Davi rammed one of his mana orbs into the side of Neptune as hard as he could. The sphere swirled, and before it could explode, he yanked his hand away just in time. The blast hit the monster, but he came swinging out of it with his trenchcoat, trying to take Davi's head off.
The attack narrowly missed Davi, who ducked under it. He could follow all of Neptune's moves thanks to his eyes being able to see the threads.
Neptune growled, and the snow around him came whipping up, trying to slice into Davi, but again he dodged with ease and swung his sword out toward the false god. The blade was able to leave a small gash across Neptune's flesh, but his muscles were simply too thick. That was the issue everyone had been facing. Even if they could hit Neptune, only a captain-level foe could leave a decent mark on him.
That was where Himvel came in.
Neptune went to swing again, but before he could, Himvel flickered over and impaled his wrist with his rapier. Unlike Davi's swing, the weapon left a lasting mark, tearing into Neptune's bones, causing the monster's stab to go wild. Neptune was about to turn and fire several water bullets at Himvel, but they were all shot out of the air by High, who flickered in and out through a series of portals and kept taking pot shots when he could.
Their plan was simple for the most part. Davi and High would strike when able and set Himvel up for the big attacks. It seemed to be working as well.
Davi lifted his sword, and it ignited in black fire. "Row Shadow Scar." He slashed out, sending a wave of energy toward Neptune, and the sea God blocked it with a shield of ice. While that happened, High teleported in behind him and fired into the back of his leg several times. That caused Neptune to buckle slightly, and Himvel came stabbing forward with his rapier and almost took out Neptune's throat, but the sea God managed to just barely dodge it.
Neptune swung out as hard as he could with his destroyed weapon, firing out a powerful pulse of mana that shoved Davi and Himvel back as the two got ready to strike again. High dodged the attack with another portal and reappeared meters away. He launched more shots, but Neptune blocked them with his trident or dodged them.
Davi jumped back up to his feet and charged forward, creating another mana orb. He dodged out of the way of the red threads and had his arm follow the blue one. His orb slammed into Neptune's stomach and exploded with a great force, throwing them both back.
Neptune winced and looked down at his gut, which was starting to bruise. Battle after battle, he was taking several hits again and again, which in turn was eating away at his mana. He was losing power and strength. At the moment, he was still above the level of a captain, but if the fight kept dragging out the way it was, he'd soon drop below that level and be a sitting duck.
"How annoying. I never imagined you'd betray me, Himvel."
"Really?" The old elf raised an eyebrow. "Why? I feel like what I've been doing is pretty consistent."
"Oh, so we're lying now?" High said flatly.
Himvel ignored the Licht-Fulks remark. "I'm just in this to save my own people. I'm sure that's something you can relate to, Neptune. After all, you're trying to bring about your own lost world, are you not?"
"Lost world?" Davi raised an eyebrow. "He's from another planet?"
"I am from the correct world," Neptune announced. "My world was brought to an end, and yours was placed over it! A false world where things are off. Again and again, so many treacherous worlds have existed. We were close to creating the original, but the Great Dragon of Roads made you seven! Each of you must die so we can return to Rome and start the cycle again! We'll make it correct this time!"
Davi blinked, trying his best to process that. There were other worlds? Well, he kind of knew that already because of the dungeons and where they went, but this made it sound like there were other worlds in the world he lived on? Was it like a reset? Did the world end and reset to what it is now? If that was the case, then how did Neptune get here? What about Adam?
Now that he thought about it, those guys were constantly mentioning stuff about making the correct story and slaying the seven who were messing with the timeline. He had thought maybe time travel was involved, but instead it seemed like it was a series of loops.
Did that mean his world would eventually come to an end as well?
"We both wish to return our people," Himvel spoke up again. "The difference between you and I is that I can actually do it. My people belong in this world, and it is the one I was born into. You are a person who was from a previous world, and that world is no longer around. You could have been content with living in this world with versions of your people, but that wasn't good enough for you."
"Of course it wasn't good enough," Neptune roared. "My people all died! I was supposed to take care of them, and yet I failed! I was their greatest warrior! Their king even gifted me his own name! I was an outsider, yet I was allowed to become Neptune! You have no idea what it's like to truly suffer! To watch everyone you know and love be wiped out because the world reaches its point of ending! Of course I wouldn't settle for the beings in this world! I devoured the Neptune of this world because he wasn't the real Neptune! I am 'THE' Neptune! And my people will be brought back!"
"Slow down." Davi cut Neptune and Himvel off before they could continue their debate. "What the hell is up with this talk of other worlds? Is our world in danger?"
