A Collection Of Other Adventures
Rescue From Link VRAINS
Date: December 7, 2022
I wake up from the most annoying and unexpected sound possible at this point. Ai shouting at me through the live call feature on my phone: "Hey, meatbag! Wake up! MEATBAG!" I groan as I get out of my sleeping bag and note that it's still dark outside and my eyes hurt a little bit. I get up and get my phone out: "What in the world do you want, Ai? I was sleeping. We have a tough battle ahead of us, here in Midgard. And I like getting my normal sleep preferably without any interruptions." "Oh I'm sorry, meatbag but we're finally getting close to getting those 3 meatbags who randomly showed up to Link VRAINS back to where you are!" "Are you serious?! Please tell me you didn't just wake me up to tell me that. Because if you did, that's really petty of you and only useful in increasing your amusement. I swear, you and a life form known as Cluu would drive each other crazy." "Oh poo, you humans are no fun sometimes. Yes, I didn't just wake you up to annoy you by telling you that early! We need your help!" "What do you need my help for? I have no magic right now, almost no control over the power inside of me, and no actual know how to build portals or anything like that!" "I'm not telling you! Just hurry on up over here! Or do you want your new friends and you to die today?" "Okay okay. I get it. But I'm eating, drinking, and using the bathroom before I head over to Link VRAINS. Is there anything else you want from me today? Again, kinda on the verge of battling the Dark Lord in the ancient and creepy city of Glast Heim," "Sadly, no. Now hurry on up over here, you meatbag!" I disconnect the call. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. On our phones, we can start an emergency video call with someone else if necessary. It means the recipient has no choice but to go through with the video call as the emergency forces their phone to accept it automatically.
Our BRAINS phones are nothing short of amazing, they out compute and perform 5G phones from my crappy world by a mile. And I get another emergency call. By this point, I left the tent I was in so no one would get woken up just yet. It's from Revolver and he says: "Hello there, Swiftdrawer. The Dark Ignis forgot to mention something very important. We've consulted with experts in all kinds of transportation methods, magical, scientific, you name it. We have learned that we need magic from Midgard to be performed at the same time as actions done here which we'll discuss when you get here." "Of course he forgot to mention that. I'll be on my way soon. But I'll have to take care of myself and wake up the others first." "I'll leave it to you then. Be seeing you very soon. Don't let us down." The call ends and I wake up the others. Soon, they all have their eyes on me as I say: "Sorry for waking all of you up but they're close to bringing Takius, Iruga, and Keough back to this world. But it requires the use of Midgardian magic in this world in order to be pulled off. That means magic has to be used by at least one of you at the same time as stuff that is done in Link VRAINS." Varmundt asks: "Is there anything else you know about the situation? I've been informed as to what happened." "Well, I have to go to the world of Link VRAINS. Herbsalvin, while I'm away, can you explain anything that anyone here needs to know about all of this because they don't know about it?" They nod: "Yes, I will." "Great! But before any of us do anything, we should eat. I hate having to wake y'all up early like this but there was no choice. I was yelled at to wake up. Anyway. Lord Knight Swiftdrawer, you have a BRAINS phone and solid understanding of it now, yes?" "I made sure to study it as much as I could." "Excellent. Things might go to plan without any issues after all. That's one matter settled. I'll call you later, please answer it and hit the project button so everything going on in Link VRAINS can be shared with all of the others."
They nod and we all quickly have breakfast. It is decided that some of the team will keep watch and get in contact with the rest of the force going to Glast Heim today. In the meantime, I first teleport to Twisted Land which is much much much closer to Den City and say out loud in the park: "It's time to link into the VRAINS!" Seconds later, I'm in Link VRAINS on my duel board, ready for anything. Playmaker finds me quickly: "Swiftdrawer, you're here. Come with me, we're gathered inside the restricted area of Link VRAINS." "I will." So with that, I enjoy AI's commentary (he is binded with Playmaker's duel disk again) as we head to the restricted zone. Playmaker leads me to the center where the others are gathered. Spectre grins: "You've brought Swiftdrawer very quickly, Playmaker. It's so exciting! We must finish preparations immediately!" I change my appearance to reflect my appearance outside of Link VRAINS as he replies: "Yes, I managed to find them very quickly. It was also helpful that I could track them in here by looking for the signature of Pendulum monsters." "So basically summoning energy." That's when Reiji shows himself and shifts his glasses: "Summoning energy, indeed." "We better hurry this up as best as we can. The Dark Lord gained a lot of power yesterday from Geffen Tower." "Rest assured, we're doing everything we can here to send them back. And we read the report of what happened yesterday. It is troubling." "What report? I haven't written any mission reports about the mission!" Dominic yawns: "I wrote it. Next time, don't forget to write mission reports. Ugh. I'm tired." "You're here too? I'm so sorry! Who else is here?" "Every scientist and portal opening spellcaster in BRAINS and our allies." "Then why the hell do you need me here instead of Geffen?" Leo Akaba walks up to us: "I believe I should explain." "I agree. Go ahead, father." "That's fine. I'm going to work on making final adjustments to the machine and then take a nice nap. The duplicate of it should be right outside of Geffen very soon."
