Hey there, everyone. I'm finally back. And yeesh, let me tell you all something – having to do 2 essays that are 10-12 pages minimum each in addition to a powerpoint as part of the same final for one class is absolutely fucking brutal. All the more so when the professor is, while nice and professional, a stickler for finer details.
I can only pray that my remaining classes aren't anything like this past one because good lord, I damn near ripped my hair out trying to juggle this final with work and my other obligations. To any of you going through school and dealing with similarly time-consuming assignments, all the luck to you. Stay strong.
Anyways, yeah, that was why it took so long to finally get around to this chapter, so hope you forgive me.
Speaking of the chapter itself, well, here it is, everyone – the beginning of the end, the penultimate chapter.
When I first began this fic, I'd actually envisioned a battle between the Tarnished and Goblin Slayer in some capacity, one where neither side particularly wanted said conflict but had to go through with it nonetheless. Now obviously, the Tarnished would have utterly wrecked the latter since the feats and subsequent powerscaling in Elden Ring is a hell of a lot grander than in Goblin Slayer, but even then I'd wanted to try and keep things even somehow. And in all honesty, having Goblin Slayer serve as a pseudo-Lord of Chaos was just the thing to make a fight more even. That said, this was also something I hadn't really conceptualized until several chapters into this fic. Had I not thought of doing this back then, I would've gone with something else to challenge the Tarnished in the final battle here.
And make no mistake, this truly is the final battle. There won't be many scene changes here, at least not to other characters that are not immediately involved with the fighting itself. The battle itself will also be more than just a physical one, but you'll be seeing what I mean pretty soon, ha ha.
So without further ado, let's get right to it. Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 34
Blades clashed with thunderous fury, producing a shockwave that forced both combatants apart. The same could be said of their impromptu audience, with Hero, Sage, and Sword Saint getting lifted off their feet and sent flying several yards back. Thankfully, the trio of young women landed as gracefully as they could on their feet, Sage less so than her more physically inclined companions.
Ranni, for her part, used her staff to hold herself in place. She was able to prevent herself from being blown off her feet, but even then went skidding back a fair distance as well, two of her hands clutching her signature hat tightly in the process.
Meanwhile the combatants took just a split second to size each other up.
With the Sacred Relic Sword in hand, the Tarnished assessed the situation.
It ought to go without saying that his best bet to end this would be making use of Maliketh's Black Blade, the full power of Destined Death being more than sufficient to kill his foe.
Alas, it was a trump card that couldn't be used right away. For one thing, the young Goblin Slayer wasn't the foe he intended to vanquish here. Shabriri is. To use Destined Death, a power that was indiscriminate in its usage, would kill not just Shabriri's soul which resided in Goblin Slayer, but would naturally impose absolute death unto the silver ranked adventurer himself.
This was one sacrifice that the Tarnished would have to make if need be, and he would in fact do so – but only as an absolute last resort, once all other possibilities have been extinguished. And the Tarnished, despite the stakes, was confident the situation wouldn't get to such a desperate point, though it would certainly be arduous.
But more than that, he knew that Shabriri was still very much present within the young man, watching through his eyes and observing the beginning battle closely. Shabriri would likely be aware of Maliketh's Blade Blade and would try to flee Goblin Slayer's body if there was any sign of the dangerous greatsword making its appearance. Therefore, being too hasty in using it would only force Shabriri to retreat one way or another and that was a possibility that couldn't be allowed.
The Tarnished would have to make do without the blade until a more opportune time. But such a basic strategy, if it could even be called such, was something everyone did back in the Lands Between, where anything could happen in battle.
In other words, this was ultimately just another day as usual for him.
Despite himself, the Tarnished smirked beneath his helm, which contrasted with the suddenness of a forceful kick off the ground. He practically cracked the street apart with every wide stride he now took, closing the distance between him and the artificial Lord of Chaos swiftly.
From the eyes of the Lord of Chaos came a single burst of flame, thin but unbelievably intense. It headed right for the Tarnished's seemingly open torso, only for the man to lower his body and spin. The burst of flame missed him by scant inches and he silently retaliated with a wide swing of the Sacred Relic Sword aimed for his opponent's chest.
The Lord of Chaos made a small jump back, narrowly avoiding the swing – only for a burst of golden light to be unleashed from the blade. A minor manifestation of the Wave of Gold that the Sacred Relic Sword could naturally perform. Having been inspired by its usage courtesy of that great beast that had hidden within lord Radagon himself, the Tarnished had been trying to vary up the size and range of the blade's holy power.
