Book IX Finale
Chapter LXXIV
Malos got up off the ground, and took a long look around.
Everything around him was white, he couldn't tell where it began, or where it ended.
"So this is it huh?" he asked aloud. "Do you just think this is funny?"
"A bit sad, actually," a voice behind him answered. "You've never had goals or a will of your own, have you?"
"What are you talking about?" Malos questioned him as he turned to face him.
"Even through recreation, you retain the memories and the will of your original driver. Five hundred years after his death by Jin's hand and you still can't shake his philosophy from your mind."
"Well not everyone can be as bright and perfect as you seem to be, eh Ontos?"
Adamas sighed, "I go by Adamas now, if you don't mind. And perfection is far from my goal. What is your goal, Malos?"
Malos chuckled and gave him his signature half smile. "I want this world to be free from the sin of these miserable humans."
"You must have misunderstood," Adamas corrected, "I asked about your goals, not his."
"So what if our goals are the same? Maybe he just had the right of it this whole time!"
"Wouldn't that make your time with Jin nothing more than a joke?" Adamas questioned.
Malos shook his head, "He wanted the destruction just as much as I did!"
"Your logic is flawed, when he killed Amalthus, he had the most satisfied smile in the world as he passed away," Adamas corrected. "Amalthus' ideals are what caused him the pain you saw in his eyes, and you told him exactly what he wanted to hear, and so he listened. He had seen the world evolve from chaos for years, and it was your idea, the very one that took Lora away from him, that somehow made sense to him. Ironic, isn't it?"
Malos drew his sword. "So you think you can just waltz in here and tell me what he wanted. I never thought a being like you could have this amount of stuck up pride!"
"...And I never would have pinned the Aegis of Logic to bury truth in emotion, yet here we are."
Malos charged at Adamas, but as he swung down, he was parried by a very long, thin sword, one he recognized.
"Hello Malos, I trust you haven't forgotten me," the man who parried him said.
https/youtu.be/GlHBmlnYFe0
The man had white hair, silver eyes, a bright red core crystal in his forehead, and he was wearing a black... outfit with cyan energy flowing through it
"Jin?!" Malos exclaimed. "But… you're dead! This is just a trick from him isn't it?!"
"In a sense, yes," Jin answered. "I was materialized through the data in your core crystal, so while I exist only in here, I am no more real than the day I died."
"Well if that's the case, then can I have your confirmation?" Malos asked. "The world should end, just like we had planned, right?"
Jin shook his head. "I had wanted an answer from the Architect on why he created this miserable world, but I never got an answer from him, I got it from Rex."
"The kid? What answer could he have possibly given you to make you change your mind? You'd lost everything!"
"I had, but I had also gained you as a friend," Jin answered. "I had thought blades were nothing more than slaves, doomed to fall with human judgement and corruptness, but Rex said something that I hadn't ever thought about."
"An answer," Malos questioned.
As Malos looked on, he could see in the past. Rex was fighting Jin with a bright green sword, the same one Mythra used to calm Silas down after he had lost Nia.
"That power comes from the Architect. Why do you wield it for mortals' sake?" Jin asked him.
"To get to Elysium!" Rex answered.
Malos laughed. "That kid had the craziest goals."
"And then what?" Jin continued. "Open it up to humans?! Share it up between them?!"
"Do you even need to ask? Obviously!" Rex responded.
"And then what?! Can't you see where that leads?"
"What are you saying?!" Rex asked.
"Humans will make Elysium into another Morytha! Just as they did five hundred year ago with Torna!"
"I won't let that happen!" Rex yelled as he charged at Jin.
Jin slashed back relentlessly. "And after you die? What then? Who will stop the inevitable?"
"Isn't that… isn't that the reason you blades exist?!" Rex questioned as he pulled back, balancing his stance. "And when I'm not around to stand by you in that effort, SOMEONE ELSE WILL!"
Rex charged at Jin again, knocking the sword out of his hand.