"Can everyone stop being vague? Even I don't always understand vague! But yeah, please explain, Leo." "Very well. We've been here for days tinkering with every possible solution any of us could come up with. I proposed a reactor like my Arc V reactor but that idea was quickly scrapped. But after some trial and error, we were able to finally open a millimeter sized portal using a duel monsters card and a spell cast by Takius. That's why you're here. You will be the duelist on this side who summons monsters of every single summoning method possible. To make sure it can be done, the Leo Corporation in cooperation with Sol Technologies and Industrial Illusions has created 2 copies of a special field spell based on the Seal Of Orichalcos card." "Why do you need me specifically to draw out all that summoning energy?" "Your deck is designed for summoning through multiple methods in a short time. Additionally, Takius, Keough, and Iruga do not trust us completely and have little confidence or understanding in this plan. You have spent a lot of time with those they care about, are a knight, and used to be a mage. We believe you are best suited to earning their trust." "I see. Where are they? I'll go talk to them." "Just over there. Unagami and Milton Dyer are trying to earn their full trust as we speak. They're the last to try of us all." "Okay, thank you. Y'all should finish the preparations. But prey do tell, did you send anyone to Midgard? I assume both magic and summoning energy are required in Midgard too." "You are correct. We sent Yusei Fudo." "Excellent choice. He's serious but he's kind and works great with people of all ages. I didn't know he mastered all summoning methods." "We were just as unaware as you were until 3 days ago. I happened to be in Neo Domino, looking for more solutions to the ongoing situation when I saw Yusei Fudo battle in a exhibition match against Jack Atlas. I stayed to watch. He summoned Synchro, Fusion, Pendulum, Xyz, Ritual, Link, and Maximum monsters."
"Even Maximum summoning? Wow. That wasn't even programmed to go with Solid Vision, Link VRAINS, or Arc Combat until we made it happen some time ago. I recently designed with a lot of aid, a Artist Maximum monster." "Yes, Dominic told us about that." We go off to do our own things. I go to the 3 Midgardians here in Link VRAINS as Unagami and Dyer head elsewhere. Unagami says to me in passing: "You're finally here. I hope you can achieve what even we could not. We'll go help with the final preparations now." I nod and walk calmly with a serious/kind expression on my face to Takius, Iruga, and Keough. Iruga looks at me suspiciously: "Where did you come from? We haven't seen you around here before." "I came from your world during a mission to save it, leaving our friends there to prepare for the revived Dark Lord." "Why should we trust you?" "Iruga, we should give this person a chance." "I agree. This one seems to have no malevolent intentions either." "I'll trust your judgement, Keough. Everyone we've met so far doesn't truly know what we've been through." "Listen, I'm not going to make you trust me but hear me out. The Dark Lord is back. I saw him. He tried to turn me into a servant of his the same way he did to you, Keough. He failed. I escaped. There isn't much time left. We have to hurry back. A large force has gathered to confront the Dark Lord and his monsters. I've been traveling in Midgard for almost an entire week. In that time, I have helped and been helped by your friends. I know what it's like to lose someone you love. My mom died almost 10 months ago. I can't believe she's gone, even now. I'm not asking for your empathy, I'm keeping on with life despite all the problems going on. Iruga, Roan has become a even stronger protector as a Paladin. Yufa is now a High Priestess. Maya, Judia, and the 2 kids that enjoyed their party have all changed their jobs too. Judia has a son named Iruga Jr. who is being well taken care of." After some more conversation including mentioning my time as a shadow mage and user of fire magic alongside bringing up my conviction, I manage to earn their trust. With that trust earned, we can begin the duel.
