Chapter 217: Message From Excelsis

After a particularly interesting night with Cassandra.

Who apparently had wild masochistic tendencies towards me...

I allowed myself to sleep under the watchful, yet terrifying gaze of Valtheim.

As I dreamed, I found myself floating in the place where I had died in the past.

That is to say...The Temple of the Oracle.

Instantly, I was on guard. The fires of my rage began to flare up.

I could see Rose glaring at me and I returned a menacing gaze.

"What is the meaning of this!?" I said angrily.

"I wish to talk," the Oracle said.

"GO FUCK YOURSELF!!!"

"Such language... Are you unwilling to hear my words?" The Oracle said.

"TAKE YOUR WORDS AND CHOKE ON THEM, YOU LYING MURDERER!!! BURN IN HELL!!!" I yelled.

"Grandma. Shall I execute him for his language?" Rose said.

"You do not have the power to do that right now. This is a spectre of his mind that I have conjured to speak with. Harming it would only force him to awaken. I would rather you didn't," The Oracle said.

"Of course, Grandma Oracle. I will stay my hand..." Rose said.

"Go to hell, Rose. You're dead to me, murderer," I said angrily.

"Tch... You murdered Walter and abducted my sister! You are a demon!" She said.

"How many times do I have to tell you that Cassandra came willingly? And Walter was a false wielder. I had no choice. Besides...YOU KILLED MY FAMILY AND DESTROYED AN ENTIRE WORLD, YOU IDIOT!!! WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE!?!?" I yelled.

She suddenly looked at the Oracle worriedly. The Oracle smiled.

"Rose, do not let him deter you. You saved that world from his grasp. Now, please leave us. I would speak to him alone," the Oracle said.

"As you wish..." Rose said.

She unsheathed her sword and slashed open a portal.

Before she walked in, she glared at me.

"You will die, false wielder. I'll hunt you down, Rose. You are a mockery of the wonderful person she was."

"I eagerly await your pitiful attempt," she said.

Then she was gone.

"Now then... May we talk freely?" The Oracle said.

"Die screaming, you damn liar! I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU APART!!!" I said angrily.

"So violent... But I suppose this is what I asked for. It seems as though you are progressing much better than before ever since I made your precious woman an enemy. Although...why do you ally yourself with the Source?" The Oracle asked.

"Shouldn't that be obvious?" I asked with a smile.

"It is not completely clear to me... I have been watching you, but I cannot understand..."

BY IRIS, HOW OUT OF TOUCH ARE YOU!?!?

"We're declaring war on you. You will die. Cain Difar might be my enemy, but he and I have found one solitary thing that we agree on. We want you dead. This reset loop has gone on long enough, Oracle. I'll make you suffer as many deaths as I have... You'll understand the pain and despair that I went through. All of it."

The Oracle seemed to ponder something.

"Then you are truly lost. To think you would rebel against me...and bite the hand that feeds you, as it were. I will admit, this has never happened. And I am also torn... I wish to execute you and start over again, yet you are finally following the philosophy of your sword. Why now? Why did you wait so long?" She asked.

"That question doesn't even make sense. I lost my memories every time I died. I wasn't waiting, I was suffering under your idiotic plan! You have no idea what the situation is really like! You still deny the existence of Valtheim, don't you?" I said.

The Oracle gritted her teeth.

"SILENCE!!! I WILL HEAR NO MORE OF THIS VALTHIEIM!!! THIS CREATURE ISN'T REAL!!! SHE IS AN ILLUSION CREATED BY THE SOURCE!!!" She yelled.

I smiled.

"Your ignorance will be your undoing. When we finally arrive to take your head, you'll see," I said.

"Fool! My eyes detect no such creature!"

"Are you an idiot? Of course you can't see her. She can't be detected by anything or anyone until they witness her presence firsthand. She isn't just the Avatar of the Void, she IS the Void. Trying to detect her remotely is like looking for a black hole in space. You look as hard as you can, but it appears as though nothing is really there."

Suddenly the Oracle froze in place as her mouth hung open.

And I smiled even wider.