"That's right. When a person dies, that's it for them." Rex continued. "But their thoughts and memories will always be passed down to someone else. Isn't that the same with you blades?"
"Do you see?" Jin asked Malos. "He didn't want to ask the Architect a question, he wanted to check the answer he came up with himself."
"It's a convincing argument, I'll give him that, but what if I told you that the world was already on a war path straight for Morytha?" Malos questioned.
Jin smiled. "Then I'd ask you to find someone who wants to stand by you in the effort to make sure that doesn't happen."
"Then prove you're confident in your answer!" Malos yelled as he charged at Jin, slamming his sword into him.
As Malos charged, however, he was hit from behind by Jin. He had forgotten Jin's power, his speed.
"Come on Malos, not everything needs to be settled with violence. Save your energy for the fight ahead, I want you to go… and continue to fight in my place. It's what I want, and what Lora would've wanted."
"I can't," Malos said, his voice cracking. "I can't go on without you… not without hearing his voice in my head!"
"Then break free, stop living in his shadow," Jin commanded him. "Be at peace, my friend."
With those words, Jin disappeared from in front of him, and Malos felt empty.
"Or you could continue to carry out the Architect's will in my name," a new voice said from behind him.
"What are you doing here?" Malos questioned in a threatening tone.
The man with blue skin and white hair walked in front of him and lifted Malos' chin up.
"Oh Malos, you'd have to be a fool if you thought I couldn't exist in this world, after all, this world exists inside yourself."
"Get back!" Malos shouted as he shoved Amalthus backwards and drew his sword again.
However, he was shocked when Amalthus drew Malos' Monado as well.
"What is this?" Malos interrogated.
"Oh Malos, didn't you know?" Amalthus inquired. "You never let go of me as your driver, I'll always be the one pulling the strings in your life."
https/youtu.be/v6JvQZpDHws
"You think so?" Malos questioned. "I've played one side since my resonance, and I think I've had enough."
"So you think you can break me off that easily? Oh Malos, you've always been such a fool."
"You're damn right, it's time I fix that."
Malos closed in and clashed against him with everything he had, but Amalthus stood firm.
"Monado Buster!" Malos shouted as he slammed into him again, throwing him back.
"Sacred Arrow!" Amalthus proclaimed as arrows of light fell down from above, puncturing Malos with light ether.
"You can't hope to defeat me!" Amalthus laughed. "My power is greater than yours."
Malos chuckled. "Don't make me laugh!"
Before Amalthus could react, Malos was behind him. He went for a strike, however he was blocked off as a bunch of ethereal tentacles threw him back.
Amalthus was now covered in the skin of a titan, with multiple blue tentacles coming out around him as he held Malos' blade.
"So you were a blade eater as well? Should've guessed," Malos said in realization.
"God Rage!" Amalthus uttered as he was wrapped in flames that shot out towards Malos, sending him into the air.
He then continued his onslaught as an ethereal tentacle slammed Malos into the ground.
Malos stood up quickly as his core crystal began shining brilliantly.
"Monado Eater!" he shouted as a wave of destructive energy began dissolving Amalthus' tentacles.
"I'm not done yet!" Malos said as we closed in again, slashing at him.
Amalthus slashed back with the Monado, locking blades with Malos.
Malos launched himself into the air as he tried to hit Amalthus with a downward strike. Amalthus regenerated his tentacles as he slammed it upwards, knocking Malos back to the ground.
Malos jumped up again and used his intense speed to seemingly teleport himself around Amalthus, slashing him in multiple spots.
However, Amalthus used his tentacles to block most of the blows. But Malos' destructive properties caused his tentacles once again to dissolve, and he was pushing Amalthus to his limit.
"Reincarnation!" Amalthus announced as he hit Malos with an ether-absorbing blow in an attempt to heal himself.
However, Amalthus realized he was dissolving even faster.
"What have you done?!" Amalthus shouted in agitation.