I gesture them to follow me. They do so and Dominic comes to me and hands me a card: "Take this and use Artist's Eye to add it to your hand right away." "What is it?" "The card you need to summon 8 monsters through different summoning methods and still having room for more. I can't wait to take a nap. Go on the platform on the side of that ugly machine. It's not pretty but I don't care about pretty. Too tiring and time consuming. It's a duel arena. There's an identical one in Geffen where Yusei is standing and patiently waiting. Go on, I really need a nap and you need to help defeat the Dark Lord!" "You're right. Iruga, Takius, and Keough. Come with me. Let me show you the magic of Duel Monsters." They agree to and now we're on a platform taking us up as I quickly explain elevators. When we reach the top, the platform stops and we hop off. I activate my duel disk and the arena automatically synchronizes with it. Additionally, I send my counterpart a video call request. They accept and I hit the project button so now, everyone can see what's on the other side. Lord Knight Swiftdrawer is positioned opposite of Yusei. Thanks to their projection, we're able to see and hear a lot more just as they do after I adjust the camera away from me. "Adam, are you ready to rev it up with this duel?" "It's great to see you. And I sure am. But this duel is different. Oh look at that, a screen has appeared in front of me to explain. We're going to be facing each other in a non battling style of dueling called Infinite Duel. 2 or more duelists don't battle each other. They instead try to win appraisal points by pulling off the best moves they can. During a turn, they can draw as many cards as they want but summoning rules still apply except for one. You are allowed to normal summon as many times as you want. And there are no life points. The duels end when both duelists run out of cards and moves to make. Action cards will be dispersed but they aren't needed. The default action field for this is Crossover. This style of play uses the Master Duel format with both the Extra Monster Zone and Pendulum Zones available we have become used to. Okay then, you go first."
"I will! It's my move! I summon Junk Synchron, Sonic Chick, Quillbolt Hedgehog, Speed Warrior, and Turbo Booster! Now, I activate the field spell, Seal Of Infinity! It allows me to summon monsters to the spell and trap zones! However, I must pay 1000 life points to do so every time and when a monster that is there is sent to the graveyard, I take 500 points of damage. But there's no need to be worried about that, my friends! I now rev up my circuit far beyond the limits of possibility! To Link summon this solar might, I need 2 level 3 or lower monsters! I set Turbo Booster and Quillbolt Hedgehog into the Link markers! I Link summon! Link 3! Stardust Burst Dragon! Next, Quillbolt Hedgehog's effect returns him to the field because I have a tuner on my field! I activate my skill, Stardust Road! Bring upon us the power of speed, Formula Synchron! Now, I activate Stardust Fusion! With it, I can summon a Star or Junk fusion monster using monsters from my hand and/or field! I fuse Quillbolt Hedgehog, Junk Servant, and Junk Lancer to fuse summon! Arise from beyond the cosmos and grace us with your mighty strength, Shooting Quantum Dragon! But that's not all! Level 3 Junk Synchron tunes Level 2 Speed Warrior! I Synchro summon! Let's rev it up! Come forth, Junk Warrior! Now, I summon a 2nd Junk Synchron! *synchro summons Stardust Dragon* And now, Stardust is here! *synchro summons Shooting Star Dragon with Stardust and Formula Synchron* If you think it's over, you're mistaken! I activate Monster Reborn to bring bring Stardust Dragon! Now is the time. I summon Stardust Knight! Stardust Knight's effect activates! When I have 2 or more synchro monsters in the graveyard, I can change the levels of him and up to 2 other monsters on my field to be the same as a Synchro monster on my field! I choose Stardust, him, and Sonic Chick to change to Shooting Star's Level 10! I overlay my 3 level 10 monsters! Let's rev it up! I Xyz summon! From the depths of worlds and spaces unknown comes a dragon that shines light to all who see their majestic might."
