Chapter 284: Imperfect

I continued to follow Eris to the kitchen area of this dreadful fortress in the sky. She wanted me to cook, so that's what I began doing...

All while she kept making comments at me...

"Your power is way weirder than I thought it would be. Why is that? It's like you just smashed a bunch of different abilities into yourself!" Eris said.

"It wasn't intentional. I did whatever I had to in order to survive. But now, my powers work in perfect harmony...or so I thought..."

"Hmm...no. There's nothing perfect about it. Not from what I can tell, at least."

"You don't think so? Why is that?"

I was curious, to say the least.

The divine Aspects I had were part of my soul. Just like the blessing skill.

My soul was held inside of the Heart of the World.

Lastly, my sword Vengeance was my trusted weapon. 

As far as I could tell, my powers were fine.

"As I said, it's like you just smashed a bunch of powers together. To me, it looks like a desperate attempt to cover weakness. And to top it all off, your sword isn't even loyal to you."

Now I know she's full of it... Vengeance isn't loyal to me? Utterly absurd...

"Vengeance has always been loyal to me. I can prove it, too. The Overseer sword wouldn't allow someone it doesn't recognize as a true wielder to use its final form."

"Really...? You can't recall a time where it seemed to resonate with anyone else?"

"Not at all. There was one time where someone placed a seal on it and used it against me, but-"

"Aha! There you go!"

"Let me finish! Vengeance actively tried to kill him in battle. And to top it off, I killed him myself."

"Oh...not them, then. It's gotta be someone else..."

"Vengeance is loyal to me. Right, Vengeance?"

I held up my sword, which had returned to its sheath in my inventory.

[I am loyal to my wielder.]

Close enough...

"But what if you aren't his wielder?" Eris asked.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"You heard that?"

"Of course. He said it out loud, right?"

She might be divine by nature if she heard that... I forget that gods can hear them speak.

"Eh...sure. Why not? The only other person it might listen to is its maker. The Artificer."

"The Artificer...?"

"Yes. Is there something intriguing about him?"

"Nothing really...except that he tried to conquer Tanavol a while ago."

"Excuse me...?"

"Yeah. He sent about four or five weirdos to attack us, thinking we had plans to escape and cause a disaster. They claimed to be something called The Hero Party, I think. Anyway, this was about two thousand years ago. Kestel and I had to form a truce just to push them back. They only left after we convinced them that the Elder Core had no effect on us after leaving Tanavol. Ever since, we've considered the Artificer to be an enemy."

This was interesting news to me...

The Artificer had such people under his employ? 

Who knew he could be so dangerous...

And to be called 'The Hero Party'?

They might be a last resort measure if he's been keeping them a secret. Man, they would've been useful to have around...

"So...you said your sword was made by the Artificer? That's weird... It looks pretty similar to a weapon that the leader of The Hero Party used," Eris said with a smile.

"If that's the case, I wouldn't be surprised if their leader used it. Considering its purpose, that is... But still, the sword belongs to me. I'm not borrowing it. It's mine."

"Hm...I don't think it likes you saying that. See, this is what I mean. Your power is strong. Way stronger than anyone I've ever fought! But you're just an amalgamation of different abilities. A human mortal making a desperate attempt to get stronger. Kind of like a crazy wizard or something. You're far from perfect."

"And what's it to you!? Can you blame me!? I was born as a normal person! How is a regular guy supposed to slay an Abyssal god!? Tell me that!" I said angrily.

Eris continued as if she hadn't noticed my anger.

"You can't. Not as you are. Sure, if you kept destroying worlds, you might eventually get enough strength to take him on. But your weakness is staring everyone in the face. I only took a guess and nearly killed you in a single attack. What does that say? Anyone strong enough to break that shiny rock could kill the Destroyer. That's a problem, if you ask me."

"The Warlord Aspect gives me an ability called Instant Reaction. I can dodge just about any attack thrown my way on instinct. Combined with Isabella's defense-"

"That's worthless in the face of true strength and you know it. You didn't dodge my attack, did you? Maybe I was too fast? You aren't as quick as you'd like to believe. And using a sword that isn't even loyal doesn't help your case, either."

"Vengeance is loyal to me! End of story!"

"Suuuure... But you still haven't said anything about your other flaws."