"You saw something, didn't you? While watching Difar. The warping and destruction of matter in his vicinity. I'm sure Rose has also mentioned Valtheim. She fought her, you know?" I said.

"Preposterous. I refuse to believe it!" The Oracle said angrily.

"Choosing not to believe doesn't make her any less real. She's there. Always lurking, always watching. And currently, none of us have any means of killing her."

"I have had enough of your arrogant words, Chosen Hero. I-"

"MY NAME IS MIZIK!!! GET IT RIGHT, YOU VILE ORACLE!!! I never wanted to be your stupid hero! That title is ridiculous!"

"Mizik...I will give you an offer. When Rose comes to Ignitus, you will go with her. Do this, and we will spare that world."

"Take your offer and SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS!!!" I screamed.

"So be it. Right now I am having her destroy Avernia. Soon, you'll have nowhere else to run. So play your little game. Run all you like... You cannot escape my eyes, Mizik. I will continue watching, always," she said.

Finally...something in me snapped.

"Ha...hahahahaha.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! ORACLE!!! I COULDN'T ASK FOR A BETTER REASON TO KILL YOU!!!! I'LL DESTROY YOU!!!! I'LL DESTROY IT ALL!!!! I'LL KILL EVERYONE YOU LOVE!!! I'M GOING TO BURN EVERYTHING TO THE GROUND!!!! YOU HEAR ME!? EXCELSIS WILL BURN!!! AND I WILL HAVE VENGEANCE!!!"

She paused as I spoke.

"What have you become...?"

"A Great Disaster."

The Oracle froze up as I spoke the words that came naturally to me.

"Hahahahaha! This is what you get! YOU MADE ME!!! I'LL DESTROY EVERYTHING!!! AND ONCE I GET MY STRENGTH BACK, YOU'LL BE POWERLESS TO STOP ME!!! I AM YOUR CREATION, ORACLE, AND I WILL BE YOUR DOOM!!!"

Her face twisted in anger.

"BEGONE WITH YOU!!!" She roared.

She clutched her hand at me and everything faded.

* * *

I awoke in bed with Cassandra still clinging onto me.

She was drooling on my chest and I shook her.

"Nnnn...Miziiiik...moooore..." She said.

Now is not the time.

I shook her again and she opened her eyes.

"Ah...Mizik!? I was just having the most wonderful dream! But the real thing is so much better!" She said sleepily.

"Get up and get dressed. We have a situation," I said.

"Yes!"

After we were both dressed, I looked around.

"Valtheim," I said.

She appeared.

"Awaiting...orders..."

"Take us to the meeting room of the Enforcer HQ. Bring Difar, the Enforcers, Iris, the awakened Overlords, Rune, and Vakra."

"I...obey..."

Then we sank into her shadows and reappeared in the meeting room.

Minutes later, everyone was brought in.

Jallah had actually recovered, so he was here too. Rune, of course, was with him.

Elizabeth and Michael were actually dressed...surprisingly..."

"What's going on here!?" Iris said.

"We have an emergency," I said.

"One that warrants bothering us? What, is Kyriel pregnant or something?" Difar asked.

"NO, DIFAR!!! At least...I hope not..." I looked at her and she averted her eyes.

"It would be inconvenient... But an honor!" She said.

"Whatever... Not the time. And her name is Cassandra. Anyway, the Oracle spoke to me in a dream, everyone," I said.

"Oooh. Do tell. How interesting. Yeah..." Difar said sarcastically.

"Shut up, Difar. And there's a problem. Rose has gone to destroy Avernia just like Delvandal. Soon, she's going to come here," I said.

Iris looked panicked.

"W-we absolutely have to stop her! There's no way I will allow her to do such a thing!" Iris said.

"Of course. But there's a catch. The Oracle said she would spare this world if I went along with her peacefully," I said.

"Absolutely not. I mean, she's obviously going to have you killed, right? I won't go back to Lorelei and I'll fight as hard as I can to prevent it," Difar said.

"Awfully noble of you, Difar..." I said.