All of us watch on in awe as this happens. Dominic gets to where I am with the Midgardians and says quickly before Yusei reveals his Xyz monster: "When you have the ultimate form of Regnes summoned after summoning the others, we'll have Takius, Varmundt, and everyone else cast magical attacks at the same time. That should open the portal which will be channeled through the arenas. I need a nap even more now." "Good to know. Thank you." We turn our attention back to Yusei: "Emerge from up above, Stardust Shining Dimension Dragon! But I still have a long road to go! I activate Junk Ritual! It allows me to sacrifice monsters from my hand or field or banish monsters from my graveyard in order to ritual summon a Junk ritual monster! I banish Stardust Dragon in order to Ritual summon! Show the power of scrap that has been thrown away by claiming victory over your enemies! Assemble into one mighty force, Junk Giant! Now, I set the Pendulum scale with scale 1 Junk Collector and scale 9 Stardust Guardian! I can summon monsters with levels between 2 and 8 simultaneously! I Pendulum summon! Protect those in need and bring hope to this world, Stardust Paladin Dragon! Now, the cost for summoning 3 monsters is negated as I summon 3 more! I summon the Maximum monsters: Stardust Swordsman, Junk Grandmother, and Junk Grandfather! Now, I combine them to Maximum summon! When 3 become one, a new power is born. From 3 comes a force that few can stand up to! I Maximum summon! Put an end to all suffering, Shooting Star MAXIMUM Dragon! Now, I summon Junk Forward and another Junk Servant and tribute them. Rise into action, Quickdraw Synchro Captain!" Leo and the others get onto the arena I'm on as well. He says: "Excellent, Yusei Fudo. Enough summoning energy has and will be gathered to open the portal on your side. Users of magic, please wait till the summonings are done and over on this side. It's your turn, Adam. Do not fail."
"I have no intentions of doing so! It's my turn! Be ready to see a most creative performance that will make your heart beat with excitement as your brain is filled with dopamine and more as all that floods your body, nervous system included! It'll wow you, it'll terrify you, it'll confuse you, and it'll make you happy! And now to begin the composition of the collage that will make this happen! Haaaa! As a knight, it is my duty to protect and bring smiles to others! I swear by my sword that this artistic performance will be my best! Let's go! I set the Pendulum scale! *proceeds to summon the 6 usual* This is normally where I'd stop but I have more Artists to bring into the collage to make it more detailed and beautiful! Not to mention increase the integrity of the whole design! I Pendulum summon 3 new Artists! I can do this because I already activated Seal Of Infinity earlier after Pendulum summoning! Jump on in with the powers of horror and digital art guiding your way, Horror Artist Axe Wielding Axel, Digital Artist Nagos, and Ice Carving Artist Chillislogo! And now, just like when mixing different colors of paint into one, I combine them to Maximum summon! The fundamental design principals and elements of art are guiding terms that enforce the enacting of the power of imagination. Form together with them in mind, Digital Artist Master Werbgonmas! *tribute summons a monster* My 8 are here but one has to evolve. I activate Rank Up Magic Numbers Force! Regnes, it's time to show your true power and terror! *summons Number 916's greatest form* The composition is complete!" Seconds later, a signal is given and set off. Takius, Keough, Iruga, Roan, Maya, Judia, Yufa, Swiftdrawer, Varmundt, and Seyren among others use magic at the same time. "Frost Diver!" "Holy Cross!" "Lightning Bolt!" "Charge Arrow!" "Sonic Blow!" "Magnum Break!" "Lion Roar!" "Endure!" "Turn Undead!" "Cart Revolution!" The portal opens right in front of us.
