I put myself at the point of the formation, my mana shell fastened around my body and my shadow safely stored within. With a million MP to spare, I didn’t have to conserve my strength. I pushed into the thickest cluster of enemies and hit them like a truckful of bricks. My limbs acted seemingly on their own, catching three bouldites at once and smashing them together, while I released two instantly empowered direballs at a cluster of enemies, blowing them to smithereens.
My soldiers were dying, bouldites were dying, and players kept dying and respawning, running back for more from the fortress behind us.
Lirian jumped before me, decapitating a bouldite mage who blocked our path, then opened her mouth and spewed a gout of flame that blasted the way open.
And we were finally through.
We had reached the foothill, and the cave loomed ahead of us, the two Outriders watching impassively as we approached.
“Close ranks behind!” I heard Savol shouting.
Our soldiers pierced through the enemy ranks and changed their formation, forming a wall to hold the bouldites back.
We charged up the slope toward the cave entrance as our rear guard battled the persistent pursuing monsters.
Then a single bouldite stepped into our path, blocking us off.
It was a huge one, easily ten meters of pure, rocklike muscles and carrying two giant flails. The bouldite king had come out to play.
I glimpsed his numbers; level 220, tier 5, 13,000 HP, 6,000 MP, high armor, high resistances. This one was going to be a tough nut to crack.
The king stood there, blocking our way, looking directly at me.
“Shit,” Sullivan muttered. “Maybe Aidanriel can distract it while we—”
“No,” I said. “I’ll handle it.”
The strategist looked at me skeptically. “You’re sure? You don’t look too good.”
I nodded. “I can do it. General, hold the force behind us just a little longer.”
“Savol will do this,” the goblin said. A moment later I heard him shout, “Hold the Line! Revival!”
As a Survivalist General, the heavy casualties we’d taken had enhanced his skills, causing them to reach new heights. I knew they would hold long enough for me to deal with the king.
“The cave spirits say you must die,” the giant bouldite said. “A king against a Shadow Lord. A pity; I would rather fight against a proper goblin king. Now, I will carve out—”
“Spare me the cliché of you threatening to eat my heart,” I said. “You’re nothing more than a big pile of numbers.”
The king charged me. The giant steel balls at the end of his flails parted the air as they came at my head from two opposing sides.
I lashed out with two Viridium limbs, intercepting his weapons, holding them in place. The king’s strength was incredible. Just holding him at bay cost thousands of MP every second. But I had a ton to spare now.
While two limbs held his weapons, I manifested another one and wrapped it around his leg, using it to pull myself closer to him. My spear was leveled at him, the sharp point aimed directly at one of his vulnerable spots that were so clearly visible to me.
The king tried to yank his weapons free, but I doubled down. He grunted in pain as the Epic weapon pierced his chest, shaving off a quarter of his health. But he wasn’t finished yet.
Roaring, he activated one of his boss abilities and in a sudden surge of strength threw me far away from him. I flew backward toward the side of the hill, my back aimed at a protrusion of sharp rocks, but I commanded the darkness to rise, catching me and halting my momentum, and I landed on my feet. I felt the nosebleed return with force. Blood was freely gushing down my face, though my health bar was still full.
The king charged again, his feet leaving deep grooves in the stone ground.
I sent 20 drilling arrows to greet him, but I was too rattled to aim them properly, and they missed the vulnerability points, barely passing through his high resistances to shave a few hundred points off his health. It did nothing to halt his momentum.
Then the king plowed straight into me.
My shell’s limbs were ready to intercept him, and I had more than enough mana to hold against anything he could throw at me, but I simply couldn’t channel the tens of thousands of MP required fast enough to stop the terrible force.
In the last instant, I recalled my shell, forming it into a protective layer around my head. The king hit me full-on, with enough force to send both of us into the stone, leaving a goblin-shaped indent in the hard rock.
That hurt.
I felt my body go limp, my health draining to a third.