Said burst of golden light struck the Lord of Chaos hard, blasting him down the street and through several small buildings. No sooner than this, however, torrents of flames shot out and upwards before falling at great speeds towards the Tarnished's general area.
The Tarnished ran forward, zigging and zagging through the fiery assault. Some flames did graze his sides due to their sheer number being too much to fully dodge, but his talismans that were geared towards defense helped to negate a good portion of the damage. As for the all too familiar taint of frenzy that tried to consume his mind, well, that was something he'd endured before numerous times. Experience and sheer force of will proved enough for him to soldier on for the time being, though he prepared a bolus for use as a precaution.
From out of the ruined buildings shot forth the Lord of Chaos, flames spewing out from behind him in such a way that it added to his impressive burst of speed. The Tarnished had to abruptly slow and throw himself to the side to avoid a violent swing of his shield arm, only for a burst of flames to occur that scorched his briefly exposed back in mid-roll.
With a grunt, the Tarnished went rolling and with his opponent in pursuit as he still utilized flames as a special momentum booster. The Lord of Chaos swung his blade down with a single hand, aiming to sever the Tarnished's head messily from his body.
Just before impact, the Tarnished raised his own weapon to catch and deflect the shorter sword to the side. The brief clash caused his rolling to come to an early end and he then used the opportunity to spin about and get back on his feet, albeit in a low crouch. From this new position, he slashed upwards at an angle, the Sacred Relic Sword cutting through a portion of the street in the process. Once more, the Lord of Chaos stepped back to avoid the hit, but this time didn't fully succeed, the front of the armor being cut open slightly. Additionally, the chunks of stone and gravel that was uplifted by the swing ended up slamming into the younger man, causing him to stumble.
The Tarnished promptly threw himself forward now into a tackle, slamming his open right shoulder into the Lord of Chaos' stomach. The hit actually got a lurch out of his opponent and from there, the Tarnished rose up, lifting the younger man, spun once, then tossed him down onto the ground. A tremor occurred on impact, partly from the toss itself but also from the Lord of Chaos slamming his own fists into the ground with enough force to somehow lift himself back up, slamming his helmet into the Tarnished's helm.
Admittedly caught off guard, the Tarnished stumbled and was thus only able to swat aside one of the stabs that the Lord of Chaos attempted. Two got past his guard but could scarcely find purchase through his armor… until the Lord of Chaos coated his short sword in those maddening yellow flames and thrust forward with a flaming blade that seemed to extend on impact.
The attack forced the Tarnished back, hurting quite a bit even with the Dragoncrest Greatshield and highest grade Pearldrake Talismans bolstering his physical and magical defenses respectively. This was further followed up with what could only be described as a higher level version of Howl of Shabriri, the frenzied incantation suddenly going into effect.
The madness it inflicts on those within range was understandably enhanced due to being cast by the Lord of Chaos, artificial and incomplete as he is. Not even the Tarnished could so easily shrug this off. Thankfully, his opponent remained in one place as this occurred, allowing him ample time to take a bolus to purge the building frenzy from his mind.
He then procured a kukri and threw it with expert precision at the currently open Lord of Chaos, catching him in the left arm and causing a stagger as the incantation came to an abrupt end.
The Tarnished was upon his target in an instant. Performing a small leap, he swung his blade down with unbelievable force. Even when the Lord of Chaos raised his shield arm, also enhanced with flames to somehow improve his defenses and mitigate the resulting shockwave, it still proved enough to shake a huge portion of the capital.
The very earth beneath their feet shook and broke apart, the two all but literally sinking into the ground.
The Tarnished was kind of surprised to see the Lord of Chaos hold up as well as he was from a nearly full-strength swing, but it was clear that the veteran warrior still held the strength advantage to a considerable degree. Alas, both of them were in yet another stalemate, the Tarnished unwilling to back off his attack while the Lord of Chaos continued to resist with all he had.
After a scant few seconds, the Lord of Chaos appeared to switch gears, his eyes burning dangerously bright. It didn't take even an meager amount of battle experience to know what was coming.
So of course, the Tarnished knew there would be a blast of flames to come at point-blank range. But even then, he chose to not back away. Instead, he got even closer, pushing the Lord of Chaos further into the ground and leaning in as best he could.
"Wake up," he said in a low voice yet knowing he could still be heard. "You know you're not this abominable thing."