By this point, Takius, Iruga, and Keough have accepted all of us after seeing all of that card action. Spectre urges them in: "Go on! The portal won't stay open long! It's unstable! But to keep it open longer, I manifest my circuit!" Takius turns to us: "So this is goodbye. Thank you for helping us so much. Our new destinies have been saved by all of you working together." Ai replies: "So long, Midgardian meatbags!" "Ai, be nice." "But I am, Playmaker!" Go laughs: "Your arguing never gets old!" "What did you just say?! You think this is funny?!" "You want a piece of me, porkchop? Come and get me, I'll crush you with Gouki strength!" "Haha, you should see the looks on your faces, I was just kidding! Meatbag is just a force of habit! Oh glitch, my software is feeling tickled!" "Ai, stop messing around. Takius, this isn't goodbye. It's see you again later. We'll be in touch. It's been nice to meet you 3." "Oh look Ai, your partner has had more character growth than you've had." "Shut it, Flame!" Keough speaks: "You've been very interesting to meet. I hope we meet again soon." Iruga adds: "We have a mission to do. It's our duty to banish the Dark Lord. I also thank you. I've never been so confused in my life ever since the times before I became an assassin." Go replies: "I hope my tips for becoming stronger will help and that I taught you some Gouki spirit even though you didn't entirely trust me or my methods until just now!" Takius turns to me as they start going into the portal: "Aren't you coming through the portal with us?" "No. I have other forms of transportation. That and we don't know what would happen to someone who isn't in their actual body right now if they went through that portal. Let's not find out because it's an avoidable risk that we don't have to take." "We understand. Will we see you on the other side soon?" "Yes but you better get going. It's very close to closing even though Yusei and I have kept our monster comrades out on the field at all times."
So with that, the 3 exit Link VRAINS to right outside of Geffen's closest gate to Glast Heim. With them gone, Dominic urges us all of the duel arena machine before pressing a button to shrink it to pocket size: "Maximum quantum storage. I can't wait for a nap." "But wait! Dominic, can you do me a favor? Judia is battle ready but doesn't want to leave Iruga Jr. behind. Do you have a solution for that?" "Yes. What colors for the solution?" "Oh, interesting, you want colors. Brown, black, and desert yellow, Dominic. I hope that helps." "It will. I'll have Bray help with this. See you in Geffen very soon before I actually get a nap." He logs off and I follow him in that after thanking everyone for making all of this possible. Since that's done, I go ahead and teleport from Twisted Land to Geffen after quickly using the nearest restroom to my location in the park: right by the small jungle for Survive The Ancient Protector, one of my roller coasters in the park. Upon getting back to Geffen, Yusei deactivates his disk and he and everyone else get off the arena. I press an identical button to shrink it like with the other one. I put it away into my ender pouch for now. I wonder if I can use it to block an attack coming at us from the Dark Lord. Guess we'll see. Neo Domino's Shooting Star says: "My job here is done." "Aren't you going to stay to fight, Yusei? After all, you can use that magically enchanted wrench to battle yourself now." "I can't. Sorry Adam but Neo Domino is in danger because of a man named Divine and his Arcadia Movement." "Say no more. You better get there immediately. I'll see you again when I see you again." He gets on his duel runner and puts his helmet on: "Right! Take care, all of you and good luck on stopping the Dark Lord!" He teleports and rides away. A reunion now takes place among Roan and friends. However, the Dark Lord appears before us: "Pathetic humans, wasting your time with useless things such as love and friendship! You fools, I will kill you! I'll be waiting for you, in Glast Heim! Come soon or this world becomes mine as soon as I say it does!" He disappears. That is such a killjoy. The happy reunion is replaced by a tense silence.
Maya breaks it: "As much as Poi Poi and I want to celebrate you 3 being back, we just can't. We have to keep going. We have to crush the Dark Lord. We have to save everyone and I mean everyone." Roan replies: "I agree completely. We can celebrate later. Right now, we have to defeat the Dark Lord once and for all." "I don't think it'll be possible to defeat him for good for years. A certain mysterious figure will just collect his soul from the afterlife or something. Now that your world's timeline has been messed with from the outside, there's no telling what else'll come your way. I'm so thankful I have earned your trust even though I do not agree with authority." "Hey, what are friends for?" "Friends.. Friends are wonderful. The best kind call out your crap in a calm and honest manner while still caring about you as an individual. Anyway, we must get going immediately. Herman, can you tell us the status of our help in this mission? We need to move and act quickly to take him down." Herman replies: "I appreciate your attitude about this matter. I have received a letter. Our forces are gathered in Glast Heim already. They are aware of the time spell cast over part of it. They are avoiding that area. Otherwise, we must catch up with them as soon as possible. Geffen is being left I'm good hands. If any monsters attack, the guards and stationed knights should be able to take care of them while we're away." Varmundt adds: "In that case I will open a portal to Glast Heim. I just need a little time. Please wait while I open the portal." We all nod and wait as the Great Sage opens the portal. Once he's done, he says: "It's open but it won't last long because I am going through it too instead of staying behind to maintain it." Dominic teleports to our location with something wrapped up in black cloth: "Hold on just a second. I was able to make something last minute. It's for Iruga Jr. Please accept it quickly. My presence here alone will keep the portal open a little longer but I can't stick around too long. I'm in the middle of the end of a battle in Miitopia right now."