“No!” I shouted in denial, channeling the rage and pain into a triple-charged Blood Wrath, sending out a crushing wave of concussive force that hurled the king off of me and sent him flying down the hill.
I came out of the hole, blood gushing all over my face and body, my joints screaming in pain. But I didn’t care. It was all just numbers. And I still had enough of them to win.
Direballs wouldn’t cause enough damage through the king’s powerful resistances, so I sent out another 20 drilling arrows his way, the distance between us allowing me the seconds required to triple-charge the spells. Despite the king’s resistance, the javelin-sized drills punched through with enough force to blow up craters all over his body. His health dropped to 60 percent, just over the threshold required to activate one of my staff’s unique abilities.
The king was quick on his feet. Roaring and fuming, he resorted to his earlier tactic. He charged straight up at me, his powerful legs leaving torn ground behind him.
I looked at the charging behemoth … and smiled. I had no intention of halting his momentum.
I held my spear firmly with both hands and leveled it at the rushing beast. The shell’s four limbs shot out behind me, anchoring me in place. I was going to meet his charge head-on. My timing was going to have to be done with split-second accuracy.
The king reached me.
My spear found his chest.
His health diminished by a trickle, bringing him into the threshold.
I triggered Castigation, causing all three stored direballs to activate instantly, exploding inside his body.
The giant flails and the king’s multi-ton bulk were centimeters from crushing me, and it would have been my end if he’d hit me. Instead, the bouldite king exploded. An instant before impact, his entire mass simply evaporated, the momentum showering me with barrels of blood and viscera.
I’d won.
I turned to look down the hill. Thanks to Savol’s skills, my soldiers were holding their line, working together to keep back the horde that tried to overwhelm them with sheer brutality.
The cave and its guardians loomed ahead of me, barely a hundred meters away.
There was no one else to stop me from reaching my destination.
Nothing but a couple of demigods.
***
“Alright, Oren, that’s far enough.” Vic had transformed into his goblin shape and stood beside me. “You've made it to the cave despite overwhelming odds, probably forfeiting your life in the process. Now, what are your intentions?”
“Now I go in.”
“Let’s say you pass Gabriel and Azriel, then what? I told you already, there’s nothing you can do to the conduit inside. Even Gondriel’s sword can’t scratch it, even if you hadn’t forgotten it behind in the valley.”
My eyes widened as my brain went into overdrive. Vic didn’t know Lirian had taken the sword? How could it be? There was no way he could have missed her constantly using it. Unless … unless the stone tablet wasn’t the only thing shrouded from him.
I needed to make sure of my suspicion, but I had to be careful not to disillusion whatever spell was at work here.
“Say, Vic,” I said, a bit too casually. “Would it be possible for a player to conceive a child with an NPC?”
“What the hell does that have to do with anything?”
“Humor me for a second.”
I fought to keep my expression and emotions in check. They don’t know! Lirian is hidden from them!
That was more proof of some greater force at play, even after Guy’s death, obscuring Vic’s – and probably the other VIs’ – omniscience. They couldn’t perceive my daughter at all. It was so clear now; Vic had never addressed my daughter directly, never acknowledged her actions. He always deflected when I brought her up.
But that revealed a different mystery. My daughter wasn’t a player; no flesh-and-blood person was controlling her actions. Some sort of artificial intelligence had to be guiding her, and if none of the VIs were responsible for her awareness, it could only mean … I shook my head. I dared not even think about the only logical conclusion. But a spark of hope ignited in my heart. More than ever before, I was suddenly convinced of our success. This was how we were going to win.
My soldiers were still insistently holding their ground, the casualties Savol had risen with his skills allowing them to hold against the bouldites whose casualties were no less severe. Each side had only several hundred fighters remaining. The bouldites were winning, but slowly. They would never be able to punch through quickly enough to stop us. The way ahead was clear.
I cracked my neck. “Let’s go.”