"I never claimed to be perfect... I'm stronger than almost anyone and that's always been enough. Why does it matter to you, anyway?"

"Well...if you're going to be my successor, you need to he ready for everything to change. The Eye of Destruction, as well as the other Avatar Eyes, always reform those they attach themselves to. You will be no exception."

"I still haven't agreed to this!" I said angrily.

"Hmm...don't care. You'll be my successor whether you want to or not. You have no say in that."

"..."

I couldn't even be surprised anymore. The fact that this was what my life had amounted to was enough to drive me insane.

All I could do was wait for that day to come in slow motion.

However...there was one thing that I secretly looked forward to.

Perhaps it won't be all bad... If I get stronger as a result, I could potentially kill Difar with my new power. Although...I'll have to lure him to Tanavol, I guess...

* * * 

Several months passed as I remained on the floating fortress.

Every day, I would attempt to use my power to no avail. Eris had truly crippled me beyond anything I'd ever experienced.

The crack in the Heart of the World kept my HP permanently at 10%. Enough to not die to a paper cut, but not enough to fight.

Additionally, nearly all of my power escaped from the stone, rendering me helpless. 

I didn't get weaker, of course... The power I gained from leveling, my Aspects, and even the added bonuses given by Vengeance still remained.

But that power was unusable due to the unstable condition of my heart.

My physical prowess had been reduced to my original state.

I was brought back to my weakness before even awakening Vengeance.

The harsh reality that I was as weak as my thirteen-year-old self before fighting goblins in Lorelei was by far the most humiliating thing I had ever experienced... 

At the very least, I could still do things like cook. This seemed to greatly please Eris. Still...I couldn't train my skills or use magic. I was completely worthless right now.

She would occasionally take me down to the surface to give me tours of the 'beautiful' land she created. She was proud of her accomplishments.

If by accomplishments, she meant utterly ahnihilating any form of civilized society down here, then sure. She was more of a monster than I was.

Eris only seemed to destroy for the thrill of it. She didn't care about the greater good or about helping people. Only about how many pieces something she broke would shatter into.

And every single day...without fail...

She would repeat the same words to me.

"You're imperfect. The Eye of Destruction will make you whole again! Look forward to its glorious power and behold my might!"

As several more months passed again...I secretly began to do just that...

Yes...I would be the new Avatar of Destruction. 

And once I achieved that power, I would do everything I could to eliminate the need for the Elder Core.

In my spare time, I got to work on this.

It was funny, actually...

Even if I couldn't use magic, I could still make spells and get a feel for it. This meant that I could still experiment within my own mind and body without the need for test casting. 

Even if I had gotten rid of the chasm of magic, it was still very much alive within me. And the result was simple.

By the end of this, I would find a way to eliminate the need to be on Tanavol. 

I decided to never become like Eris. She was a sociopath and incredibly violent to a fault. 

I had gained a full understanding of her in my time here. Eris had absolutely no comprehension of romance or relationships. 

All she desired was the complete destruction of as many worlds as possible. She was just as much a threat to creation as Difar was...except that she was contained in Tanavol.

She saw me as being her idol. Her hero, who did the things she had long since desired to do. That is to say, destroying worlds and killing trillions of innocents.

For as much as I explained it to her, she never quite understood me. That my actions weren't intentional. They were merely a means to an end brought about by a complete lack of empathy for mortals.

My missing humanity and descent into insanity brought about by Abyssal Madness was the cause. I only sought to find the most efficient way of combating the Corruption and gaining power as quickly as possible. 

Destroying worlds and killing innocents by the millions. The exp gain from such a thing was enormous. Just enough to grant me the power I sought.

Eris only wanted to do it for fun. She was more likely to join Difar and help him out for the hell of it...then challenge him later and fight to the death as soon as she got bored.

I despised her...but I couldn't wait to steal her power.

As each day ticked away, I began to wonder when it would finally happen...

Apparently, she was waiting for the perfect moment. The stars had to align in just the right way for it to be possible.

Because apparently, this realm had stars. They weren't visible at all times due to the presence of the Crimson Moon and the power it radiated. It cast a shadow over the sky just by simply existing.

Still, I knew that the time would be any day now.

Soon, I would be another step closer to finally killing Difar forever.