His words, uttered so suddenly and with such genuine sincerity, had an effect on his opponent, the flames that had begun to manifest fizzling out now. This left the Lord of Chaos open to a knee strike that caught him in the chin, knocking him back.
But the Lord of Chaos made an admirable recovery, rolling over onto his feet and leaping at the Tarnished with a series of slashes performed. With masterful bladework, however, the Tarnished batted each swing aside before slamming the pommel of the Sacred Relic Sword into the side of the helmet's jawline. A loud clang and crack rang out on connection and the Tarnished immediately followed through with a forward kick that sent the Lord of Chaos slamming into a nearby wall but not through it this time.
"You are no Lord of Chaos, not truly… nor are you whatever else others may claim you to be," the Tarnished spoke as he neared his unsteady opponent. "Indeed, you and I both know you to be someone else. Now is your time to declare it – your identity to the whole world."
The artificial lord of Chaos shivered and shuddered from his spot in the wall, only to glance up and with a glare unleash a torrent of flames at the Tarnished.
However, the Tarnished was ready and waiting for such a move, sliding under the burst of flames and landing a powerful haymaker to the younger man. The blow smashed him through the wall fully now and into the thankfully abandoned store. After a brief tumble, the Lord of Chaos landed awkwardly against a shelf, causing the little knickknacks stationed there to fall over and catch fire from their proximity to the man's flame-coated body.
Said man ambled forward and went for a shield bash in these much more confined spaces, only for the Tarnished reach out with a hand to shove the shield back and then unleash another minor Wave of Gold up close.
The Lord of Chaos held his ground this time despite the more condensed power in the attack, but still faltered somewhat. This gave the Tarnished yet another opening in which he grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and slam the artificial Lord of Chaos through several nearby cabinets before lightly shoving him back and delivering a strike with the flat side of his blade to the younger man's right arm, nearly making him drop the short sword.
"Declare it," the Tarnished said in a stronger voice now. "It is not too late to do so."
This time he delivered a proper swing of his blade, cutting the Lord of Chaos across his forearm. It was a fairly light cut all things considered, but this time he was able to make him drop the short sword. As the flames that had coated the blade now died out from no longer being held, the Tarnished then unleashed another incantation he's been holding back – the Horns Aspect of the Crucible.
As said horns manifested around his left shoulder, he gave a short but powerful charge that caught the Lord of Chaos on his stomach. Upon lifting him off his feet, he reached out with a hand and flung him back out into the open.
The Tarnished began to walk out the new hole that said throw had made in the store, only to sidestep a chunk of stone being thrown his way by the downed Lord of Chaos. Said man spasmed and shuddered – not from any of the hits he's taken so far, however.
The Tarnished's blue eyes, hidden beneath his helm, narrowed as he focused on this particular fact.
It would seem that his initial theory was proving right, much to his growing sense of joy.
Goblin Slayer's transformation into a Lord of Chaos was both incomplete and imperfect. Given more time, the young adventurer would certainly transition into a proper Lord of Chaos and scorch this whole world, but the imperfect nature of said transformation meant that was a time still well off from now. Without receiving the direct blessing of the Three Fingers, Goblin Slayer simply didn't qualify as a proper Lord of Chaos. Shabriri's presence within him, fervent follower of the Frenzied Flame that he is, was certainly a powerful form of 'kindling' if he could be called such, but it still wasn't quite enough.
At the end of the day, this was ultimately a very unique and powerful version of a possession, making use of both Shabriri's nature and Goblin Slayer's own troubled spirit to make the latter into the artificial Lord of Chaos that he currently is.
Although still certainly a threat that can't be taken lightly, it was something that could still be undone.
It was simply a matter of doing what he could to rouse Goblin Slayer from his current state.
Yellow flames burst from the Lord of Chaos' downed body, a veritable volcano of madness-inducing fury that was then concentrated into a beam aimed directly at him. While dodging was indeed possible, doing so would only allow the beam of flames to travel from one end of the capital to the other. There'd be no telling how much damage it would cause or how many people would get caught up in it.
The Tarnished held the Sacred Relic Sword in front of him and planted his feet as firmly as he could. A combination of his own strength and the innate power of the godly blade he wielded allowed him to weather the torrent of flames well enough even as his immediate surroundings were reduced to ashes.
Madness began to well up within him, causing the Tarnished to grit his teeth. Unable to immediately reach for a bolus, he could only soldier on through force of will – only to stagger forth as the surge of flames suddenly stopped.