“Sorry, mate, I can’t let you do that.”
I turned to see Aidanriel towering over me. The golem was already sending his pinkish Viridium limbs toward me. I raised my hand and unleashed my will, grabbing at the motes of dark mana that fueled his body, commanding them to bend, to obey.
It wasn’t as easy as it should have been. The golem was fighting me for control.
“Why am I not surprised?” I said. “Despite vowing to serve, you betray me at a critical moment. Well, your services are no longer required, Aidanriel.” Tightening my jaw, I clenched my will around the golem’s mana like an intangible vice. I silently thanked my foresight for limiting Aidanriel’s core, powering it with a relatively weak void crystal. His mana capacitor still held a huge amount of mana, but I had much more. I took control of all his limbs and, with a mental pull, tore apart the links binding him together.
Viridium beads fell apart like discarded marbles, leaving behind a large core casing that rolled away on the uneven ground. The golem was no longer a threat.
“Huh,” I said. “I thought you’d put up more of a fight. Oh well, sorry it had to come to this, but you forced my hand.” I turned my attention back to the cave.
“Na, mate, it’s me who should be apologizing, but I’m a VI, after all.” The voice came across loud and clear. My Danger Sense instantly flared up, screaming. I whirled around to see Aidanriel’s naked core still rolling away, disappearing into the thick of my forces. His discarded beads trailed behind him, while more came rushing up from the foothill with tremendous speed, and I realized, with sudden horror, that he was drawing in Swarm’s remains.
“VIs? Damn it, Oren!” Ragnar shouted over the sounds of battle. “Told ya’ them asshats can’t be trusted!”
I had nothing to say to that. The brutish player had been proven correct once again.
Before I could do anything, a throng of writhing, massive tentacles erupted upward from the center of my forces, breaking their formations.
The golem grew to new heights as hundreds upon hundreds of beads rolled over one another, somehow going beyond what his core should have been capable of supporting.
“You see, mate,” Aidanriel’s voice boomed loud and clear. “If you recall, I swore to serve you – unless the VIs’ existence was ever threatened, and I’m truly sad to say that it seems to be the case here. I’m sorry, mate, but it looks like our paths put us on opposite sides. Now I’m going to have to bury you … under a pile of balls.”
We’ll see about that, I growled.
A giant limb lashed out toward me like a snapping whip. I teleported out of its path at the last possible second, and the limb struck the ground, leaving a two-meter deep depression where I’d just stood.
I stared at the titanic golem. I could sense no hint of Swarm’s presence inside the mass of shifting Viridium. It was all Aidanriel. And that was bad in more ways than one. The tormented souls that powered the deceased golem were always in conflict, vying for control, none ever managing to hold enough beads to reach over level 300. But Aidanriel didn’t have that problem. The pile of Viridium shifted and grew into immensity, assuming an Outrider’s shape. A level 750 monstrosity of unbridled strength. It was pure insanity. Nothing short of a god in the entirety of NEO was even close to the power of the creature that towered over me.
I lashed out with my will, desperately trying to disperse the new body, but this time the golem had no trouble resisting my attempt.
“Sorry, mate, I had to tap into a bit of divine mojo to make it all fit together; afraid it makes me immune to your charms.” He swatted at me again, and again, I teleport-dodged out of the way. His other hand swept in a wide arc, forming a Viridium sword along the way, scything down toward the remainder of my forces.
The gigantic weapon ripped hobs and Ogres apart with ease, killing dozens with each strike. The machine of death and destruction I’d built had turned against me.
I took out the anchoring crystal Sleeve had delivered to me and activated it. Runic lines, glowing with power, spread over the ground, and a shimmering portal opened in the air. Large figures clad from head to toe in thick armor plates stepped through, their feet cracking the ground from the sheer weight as they landed.
“Juggernaut Platoon!” I shouted, pointing at the monstrous golem. “Stop him!”