"Don't mistake my intentions. I'm helping you now so that I can kill you later. PERMANANTLY! After all, what are enemies for?" He said.

I saw Iris thinking for a moment.

"Look, Iris. I know that it seems like a good idea to just hand me over... But do you really think Rose will spare this world?" I asked.

"I don't know... And you're really too smart for your own good... It's tempting."

"She killed my family because they had ties to me. They weren't even involved. Vakra said that she had been told about Delvandal. That it was under my control. That, alone, was grounds for her to destroy it," I said.

"Do you think Rose would go back on her word?" Iris asked.

I just rolled my eyes.

"No offense, Iris. But it's naive to believe that she would simply relent just because we did as we were told. Loose ends and all. Not to mention, Rose is likely not the one choosing to destroy these worlds. Although she seems to believe it is the best option," I said.

"I suppose you are correct... Even if you are a bit harsh..." Iris said.

"I'm just being honest. Rose has obviously gone mad with power and she seems to think that she's a hero of some kind. One that brings justice to the wicked. That presents a problem for us."

"What do you mean? We aren't evil. That much should be obvious," Leiso said.

"As right as you are, that part is unfortunately irrelevant. Rose has declared that I'm the enemy because of the lies the Oracle has filled her head with. It's her perspective. To her, I'm the ultimate evil and all who stand next to me are just as guilty of my sins."

"Ah...my darling is so smart! He's mine! No one can have him but me!" Cassandra said as she grabbed my arm.

"Ugh...no one is trying to take him from you, Kyriel..." Difar said.

Elizabeth cleared her throat.

"...in other words, she'll attack us regardless of our real alignment?" Iris said.

"Yes. That is the truth."

"And if you are brought before the Oracle, she'll kill you just like she did last time. And if you die..."

"Then everything gets reset. The war on Ignitus will still continue again and again indefinitely. Although, based on Vakra's knowledge of the reset and its way of functioning...you might be screwed forever if that happens," I said.

"Is this because of what happened with me and this Abyss Engine thing?" Jallah said.

"No actual relation to the Abyss. I can assure you of that," Difar said.

"Precisely, Jallah. The Abyss Engine is destined to happen in this world. If I don't make it to Ignitus next time, you'll all be killed by the Overlords once they get it working. There's also the matter of the last Overlord..." I said.

"What do you mean...last Overlord?" Iris asked.

"Last time, Yakon was killed by Kazuma after he failed to slay the Enforcers as well as...Isabella and I. This was to make room for another Overlord named Draiko. He held an Ultra Aspect. The Vampire."

Iris' expression turned grim.

She knew exactly what this meant.

"I...I see... It seems like our world is doomed, then... Our only option is to kill Rose..." She said.

Since a world only reset if it was affected by my presence or the Corruption, that meant one thing.

Since there was no guarantee that I would even make it to Ignitus every time, history would continue forward until I entered that world...essentially dooming it forever and possibly meaning the death of the Enforcers and Iris, herself.

Potentially multiple times or even permanently.

There was a lot at stake for Iris.

And me as well...

If I permanently lost access to Iris and her power to grant us our Aspects, the reset loop would continue forever without end. I would just be escaping Avernia every time to die at the hands of the Overlords and their horrific experiments over and over again...

"You can consider us your permanent allies, then. No matter what, everyone must make sure that Mizik stays alive," Iris said.

"I'm glad to hear it, Iris," I said.

"Awesome! Now then, who wants to go talk to Rose and tell her the news?" Difar said.

Before I could respond, I felt a truly oppressive and radiant power nearby...

"Damn it all..." I said angrily.

"Valtheim, prepare the contingency plan I came up with. Everyone in this room must survive no matter the cost. Especially Mizik. If one of us is about to die, pull them to the specified location," Difar said.

"Specified location?" I asked.

"You'll see, Mizik. You'll see..." He said.

Damn cryptic bastard...

"Until then, Valtheim, take us to meet our enemy head on," Difar said.

"I...obey..." Valtheim said.

Then we were quickly moved by Valtheim's Void shadows.

And as we emerged, I could tell already that something here was very wrong...