That was when the Lord of Chaos, now back up on his feet, rushed forward and managed to finally land a solid hit on him with his shield. Said shield struck him directly across the jaw and was followed through with two uppercuts that connected with his gut. But the Tarnished recovered in time to fall back slightly when the Lord of Chaos went for a third uppercut, the blow losing some power.
Alas, the Lord of Chaos remained undeterred and now reached up in a clear attempt to wrestle the Sacred Relic Sword out of his hands. The Tarnished kneed the man just hard enough to open up some distance before then clenching a fist, a Blackflame Fireball forming in his closed palm that was let loose a split second later. It struck his opponent directly in the chest and knocked him back further.
"Come on, young one!" the Tarnished now bellowed. "Rouse yourself and declare your identity!"
His incantation just now had been heavily lacking in power and intentionally so. For one thing, he simply didn't have the time to fully charge it, but more than that, he'd merely wanted to put some distance between them yet again.
Fighting him was in and of itself a stall tactic for the time being.
The Lord of Chaos lurched and spasmed upon heeding his words. But the flickering of the flames in his eyes only grew ever stronger, it seemed.
The Tarnished readied his blade as the possessed younger man began to shamble towards him yet albeit at a slow pace.
His efforts were having a positive effect, it would seem… but only time would truly tell if it would be worth it.
Within the fiery world, the young man swayed and tumbled about.
That man just now… the one who seemed to be calling out to him… he felt so terribly familiar.
Moreover, the man had been trying to speak with him, uttering words that the younger man could only scarcely make out.
He was being asked a series of questions… but what were these questions exactly? Why?
"Ignore his words," spoke that voice from before. "He knows not the truth of reality. If he did, his words would be much clearer to you, young one. That you could scarcely perceive the questions is proof enough that they are irrelevant."
…Is that truly the case?
"Indeed." Somehow, the young man could envision the owner of that voice smirking.
…Is it?
The young man shook his head.
If those questions really were so irrelevant, then why did his chest hurt so much? Not in a physical sense either but in another way.
He didn't know. It hurt to even try figuring it out…
…And yet.
And yet there was a part of him that wished to know, not simply to end this pain, but for another reason entirely.
"You wish to know? Then know this, my young lord – this is your truest self, your destiny. What those questions demand of you… they are meant to mislead you, steer you down a path of lies and misery. The identity you have now – rather, the identity you shall soon own in full – that is what matters. The path burnt in front of you by the Great Flame… that is what matters, nothing more."
…
…
…
…No.
No, that couldn't be it. Even though a part of him weakly accepted the voice's words, that just couldn't be it somehow.
There was more to the world around, to himself. A fundamental truth that was all his own, an integral part of him that he can't help but feel like he's forgotten somehow.
"I…" spoke the man hoarsely. That single word was the only thing he could utter, however, before falling silent. His thoughts were still too jumbled up to properly vocalize what he wanted to say.
How could he even utter his desire – his truth – when he doesn't even know what it is?
Even so… he wanted to try.
"…I…"
Ranni watched on as the battle raged ever greater. Though her expression was devoid of any emotion, inwardly she was quite worried.
As she silently made very liberal use of the Freezing Mist spell to contain the various blazes going on around them all, the Lunar Witch argued with herself.
It was now clear to her what her beloved consort's goal was in this battle. An admirable goal to have, but not one that the pragmatic part of her could truly agree with. As things now stood, this entire district of the capital was a lost cause, her efforts only serving to contain the damage to this district rather than save the whole area. Should her consort fail in his efforts, then it would come down to no other choice than to kill the young Goblin Slayer before he could fully become a true Lord of Chaos… and should they fail in that, then the capital – no, the entire Four Cornered World – will come to a quick and fiery end.
By all rights, she could be doing more to help here despite having made the conscious decision to let her dear Tarnished handle this moments ago. However, with the collateral damage swiftly growing, she was beginning to second guess her previous decision.
Another clash roused her from her thoughts as the fledgling Lord of Chaos stomped on the ground, yellow flames spurting from where his foot made contact and spreading outwards everywhere. The Tarnished let loose a very wide Wave of Gold that contained enough power to cancel out a majority of the flames but in so doing ended up only devastating the area further. Meanwhile, Ranni had to erect another icy mist to deal with the flames heading in the directions the Wave of Gold couldn't reach.
Her support was further bolstered by Sage who was also utilizing ice spells to put out the flames. Additionally, she could sense other magic users off in the not so far distance finally arriving and beginning to use their own abilities to contain the damage.
