32 Chapter 32: Converging Futures
In my life, never had I ever felt something like this.
Unprecedented calmness in the face of a crisis.
The ability to rationally judge everything.
The power to perfectly execute my plans.
I didn't fully utilize them when I am living peacefully. I am content with making new inventions and raking in more money. I am taking my time preparing and relaxing in a peaceful world before the full-blown disasters arrive.
I am living a good life.
But… it changes now. Rather, it began to change a while ago.
As I speak, I noticed many incongruencies with my decisions lately. In the dungeon, I kept making dangerous decisions.
Fighting against Goliath.
Going into the 27th floor despite the monster parties roaming the floor.
In these processes, I might be antagonizing perhaps the vilest organization in Orario's inception.
It's as if… I am living the life of my future self. A life where I had to take risks to survive—or even change the current status quo.
'Why?'
I should have been content with living a stable life. I could steadily raise my levels and experiment with new weapons safely. But no, I never chose them from the moment I stepped into the dungeon.
Was it my confidence?
I have been facing one monster after another, which led to my subconscious looking down on weaker enemies. Worst, these 'weak' enemies could still kill me.
Was it my self-conceit that everything is within my control? That I could perfectly prepare for every crisis?
That's just wishful thinking. I am not in control with everything.
Was it my thirst for power?
I knew how it felt to be helpless in the face of overwhelming strength. In every iteration, I dreamt of having Satoru-san's power at least once.
However, it's not just that. There's still something else.
Perhaps… I am accepting everything. This cognitive dissociation made me feel like both the peaceful and despairing Nobu. I no longer 'rejected' my horrendous failures and came to accept them.
As proof of it, my current weird state removed the panic and fluctuations in my heart.
Given the ordeals I faced in the future, such a state of mind is explainable. I subconsciously kept rejecting them as proof that those futures are different from my current life; that every bad thing that happened was just a dream.
The sight of every iteration changing reinforced that delusion. I avoided the painful memories after I thought I learned from them. It is merely my cowardice. I believed I am stronger after 'overcoming' them when all I did is to 'forget'.
In the first place, there's no reason to reject them. My present is different from those futures, but they happened.
Now that I realized this flaw myself, I won't run anymore.
Bam-!
The sound of fighting cut off my thoughts.
Currently, Arachnia is fighting against Zen'in Toji, or at least an image of him. This is how he fought against me on one of those futures. Being the relentless, unorthodox, and powerful that he is, Toji kept striking each of her blind spots consecutively.
"Damn you..! How does he have someone like you?—!"
It seems that she couldn't accept reality—that a weakling like me has someone strong like him.
Without a word, Toji kept striking her. With her wielding a short silver dagger, it became drastically hard to block his strikes. True to his weapon, he used his chained dagger like a Kusarigama. He sometimes pulled the chain, resulting in the dagger stabbing at her in an unexpected direction.
In his hands, the [Inverse Spear of Heaven] and [Chain of a Thousand Miles] have a synergistic effect.
Slowly, she accumulated injuries. Wounds began increasing on her arm. She became increasingly agitated now that she is being pushed to the border of death… without knowing that everything is false.
Inside [Alice's Wonderland], I only added Toji Zen'in's phantom. There is no enhanced pain reception nor Satoru Gojo's ultimate attack, [Purple]. I didn't have the time to set these perimeters up.
I watched their world-shaking fight on top of a building.
"How..?! How?! HOW?!"
Looks like he somehow made her insane.
"How could someone like you… exist in this world?!"
Valletta's ramblings are met with Toji's dead eyes. But, his silence cemented his "arrogance" in her eyes.
"Even the Warlord is not as strong as you..!"
Hm… Interesting. Toji Zen'in's strength surpasses level seven at the very least. Then again, I have a feeling he'll be one of the strongest in Gekai with his strength.
An unexpected twist came.
BAM-!
Toji delivered a swift elbow strike to Valletta's cheek. Her head must've been shaken up badly from that look she was wearing. She's disoriented and disorganized as she had ever been.
"It's time."
Canceling the magic, I found myself lying below her. Unlike her previous expression, she carried on that pained look.
Swiftly, I drew out my gun with my right hand. I clicked the button which released its cartridge and replaced it with something on the bracelet—a miniature version of [Wardrobe]. I pulled Kukyo and Chimei out before I pointed it at her.
"Combust Enhancement."