"It doesn't matter," Neptune growled. "You won't live long enough to see the end."
"I think it does matter."
"I'll explain it all after this battle," Himvel said. "It's sort of complicated, and I only know most of it thanks to my teacher- My father, I mean. He taught me the basics."
Neptune saw the worry in Davi's eyes, and his bloody smile returned. "Are my words getting into your head? How does it feel to know you're not the first? There have been many, many Davi Hawkers. Some have had the same name as you, some were born with blonde hair, others with light magic. Some were kind, and some were evil. Most died, and some lived to the end as I did. But you know, out of all the other yous that I have seen, you're the first who became part of the seven. The Great Dragon of Roads is trying to perform the Saints Rite and break down the gates of Rome and do the long walk, just as Haru did, and he gave pieces of himself up in the process. You should have died at an earlier point in this story. That's what we had planned, yet the Dragon ensured that you would live. It's funny in a way. Wouldn't you say? Every version of yourself, all of you, is always being dragged along by some greater plan. They exist to suffer and be a slave to destiny. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. You're a very unique slave. One with several masters all pulling on your leash."
"You're wrong." Davi shook his head. "I'm doing what I want when I want."
"Are you? How do you know for sure?" Neptune snickered. "Versions of you have gained the ability to increase their Core. Did you know that? That's another thing you always seem to do. Every Davi I've met has found a way to boost his Core past its percentage level. It makes sense when you think about it. You were crafted by the Ebony Knight. That's also a fact. In every world you're his sword. Poor thing. You don't even see that you've been following through on his plan, do you?"
"No, I made this ability because of the people I met. It has nothing to do with the Ebony Knight-"
"So then another slave master tugged your leash, and you followed through on their story." Neptune scowled. "The method is always different, but in the end it turns out the same. You find a way to reach your full potential only for that to seriously backfire. You'll die, and in your death and your desperation you'll reach out for that sword hidden within you and draw it. Do you know what happens then? You become the Lunar Knight. Maybe you'll destroy the world? Or maybe you'll become its savior. Maybe you'll fight the king of Esteria or maybe become his most loyal follower. I've seen it many times, and Adam has seen it even more. Hey, why don't I show you? You're going to die and become what you were always meant to be. Doesn't that sound good?"
Without any warning, Neptune launched several spears of water toward Davi. The raven-haired man was so deep in his racing thoughts that he didn't have time to dodge. The attacks came toward him, swirling through the air, and then-
***
Once upon a time, there was a child born not out of love, desire, or care, but instead out of the need to create a being that could serve as the administrator for Awed-Rivkah.
This being was one of many who were grown and forged inside a sea of darkness as cold as the abyss. The very story that made them up was planned by beings far older than they could have any hope of knowing.
This child, this lonely, wretched creature, opened its eyes for the first time and saw darkness, and when it cried out to the void, no one was there to hear it.
The only mercy this wretched soul had was the fact that it did not have to grow up in this cold and lonely place. Its mother, if you could even call her that, would take the being into her arms and stare at it in delight, for she knew she had her next body. And so, the being would be raised by a mother and a father, just like any normal child, and just like every child, the parents would decide the life of their child for them, for in this world, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, you exist on the path that was written out for you.
***
Himvel appeared in front of Davi and blocked the strikes as best he could. Several hit him, and he winced in pain.
"Davi! He's just trying to mess with your head. Don't worry about those thoughts and don't bother considering what any of it could mean! Just focus on the fight! I promise we can have a long discussion about it later!"
"Yeah!" High called out and fired several more shots into Neptune's body. "We have bigger fish to fry right now! Let's worry about all that life junk later."
Davi winced and gave a weak nod. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry." He focused his mana, his three hundred percent core roaring out as he powered up fully. "Let's beat this guy."
The battle began once more with the three of them charging toward Neptune with everything they had. Davi and Himvel struck out with their blades while Neptune went on the defensive, attempting to block the strikes. High remained in the back firing when needed, and slowly the three of them began to push Neptune back.
They were actually doing it. They were beating him.
Off to the side, Laerton watched the fight, stunned. "His Danger Sense evolved? No, not just that? His mana feels more pure and clear? What did he do?"
"I don't understand it fully," Olem admitted, "but what I can tell you is that Davi has found a way to increase all three of his Cores. It's like he created three versions of himself and smashed them all into one body. Qi Lines, Core Masks, and Circuit Cores are all working together. It's incredible, isn't it?"
Laerton's eyes widened further when she heard Olem's explanation. She tried to stand up, but she was still way too injured and needed more time to heal. "Are you an idiot, Olem? Why would you let him do something like that?"