This was all well and good, a sign that the battle outside the capital was over or at least winding down. But if things went poorly, then these magic users – the alluring and powerful Witch among them, Ranni noted – would only end up serving as yet another few thralls of the Flame of Frenzy, powerful ones at that too.
The Tarnished swung his blade yet again, using only his strength to generate a shockwave that was equal in might to the most recent Wave of Gold. The area shuddered and shook as a direct result of his tremendous might and the Lord of Chaos, the direct recipient of the attack… was able to remain standing.
Ranni grimaced upon noting this. Even with her consort's words clearly having some kind of effect on the possessed Goblin Slayer, Shabriri's own hold on the silver ranked adventurer was still plenty strong. Not only that, but the transformation into a proper Lord of Chaos wasn't outright stopping, merely slowing. He was still growing in strength even at this very moment. It'd only be a matter of time until even her dear consort will truly struggle for his life even at the expense of the possessed adventurer's own.
"Whoa…"
Ranni blinked and looked to the young Hero, who was watching the battle from the sidelines. So too was Sword Saint, who was fully silent and utterly captivated by the combatants going at it still.
"…Thee fear not the worst outcome?" Ranni found it in her to ask such a question.
Hero was now the one to blink, having not expected her to speak up. "…Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking of the worst…" The young girl was understandably sheepish in tone. However, the look in her eyes… it was one of simple but potent determination and hope. "But I wouldn't be much of an adventurer if I let the potential bad things get me down completely."
"…She's right," now spoke Sword Saint with a huff. "This crisis may be unlike anything I've ever experienced, but the resolution to it is the same as any other adventure we've been on – a simple combination of Chance and pure will." She outright grinned as she uttered those words.
Ranni was struck silent by their simple replies. But her silence didn't last long, a quiet chuckle escaping her. "I suppose so."
No matter what sort of situation one was faced with, it always did come down to the same factors – a little bit of luck, strength, skill, cunning, and pure resolve. Had this not always been the case back home, where any plan of hers, no matter how well crafted, had always relied on having the will to see it through to the end?
Truly, it was almost funny at times how she could occasionally forget such a basic fact, even with all her apparent wisdom.
As the Tarnished lashed out with a powerful hook that was blocked by the Lord of Chaos' shield arm, Ranni continued to watch on albeit with a slight smile now.
Regardless of how this may ultimately end, she'd be there to watch it all play out. After all, was it not her own ideal and that of the Dark Moon to head on to the future free of any shackles?
As his strike was blocked by the Lord of Chaos' shield, the Tarnished simply opened up his fist and used his now open hand to swat aside the shield before thrusting the Sacred Relic Sword forth. Flames spewed out from the Lord of Chaos' very body, the essence of the Frenzied Flame itself clashing with the might contained within this most holy and unholy of swords. Both forces appeared evenly match, blowing the two combatants back only for both of them to recover at the same time.
The Tarnished reached for another kukri and wasted no time throwing it at his opponent, but the possessed man leaned to the right to avoid it before letting out an unendurable Frenzy incantation, torrents of flame rapidly being unleashed from his eyes and all converging on the Tarnished's current location.
With a stomp, the veteran warrior caused a section of the ground to break apart and upwards, serving as an impromptu cover that protected him from the flames somewhat. Said flames still tore through said cover despite its great thickness, to say nothing of the heat and frenzy still threatening to consume him, but he then punted the chunk of earth at the Lord of Chaos, who slid under it.
The Tarnished charged in, only to turn away as the Lord of Chaos grabbed at the ashes around him and threw a huge handful at him in an attempt to blind him momentarily. That was when a potent Frenzied Burst was unleashed, slamming into him with a level of force that he hadn't felt since coming to this world.
Followed up by a vicious kick, the Tarnished was finally downed though he was all too quick to roll, avoiding a punch that slammed into where his head had been. He kicked his left leg out, taking the Lord of Chaos' legs out from under him. This caused the possessed man to fall facefirst onto the ground and the Tarnished instantly threw himself atop the younger man, pressing down on him with all his weight and strength.
"You still have yet to answer my question," he spoke. "Who. Are. You?!"
The Lord of Chaos, who'd immediately begun to struggle against him, went stock still for but an instant… only to 'answer' in the form of a huge explosion of flames that blasted the Tarnished right off of him, the only way to overcome the veteran warrior's much greater strength.
The Tarnished, to his credit, was able to flip around in midair and land on his feet thanks to the distance he'd been knocked back allowing him to the time to do so.
As the Lord of Chaos rose slowly to his feet, the Tarnished assessed the situation.