Bang-!
Bang-!
Two consecutive shots blew at her face. However, it was deftly blocked by her right arm. Blood and smoke came out of it as her eyes regained her rationality.
Bang-!
I fired another shot while flicking Chimei away. Valletta blocked the third strike with her right arm once more, worsening the wounds on her arm. It is more apt to call it burnt flesh at this point.
"That's right..! Everything was an illusion!" She shouted hysterically. "Hah! There's no way that someone like him existed!"
Her eyes shifted to me once more.
"And you! How dare you use that on me?!"
Even though the illusions are fake, the sensations that she felt are real. The pain from Toji's beatdown should be all over her astral body.
She tried to thrust her silver dagger at my chest, but I am faster. I phased out using [Fatal Void] and was now behind her.
Bang-!
She dodged the bullet, which then exploded nearby. It caused rock projectiles to surround her. Though, she did not mind and located me instead.
Bang-!
"I shall not understand the irrationality, yet I ask thee."
Bang-!
Closely, I dodged her sudden lunge toward my right. My [Triple Robustness] did its job greatly. My dynamic vision kept me from being locked by her. As long as I remain a few steps ahead, I could do it. There's no need to take hits anymore.
All I did was run and buy a few seconds of time.
"Illuminate the sky with thy light."
Dozens of magic circles concurrently appeared on top of the dungeon. They sizzled as they spun, pulling in an unknown substance from somewhere. Mana is being loaded in those circles as it summoned forth immense power—one that could turn the tides of battle.
"Enth, Astrum."
Stars came crashing down at this moment. The celestial bodies that should have been far away in this world were called forth by magic, the power to create miracles. Their weight bore down on their target.
"You're crazy..!"
Her statement is correct. She's currently choking my neck when my magic was activated. Meaning to say—
"You wanna die with me, huh?!"
"H…eh."
—I am included among the stars' radius.
My windpipe felt like it was being pinched with a metal claw. It became more laborious to breathe with her choke. Drool dripped down from my lips. Still…
I will live.
While she remained stunned, I phased out for the last time. I held Chimei with my right, thus a connection with Kukyo was immediately formed.
I appeared a few meters away from her. But then, I would still be hit by those stars. Nevertheless, this is needed. By pinning a level five, I got the chance to injure her.
"So fucking beautiful."
There is a reason why I loved studying constellations.
BOOM-!
*****
Blink.
Blink.
Blink.
Nobu waited for the wave of pain to appear, only to be disappointed. When he looked around him, all he saw was a huge cloud of dust. Some of them entered his nose.
"Cough..!"
His heightened senses detected any sources of wind as well as footsteps.
"Ah..?!"
His world suddenly spun. He was about to black out when he brought out a high potion and swiftly drank it. By the time he recovered, he found his face lying on the ground. Fresh blood dripped from his mouth and nose—a sign of over-exhaustion.
While he could recover his mind, the stress from his body caught up. The miraculous high potion solved that problem.
Tap-!
Tap-!
"She's still alive…"
True to his guesses, Valletta survived the stars' onslaught. However, it is not without costs. Her entire body was bleeding as most of her skin was burnt due to the star's temperature. She managed to dodge them by the time the other stars, hence her survival.
In a sense, that attack is similar to Riveria's wide-scale attack with her magic. Its strength is similar to it. Valletta was more than familiar with the searing heat that it brought.
'Slow. Decreases the movement speed.'
"A debuff..?"
At this dire moment, a debuff was triggered by [Orionids].
"I'll kill you."
Unlike before, Valletta was doused with a bucket of cold water. Despite being level two, he has magic spells that could inflict serious damage to a level five. Its chant is shockingly short, too.
At this moment, Nobu is facing the strategist of the infamous Evilus. She's no longer crazed as she was before—back when she played with him.
She is showing her cunning side, the one that allowed the possibility of Evilus' operation from happening.
"Finn is on the top of my list, but you occupied it now."
Nobu summoned forth his silver spear. He lost [Sora] when he was roughly undressed by her. Right now, he is maintaining [Triple Robustness] through sheer will. His focus was also affected.
In his spar against Rethusa, he needed to read three steps ahead just so he could block her.
One wrong mistake and he will die.
Click-!
While he unfolded his spear, he also brought out his strongest magic technique—a sword art infused with magic from Buddhism.