Each of the 12 warriors was level 280 – less than half that of the rampaging VIs – but they were clad in powerfully magical armor that was so thick it made them nearly as wide as Ogres, and all their equipment was specifically enchanted for withstanding powerful blows.
“For Everance!” they shouted and formed into ranks. Six of the juggernauts locked their heavy tower shields together, sending a magical ripple that connected them. The golem flailed at them, causing the magic to flare, nearly breaking away. Two of the warriors dropped to their knees, but the other six stepped through and repeated the maneuver, catching the golem’s next attack.
I knew they couldn’t win; I had no idea what they would be facing when I’d asked for them, but all I needed was for them to buy me time. The golem wasn’t concentrating just on the juggernauts though and was happily massacring the remainder of my forces as well.
I felt my headache growing to new heights, the counter attached to it reaching 90 percent. Even when I wasn’t actively using my newfound power, this state of awareness was slowly killing me.
With Aidanriel momentarily contained, I glanced toward the cave.
The two hulking Outriders, now dwarfed by the rebellious golem, still stood watch over the entrance, observing the whole scene impassively.
I had to get through them with Lirian in tow while somehow making sure she wouldn’t be injured by even a scratch. My body felt broken, blood flowing freely. My head throbbed, and outside the rush of battle, it was all I could do to just remain standing. Despite my earlier revelation, the odds against me looked grim.
I felt cold fingers clench my heart. There was no way I could do this. Each of the Outriders was probably more powerful than Aidanriel. I wouldn’t make it a foot past them before they obliterated me. And I’d never be able to get Lirian through unscathed.
I searched, and my eyes found the brave goblinette. She, Ragnar, and a few of the players were surrounded by the numerous enemies that swarmed over our rapidly diminishing forces, which Aidanriel was quickly laying waste to. My troops fought ferociously, making their enemies pay for every life lost. Lirian’s twirling sword took lives like a green grim reaper,
and covering her flank, Ragnar was shredding apart enemies like paper. But they could do nothing to help against the rampaging behemoth that was tearing them apart. The Juggernaut Platoon was now the only thing holding the golem back. Their enchanted armor was breaking, their unique survival skills depleting one by one.
Despite that, they fought on. Monsters, non-monsters, and players alike, standing shoulder to shoulder. I saw Sullivan throwing daggers, standing next to Ayelet who refused to let a hurler out of sword range. David was holding an entire group at bay simply by looking at them, and Nero was farther ahead, carving chunks off the enemy with glowing claws, having reached new heights thanks to all the carnage. Aly, Raystia, and the rest of the Mob Squad fought as one, unflinching, unhesitating, risking their lives to protect one another. Cindy was leading the surviving players we rescued from Everance – who fought hard, despite their disadvantage. They were united. Fighting bravely. Foolishly. Suffering and dying because they followed me here. Because I asked them to.
I couldn’t fail them. I couldn’t let their pain and sacrifice go in vain.
Lirian was fighting along with the rest. Her sword spread darkness that seemed to drain the colors of her victims. She turned suddenly, and her eyes met mine. There was no fear there, only grim determination. She nodded, and suddenly, I knew what I had to do.
I teleported directly toward the surrounded group of players and lashed out with my four Viridium limbs, throwing bouldites away like pebbles, buying us some space.
“Father,” Lirian breathed steadily though she was covered in sweat and grime. “What are we going to do? There are too many of them.”
“That blasted golem o yor’s is killing us,” Ragnar shouted over the cacophony. “Eva’h those metal turtles won’t hold him for long. What’cha’ gonna do?”
“I have a plan,” I said steadily. “And I need both of you to make it happen.”
“Than what’cha’ waiting for?”
I searched for Sullivan. He stumbled back, having just been clipped by a club, his entire left arm mangled. The pain must have been excruciating, but there was only determination in his eyes as they met mine.
Life Reset: Salvation (Life Reset - Neo Book 6) Page 48