Judia takes it: "What is it? It feels pretty heavy." "Unwrap it and I'll quickly tell you because I must fight and get a nap." She opens it up and gasps upon seeing a black, brown, and desert yellow miniature suit of armor that is the perfect size for Iruga Jr. to fit in: "This is amazing! I don't know what else to say!" "You excitement makes my tired mind less tired. It's armor for Iruga Jr. to wear. It's even stronger than Adam's armor because it is more dense. It comes with a invisible magical barrier and a spell combined with technology that allows you to hold Iruga Jr. while shooting at the Dark Lord with a bow and arrow, running, jumping, climbing, and so on! I must say. This is one of the greatest magical and scientific inventions I have ever had the pleasure of working on. Adam asked if I could do something for you regarding how you're a fighter but also care deeply for your son. This is our solution. You will be able to fight and keep him close to you at the same time, He will be perfectly safe and sound in there. The helmet is so thick that no sounds can get past it except for the voices of you and Iruga talking softly. If he's hungry, tired, or needs his *looks incredibly more tired* undergarments replaced, the technology inside will detect it and send you to a safe and brightly lit dimension safe and far from the Dark Lord. Once done, you just say ready and it will send you back. *looks much less tired* On the inside, it is padded with synthesized from air leather that makes it very comfortable to wear and sleep in. Additionally, you don't need to be worried about him getting hot or cold in there. I had a lot of help with this. So many helpers. That's how it got finished so fast. We'll make more of these when we're less busy." "Y'all would do this for us?! This is the best, yo! But didn't you say that you wouldn't be back here until the Dark Lord was defeated."
"Blame Adam. This was their idea in initial concept. For those of you here who don't know, my name is Dominic. I'm a scientist and I'm leaving now so our comrades near where I was in Miitopia don't die in the latest Nazi ambush." He disappears and we quickly go into the portal Varmundt opened up before it closes. After that, Judia puts the armor gently onto Iruga Jr. He falls asleep inside immediately. I smile before getting serious again: "Thankfully, that's taken care of now. No more distractions. Are any of us going to split off or what are we doing?" Herman replies: "I'm going to leave to lead the knights. Seyren and Swiftdrawer, you remain with them. Orbis Sha, you should go lead the swordsmen." "I will protect them all with my life because the duty of a knight is to protect the good things in this world, Captain." "It is my duty. I will stay with them until the very end." "You're right. I will do as you suggested. They aren't as experienced but I'm glad we had them come. They'll be in the middle lines behind more experienced close range fighters." Kidd adds: "Marjana will lead the assassins. I will go ahead to lead the thieves. Good luck, all of you." Maria and Catherine decided to stay in Geffen last night to help protect the city. Can't blame them. It is their home after all. No one else splits off from our group. The sounds of movement and clanking of weapons and armor and more reveal our presence to all in the Glast Heim Catacombs as we approach it and head inside. But inside, there are no monsters. "That's strange. There are no monsters. It's like they're afraid of this place or it is an elaborate trapped designed by the Dark Lord from which there is no longer any escape now that we have entered." The doors to the Catacombs close and lock behind us. We're trapped. Just as I thought. The place is beyond words. It is full of freshly gathered? bones. The smell of decayed flesh fills the air. Poi Poi is terrified and leaps into Maya's arms: "Poi. Poi." "Poi Poi, it's okay to be scared. I'm scared too." "Aren't we all?" Takius adds: "This is intentional. He is trying to make us uneasy before we even find him or he finds us."