"Ruupam shuunyataa shuunyataiva ruupam." (Form is voidness and voidness is itself.)
Everything from his surroundings is reduced to nothingness. Only Valletta's figure could be seen by his sight. His heart calmed down to an ungodly level.
"Evem eva vedanaa-samjnaa-samskaara-vijnaanaani." (So it is for perception, conception, volition, and consciousness.)
The [Heart Sword].
Nobu's saving grace from all the perception battles. His strong enemies moved faster than the speed of sound at least, thus the need to adapt. It elevated his senses to another level. It is further stacked with [Triple Robustness], achieving this current state.
Time moved slower as he perceived her first strike.
'Right!'
Nobu swung it to his right.
Clang-!
Nobu saw a silhouette before his body reacted.
He was pushed back by a meter as the impact numbed his arm. Nevertheless, he managed to succeed. The debuff as well as her built-up injuries slowed her to the point he could react against her attacks.
'Up… No, sideways!'
This time, his silver spear descended diagonally.
Clang-!
The dagger blocked it from below as she swung it upwards. Immediately, Nobu was thrown off balance.
"Seiden."
Bzzt-!
A single bolt of lightning closed the gap that was opened by her.
"Tsk..!"
When she blocked it, he was already in a charging stance, Both of his hands held his spear as he rushed at her. Valletta responded with a swift sidestep, dodging the spear blade.
Cut-!
Suddenly, Nobu changed its direction to her side, which she stepped back to avoid. Nobu smirked as he saw this maneuver.
Snap-!
He snapped one of his fingers. Without a warning, an invisible air bullet manifested and aimed at her eyes. The ceremonial magic did not leave any traces, unlike other spells.
His heightened senses pointed a gap in her defenses.
Bam-!
"Shit!"
She closed her eyes in pain. As a human, her eyes remained vulnerable even as a level five. It continued to be so in the other adventurers' case. Only when they are overwhelmingly stronger than their opponent could this weakness be erased.
In her case, she was directly hit by his magic. It was enough to bring her body's reaction speed by several notches.
'I can't use much magic anymore..!' Nobu thought. 'I need to go all out..!'
The backlash of his technique began appearing.
The [Heart Sword] involved Buddhism's myth and modern science. However, its effects are greatly reduced due to the lack of the former's myth in Gekai.
From its strongest title, it could merely act as a support spell now.
Hum.
His silver spear lit up. Dozens of runic lines covered its entire body.
Sharpness, Oscillation, Durability Enhancement, Cursed Edge…
All thirteen spells engraved into it all activated at the same time. It could overexert and break this precious spear, but he paid it no heed.
'This might pierce her now that she's weakened.'
Fortunately, she was hit by [Orionids] and got debuffed.
He let out a deep breath as he charged at her again. He saw her stance changing to a defensive one as she correctly guessed his current location.
His spear came closer and closer while her dagger was ready to deflect the said attack.
Four meters.
Three meters.
Two meters.
The time to decide the winner arrived. The two blades clashed feverously. Sparks flew between them.
With a flash—
"H…uh…?"
—the dagger was sent flying from Valletta's hands. The silver spear had found its place. It impaled her heart.
"My..?"
She was bewildered.
A few seconds before their clash, her strength gave up. No, that is not the case. She was hurt, yes, but it was not enough for a level two to overpower her.
Then, it dawned on her.
The single loophole in their plan. If Orario's head familias did not appear on the 27th floor and instead attacked their bases, everything would make sense.
"What… happened?"
At the same time, Nobu was surprised. He expected more resistance from this level five, yet his spear cut her like paper. Her previous prowess was nowhere to be seen.
"I see… That's it." She muttered in utter defeat. "You win, Finn… and you boy."
Her blessing was locked the moment her god died. Her vessel was sealed, preventing her from harnessing her previous strength.
It didn't take long before her eyes lost signs of life. She dropped to the ground with a silver spear impaling her chest.
"Huh..?"
Nobu didn't know what is happening to the surface, but he would have understood it if he did. At this exact time, the god of Loki Familia, Loki, executed the majority of Evilus' remaining gods. He didn't know the spectacle of more than a dozen light pillars piercing Orario's night sky.
Nobu remained oblivious to the chaos happening on the surface. What mattered the most is that he lived.
That's it.
"Fuck…"
He sat on the dungeon's cold floor. His body released the tension from earlier as he felt weak at the moment. His black shorts were stained with dirt while his white T-shirt was stained with Valletta's blood.