Olem looked slightly confused and glanced at his brother, who just shrugged. "I don't understand?"
Laerton growled and shook her head. "Do you really think Davi is the first person who found a way to cheat the system? Throughout over a thousand years of history, nobody else managed to do this? Get real. You're rarely the first person to make a huge breakthrough. The truth is, people smarter, stronger, and far more blessed than Davi have dabbled in the things he's doing now. The reason we don't know about how they did it or who they are is simple. They. All. Failed."
Life had a funny way of sorting itself out.
Oftentimes, you were never where you wanted to be, and the good idea you thought you had would start to crumble and break down.
Neptune parried one of Himvel's strikes, and as that happened, Davi went to swing out with his blade but froze. A pained look crossed onto his face, and then, without warning, blood gushed out of his nose, eyes, and ears. Just like when he would devour a monster Core, the Core within him was starting to swell and twist.
***
The child would grow up in a land famous for creating the greatest swordsman who ever lived. A land where blades were forged to split the skies and seas of blood wrapped around the coast. The young child would be taught the ways of the dark by his mother and the ways of the sword by his father. Most importantly, this child would be taught how to live, how to laugh, how to know joy, and how to tell stories from his older brother.
The brother was a being forged of lightning and fury who vowed to save the child, who existed solely for a fate worse than death. It is the duty of an older brother to protect the younger sibling after all.
The brother spent his life honing his skills, learning the ways of lightning, the spear, and the bow, all so he could do the duty of an older sibling. He would spend time with the child every day if he could, ensuring he would always have a smile that could last, and at night, it would be he who made sure the child slept soundly and securely until at last the brother had enough.
He had learned the truth. His brother, the child, was no mere weapon. No. He was meant to serve as the vessel for an evil that had been vanquished long ago. The child's very own parents were raising a blank slate they could throw away.
Enraged, the brother would come up with a plan to save the child, but he never got the chance to do it, for as luck would have it, the mother would have a fated encounter with a being who would tell her a grand secret.
***
A cup could only contain so much water. If you filled it up, then you'd get a spill.
Davi had boosted all three of his Cores by mixing a series of Vows and using altered traits such as Old Bird's Flapping Wings and Way of Self Iron. This had resulted in a unique thing. All three of his Cores were at one hundred percent, so in a way, he had a total of three hundred percent power.
The human body had a limit on how much power it could hold. The brain naturally would hold muscles back, and when it came to mana, this was no different. Ragna created a method that allowed the body to bring out its full power in short bursts. This was the same thing he taught Ken.
Davi didn't have that method, however, and so as his power kept skyrocketing and he kept growing, he eventually reached a point of overflowing. The cup couldn't hold any more water.
Deep within Davi's body, a crack formed across his brain. His blood started to boil, and his nerves flared wildly. The mana had no way of getting out of his body, and so it piled up, getting hotter and hotter. He was cooking himself alive from the inside out.
Neptune had been waiting for something like this to happen. He had seen this outcome several times before. After all, this was the most common way for 'Davi Hawker' to die.
The breaking was very literal. Blood flowed down the front of Davi's face as his forehead began to crack and tear open, and smoke was flowing out of his ears. As soon as his body reached its breaking point, Neptune struck out at lightning speeds, aiming for Davi's throat. At the last second before the trident could impale him, Himvel jumped in the way. Neptune had expected that to happen, though.
His trident tore into the old elf's chest, making Himvel spit up blood. Not missing a beat, Neptune then twisted around and dragged the elf in front of him just in time to block High's bullets.
High's eyes went wide when he saw that he had shot the elf. "Shit-"
Neptune flung his trident forward, throwing it and Himvel toward High. The attack knocked the Licht-Fulk to the ground, and before he could try to get up, Neptune used a spell.
"Row Shadow Vault." The shadows opened up, and a massive black hand lifted into the air! Its palm came ramming down on the duo, smashing them into a crater… It remained on top of them, making it impossible to know if Himvel and High survived. "And now for you."
Davi tried to raise his sword, but his arms wouldn't move. His nerves were totally fried. Neptune grabbed him by the throat and then smashed him into the ground as hard as the monster could manage. Davi grunted in pain as his face began to get bashed in.
Neptune brought his fist down again and again and began to laugh, spitting up blood, snot, and saliva.
"I'll kill all the seven and then become the God of my world once more! I am Neptune! I am going to be the one who brings his people back!"
Davi glared up at Neptune and tried to block or punch, but his arms weren't listening. He couldn't move or react at all.