His words were definitely having an effect, but not as much as he'd been hoping for.
Was Shabriri's grip on Goblin Slayer that strong? Or could it simply be a case of him not using the right words now?
Regardless, this battle was certainly being dragged out. Even with his various talismans in effect still to bolster his natural toughness, he was beginning to really feel the hits. If this kept up, it wouldn't be too much longer before he truly risked being killed, to say nothing of the damage spreading to the rest of the capital.
He may need to change his approach somewhat.
"…Come, young one. Surely this is not the self you wish to show others," he murmured, though still making sure he could be heard by the now fully standing Lord of Chaos. "Surely, the one that your friends know cannot be the self you're currently showing."
His opponent, who'd been about to launch another incantation, gave a slight pause. Looks like this new track he was going down was having a more notable effect. Good.
"…Though briefly, I watched how you and your party interacted," the Tarnished continued. "Even as some of them – your high elf friend in particular – gave you much grief for your idiosyncrasies, I knew them to be truly fond of you because of these very things. These idiosyncrasies – no, your utmost desires, your true driving force – are what make you who you are and what your friends respect the most about you. For without that driving force, they knew you would no longer be yourself."
The Tarnished tightened his grip a bit more on his blade, sensing a change in the Lord of Chaos before him. Another attack was about to come but until such a moment, he could keep going.
"So tell me… tell us all… who are you?" he asked.
Even as there was a build up of power within his opponent, a shift occurred that was unrelated to the as of yet unleashed attack.
"…I…" spoke the Lord of Chaos… no, spoke the silver ranked adventurer.
And then more flames were unleashed.
"…who are you?"
…Yes, those were the words he'd just heard.
Who was he?
"You're the Lord of Chaos, the very embodiment of the force that shall cleanse this entire world," spoke that other voice, sounding a bit more vehement than before. "Do not let that man's words rattle you and deprive you of your purpose."
Deprive him of his purpose? Was this really his purpose?
…No, it didn't feel like it.
Whatever this man was uttering was wrong. 'Cleansing this entire world' as he'd said just now wasn't his driving force, not what he was meant to…
…No, wait.
Perhaps… there was actually a smidge of truth to that statement. But not in the way that this voice meant.
"Cleansing the entire world…" spoke the still unnamed young man. "Cleansing it of what?"
"Of everything," answered the voice. "Of all that would try to divide and distinguish. To wipe the slate clean. That is your purpose and identity, no more and no less."
The young man paused for a moment after hearing that reply… then shook his head.
No, he thought, that was wrong.
He didn't exist to wipe out everything, no. He existed only to destroy one particular thing and nothing more.
As soon as he realized that, the environment around him underwent a change. The flames that enshrouded everything and made all the world look the same to him now became a little more defined, a little easier to tell things apart.
Though only slightly, he could better see his surroundings as well as the outline of the man who'd spoken earlier, the one who was asking of him his identity.
The young man couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude welling up inside of him now. It was something he'd felt before, he realized, but couldn't recall the reason for this odd nostalgia.
But he did know it was integral to him somehow.
"…I…" he began.
He could feel it now, the emergence of his true self-.
"No!" cried out that unknown voice, for once sounding angry, hurt even. "I refuse this!"
The flames all around the young man intensified, trying to hide away the world beyond. The young man grunted in pain as the ashes that clouded his mind grew in intensity.
But unlike before, he was better able to resist, if only barely. Unlike earlier, he knew what the voice was saying to be wrong now, if only in part and that gave him just the strength he needed to hold onto his emerging self.
"The Tarnished seeks only to confuse and mislead you," said the voice, much more harshly now. "He seeks to guide you away from the sole truth there is. Listen not to him, but to me and only me. I am the only one you can rely on, the kindling to your great flame. So long as you remain with me, you need not be led wrong. Not even the fearsome power of Destined Death can do us harm so long as you remain true to your identity as the Lord of Chaos."
The young man ceased in his struggle as he digested what the voice uttered… but only for a moment before resuming his efforts to resist. "…You… sound… worried," he managed to say with immense strain. "If you're… so sure of… it all… then why worry at all?"
If what the voice said was really the truth, then why sound so frantic?
"…I only wish to ensure you're not being misguided, nothing more. For far too long has the truth been concealed from the world. I only wish to ensure it will be unleashed now."
The young man shook his head, his own form becoming clearer now.
He knew now the voice to be wrong, but even so, resisting was an immense struggle.