He immediately released [Triple Robustness] and [Heart Sword]. As a result, his body felt even heavier. His vision nearly blacked out if not for him swiftly drinking several high potions.
"Phew..!"
A huge smile was drawn to his face as he thought of what conspired today. He was almost fucked—literally—by a level five executive of Evilus. If not for his opponent's low vigilance, he would have lost.
Then again, who among the level fives would seriously treat a level two? Not to mention their bodies; their reaction time alone is enough to overpower them. They could perfectly react against the attacks done to them.
However, Nobu was a special case. He was not limited by this world in terms of magic. He knew many spells, ranging from simple ones to devastating ones. Even in his world, he is an anomaly who could bypass [Mystical Entrophy] and use science and magic together.
He is an unpredictable factor in this world.
He was also lucky that the battle ended before [Triple Robustness] ran out. Without the armor, he could only cast it in a shorter duration. Still, it is inevitable to suffer from injuries.
Doping is what made him revert to normal and remain awake despite all of that.
"I won."
After tasting the aftermath of this battle, he pulled the silver spear out of her chest. Blood gushed out of the empty hole. Meanwhile, the silver spear was littered with blood and chunks of her internal organs. With [Cleanse], it returned to its pristine state.
Nobu was about to leave her corpse when he saw her silver dagger. To clash against his spear, the dagger is extraordinary.
He picked it up and saw blood-red runes engraved to its blade. It glowed ominously while being held by him.
"This… Curse?!"
The dagger possessed the curse of anti-healing. He could bleed to death as long as it is not dispelled.
Truly, he had been lucky enough to not have been hit fatally by it. Valletta had played around with him. If not, he's already dead.
Nobu inserted it in his storage. Having looted it, he saw a leather pouch strapped to her waist.
Familiar with this design, he pulled the strings out and opened the pouch. When his hand brought out its items, he saw some crimson-red crystals.
"Inferno stone…"
Carefully placing it on the ground, he brought out everything inside. Water, food, another cursed dagger…
What shocked him, however, was the crystal liver.
"Isn't this… the 27th monster rex's rare drop?"
Amphisbaena's dragon liver. With enough concoction skills, many potions could be formed by it. Some of them are Strength Potions, Regenerative Potion, and many more. It is also rumored that some potions could permanently affect an adventurer—boosting their stats by a considerable degree.
Though, that is just a myth. That recipe was held by the Sage a couple of centuries ago.
(A/N: The Sage is Fels, Ouranos' right-hand man.)
He swiftly transferred everything to his storage before leaving. Of course, he did not forget to pick back his separated armor and [Sora].
"Wardrobe."
Two magic circles overlapped with him. By the time they were gone, he is wearing a lightweight adventurer outfit.
"I have to go back fast."
Nobu recalled his goddess' words before he descended to the dungeon:
"No more risking your life in the middle floors, alright?"
"If I don't do so, I'm dead..!"
Just as he left the floor, a green vine stealthily crept on the corpses that littered the floor. One of them happened to come into the corpse of a white-haired man as well as a pink-haired woman.
Greater troubles began to brew inside the dungeon. And by extension, the dungeon city Orario.
*****
A chaotic night.
That is how someone described what happened to the surface. After reuniting with Filvis-san, we reached the surface. Only to be surprised by the stormy news, that is.
Evilus' remnants were cleaned up.
During the 27th-floor nightmare, the entire Loki Familia struck Evilus' suspected bases, in turn beheading more than fifteen evil gods. This act crippled the organization's power due to their loss of falna. With that, their statuses were sealed. They could no longer have the power of an adventurer.
It is the final blow that crippled Evilus. Today, they are no longer the most feared evil organization that nearly brought Orario down.
During these turbulent time, I returned to the familia home.
"I… did. Maybe? But it's not that dangerous…"
Hephaestus-sama replied with a long sigh.
"I could tell you've done something dangerous yet again. What is it this time?"
"It's not much. I went to the 27th floor—"
"WHAT?!"
For the first time in a while, she showed a stunned expression.
"You went to the 27th floor?! Right when all this ruckus is happening?!"
"Well, I did so to capture some Evilus members. I thought some of them might know the truth about Astraea Familia's downfall."
"My goodness…" She massaged her temples as she began reprimanding me. "Are you forgetting that you are only a level two? In normal times, nobody at your level would venture that floor!"