"Row Shadow Vault." Neptune opened another vault, and this time he pulled out an old rusty claymore. "That is the role I will play. Now, it's time you play your own role. When you die, you'll either stay dead or that 'thing' inside you will come out. Either way, I don't care."
Neptune raised the sword and was about to bring it down, but Olem suddenly tackled him. "Oh no, you don't! Row Atomic Burst!" The golem's body glowed, and he erupted with a wave of energy.
***
The brother and the child would find themselves caught in a devastating attack, brought on by an enraged dragon, and thanks to the help of @#$%^@#$%^&&^%#$@##%$__+
This allowed them to survive the attack, and by some strange miracle, they were brought to the future, nearly one thousand years later. The two brothers would eventually separate because of the manipulation of {}+++(_(^&(&^()((&(&^%$^%&(^(^() who called herself Evelyn, and the child with raven hair and blue eyes would find himself becoming the heart of another story, one in which a familiar blade resided within him, waiting to be unleashed.
This child would grow and become a knight in ebony armor, mastering the sword and going from land to land looking for the dragon that nearly killed him. He would eventually arrive at a village known as Fri; however, it brought him no interest, and so he would-
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There, the wandering Knight would meet a young girl whom he would save from a salamander attack. His fate would drastically change, and he'd find himself going on a new adventure. Eventually, he and the mysterious silver-haired girl would find themselves captured by Arcane Knights, where they would take the entrance exam.
The Ebony Knight would be forced to take on the Arcane Knight exam and would feel extremely alone, wandering around all by himself. With nothing to lose and no care if he got found out, he would do battle with nearly everyone, exposing his armor right away, and would even engage in battle with Captain Crow-
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The Knight and the newly formed Witch would pass the exam together, and they would meet lots of friends and allies along the way, such as the future Yuan head and the ice mage destined for greatness. They would become part of the Phoenix Flight guild.
Hours later, he would be attacked by a mysterious being who could manipulate blood, and the Ebony Knight would be stabbed through the heart-
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The Knight would survive thanks to his Witch, and fate would be altered and changed. The story would burn and ignite, and the author would find himself staring face to face with a being who had noticed his existence.
Adam Hawker and the Brightest Star would meet and-
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The quill began to write. The quill began to write. The quill began to write. The quill began to write. The quill began to write. The quill began to write. The quill began to write. The quill began to write. The quill began to write. The quill began to write. The quill began to write. The quill began to write. The quill began to write. The quill began to write. The quill began to write. The quill began to write.
***
"Get off me." Neptune withstood the explosion Olem let out, and then he rammed the sword into the golem's stomach. Black liquid and water seeped out of the rocky monster as he groaned, and his side was ripped away.
"No!" Bolem blasted several orbs of atomic energy toward Neptune, but the sea king blocked them and then flashed forward, splitting Bolem in half from side to side.
Laerton wasn't fully healed, nowhere even close, but she still launched herself forward and slashed out with her sword. Her attack missed, however, and Neptune punched into her injured stomach, reopening several of her wounds. He was about to impale her, but shadowy hands wrapped around his wrist as Davi managed to muster up some energy and react.
Neptune scowled and tossed Laerton away. "I'm finishing this." He stomped forward and then, before anyone could do anything else, Neptune stabbed down as hard as he could, and the blade sank into Davi's chest.
Davi let out a loud gasp, and his eyes shot open wide as pain flooded his body. It burned worse than his cracking, and he felt suddenly hollow as his heart sputtered and stopped. The blade was fully through it and stabbed out his back.
Neptune planted a boot on Davi's stomach and twisted the sword. "You are one of the seven. You who should have never made it this far. You who have inherited a piece of the Great Dragon of Roads. I take away what he gave you. I take away the Heart you inherited from him. Davi Hawker is dead."
And Davi Hawker died.
***
The Knight and the Witch would go on many quests together, and though the Knight was no longer lonely, he could help but shake a new depression. One of failure for everywhere he went, he would find only ruin, and the outcome he strived for above all else would always be seemingly out of his reach.
This would all accumulate in the Enforcer Games. The Knight would find himself locked in battle with one of the Lordians. The Sea God, a Lordian who looped thousands of times, would do battle with the Knight, and of course, this great being would win, plunging his sword into the Knight's heart.
And… As his heart stopped, something within the Knight would awaken. A powerful sword, one that brought about an infinite world of frost, would reach out and grasp hold of his dying soul and force him to draw it.
The Knight would forge a Core Mask and draw the sword, and thus the Ebony Knight would be reborn, now known as the Knight of Lunar.
Thus, the story could be salvaged.