He was so close to freedom, to remembering his real self. Just one more push… he could feel it. Just one more push and he knew he'd gain clarity.
Concentrating, he tried to recall his forgotten truth. His memories were no longer as muddied as they were before. Though he may not remember his greatest truth, he could at least recall people and things that had been hidden from him before in greater detail.
A tall humanoid lizard, wise as he is eager for battle.
A short humanoid that could drink his own body weight's worth of alcohol, yet was always reliable.
A girl that looked younger than him yet was many times his senior, temperamental yet as free spirited as they come.
…And a young girl, so shy and impressionable, yet made of far sterner stuff than even she believed herself to be. His greatest supporter and one that he could rely on more than anyone else.
…His friends. His party.
They looked up to him even in spite of his many faults.
Yes.
…He was…
The explosion of flames lasted but a second before dissipating into nothingness. It was an almost surreal sight, the way the flames just disappeared.
But even with their disappearance, the threat remained, the Lord of Chaos rushing forward at a speed so great that the mildly startled Tarnished could scarcely react in time.
The Lord of Chaos successfully tackled him and managed to lift him up and over his head. Thrown a dozen meters and through a building, the Tarnished rolled most ungracefully along the floor of the now ruined house before smashing through the other side of it. By this point, he was finally able to come to a stop and begin to rise, only to have to raise his blade to guard against the straight punch that came his way.
A kick then came his way, catching him in the throat of all places and getting quite the sound out of him and making his guard falter, just long enough to follow through with the punch, knocking the Tarnished into the ground with immense force.
Several stomps then followed, each one more vicious than the last. The Lord of Chaos was finally gaining the advantage.
…Or so it would seem.
Despite the hits he was taking right now, the Tarnished was smirking. These blows reeked of desperation. His words were taking root now within Goblin Slayer's subconscious and Shabriri's control was waning immensely. He could feel it.
With a burst of speed, the Tarnished shot up a hand that clasped the Lord of Chaos' foot, stopping the next stomp cold. Then with a great battle cry, he thrust the foot back harshly, causing his opponent to go not just tumbling back but outright flying through the house he'd been knocked through.
The Tarnished leapt after him and swung the Sacred Relic Sword downwards, batting the Lord of Chaos into the ground with earth-shaking force. This did leave him open to the Lord of Chaos' counter, in the form of another Frenzied Burst that caught him in the lower gut. It also had the effect of blasting him far into the air, leaving him open for several more bursts with startling accuracy.
He made used of the Sacred Relic Sword's power to offset each of these incantations with extremely minor but controlled bursts of the Wave of Gold in midair, but even though he was successfully canceling out the impact of each blast to prevent injury, he was still being knocked further away until he finally landed hard upon the ground.
By all rights, with the distance the Lord of Chaos had afforded himself, he probably should have targeted anyone else nearby such as Ranni or the young Hero. Thankfully, it seemed the Tarnished had really earned his ire because the possessed man was rushing straight for him.
With just a bit of leeway still, the Tarnished pulled out a flask and quickly used it, restoring his vitality. His inherent toughness and defenses had really kept the damage to a minimum all things considered, but by using a flask, he was back to full health and therefore restoring the effectiveness of his Ritual Greatshield Talisman.
He was right to do so, for the Lord of Chaos took that moment to shoot flames directly from his feet, explosively covering the remaining distance and getting right up in his face. The Tarnished used his sword to guard, the Lord of Chaos' hands slamming into the blade… only for the latter to then use the Howl of Shabriri at point-blank range.
The first few hits of the incantation were heavily negated thanks to his talismans, but it still elicited quite a few pained grunts from the Tarnished. It wasn't enough to make him lower his guard, however, which proved to be a good thing as he swiftly raised a leg to block a kick that the Lord of Chaos tried to throw.
And to his genuine surprise, a voice finally emitted from his previously silent foe, speaking more than just a single lingering word.
"You will not win here, Tarnished. This man is mine and belongs to the Great Flame."
"Shabriri," the Tarnished murmured. He shook his head. "…No, he is not yours at all and certainly not in service of your master. Not when he still has so much left to do."
He heaved and shoved the Lord of Chaos – Shabriri – back and then swung upwards at the ground, carving up a small part of the area and forcing him back further still, finally putting him out of effective range of the Howl of Shabriri. The Tarnished then reached for his side and manifested another weapon that had been in his inventory up until now – the Black Knife.
Immediately, he prepared to make use of the power inherent to it – and just as immediately, Shabriri struck preemptively.