From Eina-san's words, most of the level two venture to the 24th floor at most. Beyond that is the aquatic terrain which only level three's could safely venture. The forest terrain from the 19th to the 23rd floor vastly differs from the 24th floor to the 27th floor's aquatic terrain. Once monsters are on the water, their power becomes level five, or at worse, level six.
"...What did you encounter on that floor?"
"They're just some low-level Evilus bunch…"
I tried to look her in the eyes, only to find out I couldn't. My guilty conscience is hitting me hard this time. Nobody worried for me back then… back in the future. In the future, both my parents knew I have no choice.
It's different now.
Sensing her sharp gaze, I spilled the beans.
"Olivas Act, Vendetta. Also, Valletta Gredes, Arachnia."
"WHAT?!"
She slammed her hands on her desk as she outrightly stood up in shock.
"That Arachnia, a first-class Evilus executive?! HER?!"
"Please calm down, Hephaestus-sama."
I am afraid that she would have a heart attack.
"How could I calm down after knowing this?!" She made some deep breaths before sitting back in her chair. "I know you're accustomed to this kind of danger. After all you have told me that night, I am aware that risking your life is a common thing."
When I revealed everything to Lady Artemis, I decided to do the same with Hephaestus-sama. Not only is she my goddess, but she's also trustworthy enough to be the friend of Lady Hestia, the god of the hearth—one known for her kindness and sympathy towards humans. She's also acknowledged by Lady Artemis herself.
Unexpectedly, she took everything better than I thought. She mentioned how there are some lines in my "records" that didn't make any sense such as fighting an ancient dragon and the like.
She only kept that to herself and decided to wait until I trusted her enough, which showed how considerate she was.
"Remember what I asked of you that time?"
"That I shouldn't overexert myself..?"
"It seems that you still do. Sigh… I thought you are only similar to the Sword Princess, but you're worse…"
"Eh..?"
"She's reckless." She then looked at me. "You are seeking death."
Suddenly, the door was flung open.
"Finn is right on the mark this time. He called for a—"
Tsubaki-nee paused for a moment.
"Aha. Y'er landed yourself in trouble, Nobu-kun?"
"Something… like that."
"It's not just any trouble. He fought with Arachnia alone. A true death wish."
"Eh? How come y'er alive and kickin' right now?!"
I nearly laughed at her remarks. She's right, though.
"I killed her first. Seems like I am lucky enough for her blessing to disappear during the fight."
"Right. Loki-sama herself moved and executed those gods! I will never forget those light pillars. It's a shocker for tomorrow morning."
I sneaked a look at Hephaestus-sama. I saw her in deep thought, sometimes frowning while grinning wryly at times.
It helped that Tsubaki-nee arrived.
"Anyways, I'll be borrowing him for 'a bit. The others decided to throw in a feast for today's event."
"...Alright." She replied. "Your verdict would be saved for later, Nobu."
"I understand."
Doing my customary bow, I was dragged over by Tsubaki-nee to the best tavern—Hostess of Fertility.
*****
"Nobu-kun… It's not right."
A trace of worry appeared in Hephaestus' eyes. She thought of his close contact with death twice… in less than a month, at that!
She knew that he must've been broken already. Due to his will, he managed to stand up despite the odds against him. She herself could only imagine how much suffering he had gone through at this point.
Nobu was someone who saw the end of his world with his own eyes. Imagining Gekai's collapse was all she needs to empathize with him ever so slightly.
"Artemis is doing a better job than me…"
She helplessly leaned on her chair.
"No… I must do something to help him."
Thinking of it, all she ever did was guide his smithing career, provide some resources, and update his status regularly. Albeit, she's unaware that what she's doing is enough in his eyes.
After all, he doesn't have people who worry much for him, except for his parents and a select few.
"Time traveler… An otherworlder… These burdens are heavy enough for a child like him."
Her observations about him were right. It is something that came from her insight as a goddess who lived for a very long time.
"He constantly pressures himself to create a better end."
After each round had passed, it is noticeably becoming better. From a hopeless world where it was destroyed, it now turned into a world fighting for its survival—all thanks to his continuous efforts over the last four years.
"Things that I could do as his goddess…" Her eyes lit up in realization as she saw the bright moon outside. "I understand."
The fire inside the goddess blazed strongly.