Keough speaks to Roan: "Roan, I see you're a Paladin now. Your power is incredible, even more incredible than what I felt the first time you truly stood up against me when I wasn't myself. I trust Yufa to you. She doesn't need me anymore now that she has you. Yufa, I know what you're going to say but it's okay. I wasn't supposed to be brought back in such a unusual way. But I'm here and I will fight alongside the both of you for what's right. I hurt a lot of people as Haze and I must atone for my deeds." "Big brother.. I'm just glad you're back." "I know, Yufa. I know." Before us, many shadowy silhouettes appear. "Maya, why did you let us die? You gave me the truth about my mother's love and yet you let me die right in front of you!" "Maya, what kind of friend hurts and kills their friend just because their friend looks hideous now? You said you wanted to play with me but you killed me." "Stop it! That's not true! Zealotus, you sacrificed yourself to save me! Alice, I didn't know it was you until it was too late.. And yet you forgave me.." "Adam, why did you let me die? You could have taken the time to take care of me, your mother." "Mom.. Society.. did this.. to you.. You were so stubborn and didn't do enough to take better care of yourself.. You didn't see how you were being used by the billionaires! You didn't see it! YOU DIDN'T! I miss you.. I wish I had taken the time to sit down with you. To try to free you of the brainwashing that held you back from being a truly shining example of a kind woman! Mom.. You died so suddenly. I didn't know you were already gone when I was pulled out of school. But you're not really here. Damn it, Dark Lord! Stop trying to get into our heads!" "Swiftdrawer.. Why didn't you heal me before fighting those monsters? Varmundt, Seyren, you could have done more for me too.." "Larjes.. You were a hero.. You died peacefully. I saw you right after you were gone. It was like all worry vanished from you. You accepted your death, Larjes. But it isn't fair! This nightmare I've been through! It's not fair!" "Larjes.. I don't know what to say. We gave you the burial you deserved. It was just us and Father Bamph. Your body rests peacefully in Prontera. You won't be forgotten. I promise you!"
"Careful, this is just the Dark Lord's tricks. He's trying to crush us this soon. I can sense him. We're getting much closer to him now. His illusions are only going to get stronger. Larjes isn't here. But still, he was a honorable man. He will live on in the history books of Rune-Midgarts." "Takius. My dear Takius. Why did you disobey and question me?! KATHERINE! WHY DID YOU DISOBEY ME, your teacher, your master?! You were doing so well at helping me find the Ultimate Truth!" "Teacher.. Zephyr. NO! You won't get into my head! You and I made peace! There's a ultimate truth for each and every one of us! And if you've forgotten that, you really aren't teacher! My blinder still serves as a warning to those who would dare hurt my friends! I won't allow anyone to hurt them as long as I'm here!" The Dark Lord's voice speaks: "How pathetic. You mortals have put yourselves into much more danger than you realize! I will destroy humanity and bring about the age of the monsters! And all of you will be next to die as I usher in that age with my own efforts! By just responding to my so called illusions, you have doomed your souls to me!" We all are shocked. But we keep walking after an eerie silence settles back in. Thank goodness Iruga Jr. is fast asleep. The walls are getting more gruesome in appearance. We aren't just seeing bones anymore. We're seeing red, flesh, weapons, armor, robes, foods, and more. There's a severed head. That's very unsettling. I might throw up from the stench. It is getting much worse the further in we go. Eventually, we come to a large room that looks like it's designed for bones to be put in but hasn't been filled with them yet. Instead, it looks like a massacre straight out of a horror film happened here. Bodies hang, impaled by iron chains. Others have been smashed against the floor, walls, and ceiling. The blood that's around is fresh. The brightness of it and the faint smell of iron confirms this horrifying reality.
There's someone among this bloodbath, still alive but barely. They scream: "Somebody help me! Aaaaaaaaaaaa!" Their screams suddenly go silent as a spike of dark magic pierces right through them. Their eyes go still and they collapse with a thud. Their injuries and wounds are completely serious and overdone. The Dark Lord didn't just want to kill them, he wanted to hurt them as much as possible while they quickly killed them off. "Adam. Isn't this what you want to happen to those Nazis you despise so much?" "You.. Those were innocent people! I can tell! None of them were wearing anything but regular citizen clothing! I want Nazis to hurt. To feel what they do to others. To know what it's like to be the vilified. But this.. As much as I want them all gone from all worlds permanently, I don't truly want this to happen to them. If killing them is the only option left for stopping them, then they must die. But if they can still be stopped successfully and permanently in other ways, then those take precedence." "Don't lie, human! I know how much anger, fear, and hatred you have in your heart! I know about all of your insecurities! That goes for all of you as well, you're all pathetic and flawed, perfect for powering me up!" Roan demands: "What do you mean, power you up?" "Like it matters to you, mortal! You're all going to die either way! It's a shame that you're too connected with Odin for me to take yours or Yufa's. But the others. That's a different story!" "Noooo! Don't do this to them!" "Your empty words mean nothing, boy. It has already started!" I feel a force tugging on me as my soul is pulled from my body, taking my consciousness with it. I watch as my body slumps over and falls to the ground. Almost everyone else loses their souls too. "I have no need for their actual souls, just their pathetic flawed mortal traits! Now watch as I become more powerful!" "You're sick!" "And you're almost completely alone!" "That won't stop me or Yufa!" "Oh is that so? You can just watch as I trapped all of your friends' souls forever after I take power from all of them! Their imperfections will make me whole and unstoppable once more!" "We'll still defeat you and seal you away again, this time, for good!"
