“Are you sure that you don’t want to see her once more before you disappear?”

It was obvious who he was talking about.

“Yeah, I knew it was going to be a one-way trip no matter what the outcome was. But that meant she could get cracking that much sooner on crafting ways to drag me back.”

“A true inventor never plans for failure but has one’s eyes looking further beyond.”

“Give her a hand, Lamps.”

“Surely, you jest! I would rather compete to see who delivers a solution first!”

“Very well, then. Don’t ignore Olivia too much while you do.”

With the last of the Electi powers within me, my companions stepped back, where a column of light came down to whisk them away. I stared for a moment while their bodies faded with the light, back to the home that they worked so hard to protect. Now, there was no longer anything to stand in their way.

All that were left was Sistina, the Architect, and me.

Gingerly, Sistina took the Architect’s hand, indicating that it was time for them to go as well. However, the Architect remained frozen in place.

“Wait, I thought you said that your body wasn’t real. That it was just a vessel for your consciousness.”

Sistina gave him an impish smile.

“Despite it being a ‘created’ body, my soul resides here now. The husk of my old self remains at the core of Leguardia, but that is for the best. Claude has already cut me free from the bond, leaving the Resonance Stone solely connected to him. Either way, I had to come see you. This new self was created for your sake, just like one of those ‘Apostles’ that were churned out. I couldn’t wait to return to being who I was originally. I’m glad you decided to listen for a change and humor me.”

Sistina felt a bit victorious in her trickery. Perhaps, she was a bit bitter that she had been left alone for so long. But clearly, her grudge was a playful sort, as she latched onto him once again.

“I know that everyone has been calling you ‘the Architect’, but that just feels weird. Now, we are just individuals once more. I would call you Claude, but then, there’s that Claude, and it would get a bit confusing.”

The Architect stared at the flustering Sistina for a moment before breaking out into a laugh. Now, it was Sistina’s turn to look at him strangely.

“M-My name isn’t ‘actually’ Claude… I thought it was kind of lame to use my real one, so I came up with something on the fly since it was a chance for me to start over.”

“Wait, you lied to me?! From the very beginning?!”

“Sorry, sorry. I just didn’t have the heart to trust some strange contract or whatever. I’d seen far too much anime to simply give out a real name, just to be bound to some agreement. I use a fake name for anything that I sign up to that seems remotely shady….”

“Then, what is your real name?!”

The Architect sighed and shook his head. A resigned look came upon his face, like the final barrier between him and everything had fallen.

“Joe. Just simple, ordinary… Joe. So plain and uninspiring, like the average person. It felt like all the baggage from Earth would have come along for the ride if I had kept it.”

Sistina reached up and stroked his face.

“It’s fine. It’s who you are. An epic story that spans through the ages, created by ‘Just Joe’. You’ve come so far regardless, so a name matters no more than a way for everyone to remember your achievements by.”

The two of them, Sistina and Joe, walked off, back towards the city that stood in the distance. Signs of activity had roared back to life, the mana source feeding it having been restored. They would manage it by walking alongside the people that resided there, not in some higher plane.

I sat and watched them grow smaller and smaller, until the horizon swallowed them up. I could no longer move anymore.

I laid back when they finally disappeared, and then, I closed my eyes.

The massive amount of power within me swelled up, and within it, I felt myself being consumed. I sank into the ground.

Into the darkness, but not for long.

The beat of a living planet accompanied me as I went down further and further, until I lost all sense of depth. But just when I thought everything had settled, everything went black like a switch had been flipped.

I opened my eyes, wondering what had happened. There was darkness as far as I could see. It felt like I had fallen into the depths, silence all around me. Was this not the core?

“What?”

The moment I spoke, a column of light appeared. In the middle of that was a giant podium, a looming figure behind it. Before I knew it, my body floated over to where he was. My eyes desperately tried to make sense of what was waiting.

With a booming voice that commanded my attention, he spoke.

“It is finally good to meet you, Claude Evers. You may refer to me as Kami-sama.”