Malos chuckled. "My ether doesn't heal, driver. I thought you'd of all people would know that. I was given one purpose by the architect, however I'm about to use that destruction for something new, and I'll need you to kindly stay out of my way."
"You insolent little-" Amalthus started, but was soon cut off by Malos' attack.
"Monado Cyclone!" he yelled out as a huge wave of destructive energy blew from underneath him, throwing Amalthus to the ground.
Malos came in for the kill, but Amalthus had one more tentacle ready, he blocked the slash and flung Malos into the air.
Malos seemingly teleported out of the air with a big smile one his face.
Before Amalthus could react, he heard Malos' voice from behind him.
"Striker Edge," he whispered as he gashed his former driver across the back.
"You traitorous scum!" Amalthus said in seething anger as he turned around to slash Malos with the Monado.
As the blade came crashing down towards Malos' core crystal, he caught it in his hand, and shattered it into pieces.
"You have no power over me anymore," Malos stated. "Now I will live my own life, and you can rot where Jin left you."
With nothing left to say, Malos plunged his blade into Amalthus' skull.
"So are you ready to return?" Adamas asked from behind him.
Malos smiled. "Do you really think I can do it? Can I make an effect that will change this world like Jin wanted?"
"That decision is up to you, Malos," Adamas replied simply.
"Alright, then in that case I'd like to head back."
"Well then what are you waiting for? I said it was up to you, simply wake up," Adamas instructed him.
...
"His core crystal… it's glowing," Acacia pointed out.
Gabriel, Rafi, and the blades had all woken up from their dirt nap, and KOS-MOS and T-Elos were back to their normal selves. The E.S. Dinah and Magdalene were nowhere to be found, and Silas had been sitting in silence the entire time, not reacting to anyone at all.
"What should we do?" Rafi questioned aloud.
Acacia thought for a moment, before deciding to touch his core crystal.
KOS-MOS immediately stood up, ready to strike Malos at any second if he acted out of line.
As Acacia touched his core crystal, it began shining brightly as Malos opened his eyes to see his driver.
Wordlessly, he stood up, with his sword in hand. He looked Acacia dead in the eyes, as neither of them said a word.
He then went down on one knee and held up his sword with both of his hands.
"I am no longer bound to my last driver, I ask that you take my blade once more, and allow me to stand by you so that we can ensure that this world will never become like Morytha," he said simply.
Acacia sighed as she grabbed his sword and looked it up and down. Malos raised his head to look at her, and as he did she drove the handle into the side of his head, knocking him down flat.
"How about an 'I'm sorry Acacia for being a total fucking dick and threatening your lives', huh? Yeesh it's like you grew up in a barn, honestly!" Acacia scolded, obviously annoyed.
Malos stood up, a little dazed, and laughing a bit.
"What's so funny?" Acacia asked, clearly pissed off.
He stopped laughing and gave her a smile. "It's good to be back."
Acacia stopped for a second and glared at him, but then she let out a long sigh. "...It's good to have you back."
"Right, then our next objective is Mythra and Mira," I jutted in, standing up and perfectly fine.
"You have some explaining to do yourself!" Acacia said, starting to yell at him too. "You really picked quite the convenient time to make an entrance! How about showing up a few minutes earlier next time, huh?!"
"Some explanation would be nice," Gabriel added. "I don't have the foggiest idea as to what in the blazes happened with you either."
"Are you sure?" I asked… nobody? Well at least they didn't know who I was talking to.
"Ummm…. Is Silas alright?" Rafi questioned.
"We have one day before we need to make the move… ok good, that should be plenty of time," I said, carrying on a one-sided conversation. "I can transport them back? Are you sure I don't need to worry about whiplash or anything? Ok I'll be mindful of that."
"Silas I swear to the Architect if you don't-" Acacia started before being interrupted by a sudden change in atmosphere, they were back in Leftheria.
"Alright guys we have twenty four hours before we need to move so I'm gonna explain what happened, so take a seat," I said. "It's gonna be a long story…."
Readability Level: 11-12th Grade
Time Taken: 3 Hours