"I'd like to see you try, you pathetic boy. Anger *my soul glows, Greed *Maya's soul glows, Isolation *Varmundt's soul glows, Regret *Keough's soul glows, Despair *my counterpart's soul glows, Pride *Raygene's soul glows, Sadness *Lillah's soul glows, Grief *Lunatic's soul glows, Unfulfillment *Herbsalvin's soul glows, Worthlessness *the newly knighted kid's soul glows, Uncertainty *Seyren's soul glows, Desperation *Iruga's soul glows, Stubborness *Judia's soul glows, Clinginess *Iruga Jr.'s soul glows, Blindedness *Takius's soul glows, Defenselessness *Poi Poi's soul glows, and finally, Secretive *the newly advanced priestess's soul glows*! These are enough to bring my full power to a whole new level! Prepare to die as I torture their souls for eternity! Yours will join theirs in misery very soon!" That's the last thing I see and hear of the confrontation before I am suddenly thrown into some dark abyss underneath the massacre in the room our bodies lay without a soul inside in any of them anymore. They're living and breathing but motionless. They can feel pain but they can't react. They can see but no light gets processed inside of their brains. I find myself with some kind of transparent and spectral body as singing comes from somewhere in the distance: "Condemn those who suffer to more suffering. Might as well. The darkness has corrupted and it's consuming them all in fear and hatred of people who don't even wish them harm." I see a bunch of people getting burning while being impaled to a cross right in front of a church as the congregation pray with anger in their eyes and twisted joy in their smiles. "It spreads into people, passing from person to person, leaving them deprived of any true kindness, any true care, any true compassion, any true rationality." The scene changes to a gunman opening fire at a crowd in a club full of people who are just trying to be themselves and having fun in a society that hates them. When will this nightmare end? Not any time soon. It's already here, in America, in my world.
"'We're freeing ourselves from the sinners' They'll say as they backstab one of their own just because they found out they're a little different. They were just a little bit different but now, they're dead, not so different after all. Dead. Just like all of us will be someday." I see someone getting a gift card for being employee of the month and then days later, finding out that they're bisexual. After that, they come back to work where they find some of their coworkers murdered as their boss orders others to kill them brutally. "This is freedom. The freedom they wanted, the protection they want to give to children, the return to traditional values they wanted." A child is shown going through years of being forced to be quiet about who they are, drawing a gay flag in their secret sketchbook after suffering abuse and bullying for it. A day later, they're found hung from their bedroom door by their little sister. A man is then shown carrying a passionate sign about freedom and God in a protest while killing counterprotestors. "It never ends. It's everybody for themselves or for God now. If you don't conform, you suffer and you die in misery because that's what they say you deserve.* The SDL kills Yappa Yappa's parents in front of him. He then kills protesters in Miitopia. "The despair. It's growing. Mass extinction ongoing. Illness spreading like a wildfire and it's fine because it's actually not happening, right?" Covid patients die painfully en masse at a hospital while gasping for oxygen or being taken off life support. The calendar reads January 2nd, 2024. "It's a never ending hell that you're forced to watch if you know what's going on and aren't or can't do anything about it." Outro: Well, this went from chaotic to exciting to calm to well, dreadful and morbid. Yeah. Next chapter, the conclusion to this arc will take place. You'll find out what happens next and more in the fight against the Dark Lord. Will Roan and Yufa win? Will the others be returned to their bodies? Will the suffering end for our Earth(no, not any time this century or millennia at this rate)? Stay tuned to find out as much as you can. See you next time.