***
Neptune grinned as he felt a massive surge of mana flow out of Davi's body. "Yes!"
Laerton stared in shock and horror as a black aura formed around Davi's corpse and several shadowy hands lifted out of the ground and wrapped around him. He was dragged into his vault and vanished out of sight.
Davi gasped, his eyes going wide as the hands plunged into his chest wound and forced his heart to beat. The hands of his mother—of the Ebony Knight—dragged him to the nest, and he heard the screaming of the birds. Everything was becoming colder and colder, and he was smashed into the ground of swords.
[It is time.]
A powerful voice rumbled out, and Davi nearly screamed as he felt his head start to burst. Memories that weren't his own flashed through his head. He saw a tree that reached to the cosmos, a suit of armor bigger than a mountain, a sky filled with hundreds of butterflies, and a train that soared through the sky.
He then felt emotions that weren't his own. Anger, rage, hate, despair, depression, and so much more. The Ebony Knight was sliding past his skin and into his body. He was like a puppet. The hands lifted his arms and legs and made him walk to the sword.
[Your destiny is here, my child. I created you perfectly. You will soon fulfill your goal.]
Outside of the Vault, Neptune chuckled. "What happens now is of no concern. In all the previous worlds, when the Ebony Knight returned, the body was forcefully transformed into a perfect vessel. The 'Heart' he received from the Great Dragon of Roads will burn up, and thus, my goal of killing one of the seven inheritors will be fulfilled. It's pretty gross all the things Eve and Adam were willing to do. I almost feel bad for him. After all, he was-"
Laerton screamed and launched herself at Neptune, slicing out with her sword. "What did you do to him?!"
Neptune caught the blade and rammed his head forward, headbutting the woman. "I gave him the ending he deserves. It's too late now. If he manages to break off the influence of the Ebony Knight, he dies. If he doesn't, he ceases to be and dies. I win. Whether the Lunar Knight is birthed or not, I don't particularly care. Now, stay out of my way; I still need to kill the one who inherited the Body and the one who inherited the Core."
Back in the Vault, Davi tried to yell or move or run or do anything really, but he couldn't. His body continued to move on its own. It was hopeless. The birds all watched, and the biggest of them took a hesitant step forward.
Davi gritted his teeth as his arms reached out and he wrapped around the handle of the claymore, stabbed into the ground. "N-No."
[Yes.]
"No!"
[Yes. Yes. Yes. This is what you were made for. You existed to be my vessel. You are me. I will be you. You are my weapon, my creation, my slave. I will be reborn through your flesh and remake my body better than ever. We will become the opposite of Haru and shatter the gates of Rome completely. Haru will die for what she did! I'll hunt her down myself!]
"If you made me, then doesn't that make me your child? You're going to kill me!"
[A sacrifice worthy of the cause.]
"You bastard." Davi felt his hands tighten around the handle, and he began to pull the sword up. More memories and emotions flashed through his body. He saw a woman with hair the color of blood and a smile full of fangs. He saw beings with gray skin and bulging heads who had beady black eyes and soared through the stars. He saw worlds upon worlds, some of which were still around and others that no longer existed. He saw fights through countless ages and felt thoughts that were never his own shove their way into his head. "Stop! Please! Stop! I don't want to die like this!" Davi cried out.
He felt tears flow down his face, and he trembled as the sword nearly came out. He was about to cease to be. He'd stop being himself and would die. All of his friends, his family, and everyone who knew him. They were all in danger, and it'd be a version of him that did it.
He couldn't save them.
Maybe it would have been better if he died earlier in this twisted story…
"Please…"
The sword was only inches away from coming out.
"I don't want this to happen…"
Centimeters.
"I don't want to die…" Images of his friends, of Olivia and Ken, flashed through his mind over and over again. "I didn't even get to spend nearly as much time with them as I wanted."
The sword came out-
The largest hawk surged forward, and its body began to change. It shrunk down slightly, and its wings began to shift into arms. It gained a vaguely humanoid shape just in time and reached out, grabbing Davi's wrist.
Suddenly, he felt warmth.
Davi blinked. He was no longer in his vault, and he wasn't cold either. His hands weren't gripping the sword, and he wasn't in the Enforcer Dungeon. Instead, he found himself lying beneath a tree, the sun shining above him.
"What? Where am I?" Davi blinked, suddenly feeling tired. He felt as if he had just awoken from a bad dream.
"There you are." A shadow fell across him, and Davi blinked the sleep away as he stared up at a familiar face. Orion Hawker smiled down at his son. "Ready to go fishing?"
"Dad?" Davi sat up and looked around in shock. He was back in his village.