"No!" He let loose a mighty blast of pure madness inducing flames just as the Tarnished unleashed a wave of Destined Death itself. Though vastly inferior to Maliketh's Black Blade, the restoration of Destined Death had strengthened the Black Knife considerably, making it a threat all the same.
Even so, it wasn't powerful enough to overcome Shabriri's desperate action, the attacks negating each other. Shabriri himself was all too quick to try closing the distance again to prevent him from attacking with the Black Knife, to say nothing of preventing him from attempting to pull out Maliketh's Black Blade.
Except this is what the Tarnished had anticipated.
As Shabriri hurled himself at him, the Tarnished dropped the Black Knife and lunged at the Frenzied Flame's greatest follower. Shabriri, so desperate to prevent the usage of Destined Death in any way, was taken aback literally as the Tarnished slammed the flat side of the Sacred Relic Sword into his throat just as the two now slid and tumbled along the ruined street.
On top of Shabriri now, the Tarnished kept his weight on the man and the blade firmly in place, preventing him from uttering even a single word let alone the breath needed to do another frenzied incantation, since the lack of air kept him from concentrating hard enough to perform one.
But he knew this wouldn't last for long. So, he didn't delay in saying his final piece.
"I know you would never succumb to their influence," he said, speaking directly to the young man still in there. "Not when you still have your friends around… not when there is still something you are so focused on achieving with them at your side."
Yes, the young silver ranked adventurer was positively obsessed with one thing and one thing only. It'd been as clear as a sunny sky ever since they'd first met. It was something that the Tarnished himself had commended, knowing from even a glance just how dedicated the young man was to improving his repertoire specifically for this goal.
"You still have plenty of goblins to slay, do you not?"
Beneath him, Shabriri began to howl.
"You still have plenty of goblins to slay, do you not?"
"…!"
The young man could only gasp upon hearing those words. And as if in response to those words, the flaming world around him began to shift violently, said flames beginning to flicker and burn out.
"No, don't fall for such words! Such a thing is beneath you!" cried out that other voice, the one that had been trying to lead him astray this whole time.
As that voice spoke, the flames tried to regain their potency from before, the world growing just a more shrouded as a result…
…But it was ultimately a futile act.
The young man shook his head firmly, rejecting the voice.
"No, it isn't beneath me at all," he began. The flames cleared up some more, the world becoming more divided – defined. "…It is, in fact, the one thing in my life that matters to me. Yes, I have friends now… that I must return to no matter what… but beyond that, this is something I must see through to the very end."
"Why?! Why would you dedicate yourself to goblins of all things?! Why do that when there is something else that must be done?!"
The young man took a deep breath and when he expelled it, the flames began to flicker out of existence for good along with that dreadful presence that had been above him for a while now.
When he finally spoke again, the world he'd found himself trapped in finally shattered with his declaration.
"Because I am Goblin Slayer."
For the umpteenth time, flames burst out of the body – but this time, the Tarnished knew it to be for a very different reason.
Even as the blast flung him off his opponent, it was with a smile upon his face.
Landing and performing a much more graceful roll to get back on his feet, the Tarnished looked up in time to see a vague shape of a man formed from a heavily condensed mass of yellow flames-.
-Shabriri.
The ancient man, spirit that he is, had been expelled from Goblin Slayer. And said expulsion had left him temporarily addled, disoriented.
But it wasn't going to last long. Already, Shabriri was letting out a cry of shock and fury, coming out as the roaring of a flame, the man trying to take in his new surroundings-.
-But it was too late for the spirit, no, wraith.
As soon as he'd even landed, the Tarnished had already begun to pull out the one weapon that could truly kill something incorporeal such as a spirit.
With Maliketh's Black Blade well in hand, the Tarnished swung it with great precision and his blow struck true. Hitting the very center of Shabriri's incorporeal state and with the greatsword wreathed in the power of Destined Death, several slices of unadulterated power were released in unison to aid his attack, cutting up Shabriri's form even more.
Destined Death, its potency fully restored, went to work right away, eating away fully at Shabriri's essence until it was completely destroyed, not even the slightest trace of the wraith left at all.
It was a process that had lasted all but a split second, if that, so fast that it would be akin to lightning itself in terms of speed. Shabriri never stood a chance.
The Tarnished stared for a scant few seconds, nonetheless, as if by doing so he'd be making sure the spirit was truly gone for good.
Upon realizing that Shabriri was indeed gone for good, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Aside from his arrogance, it had been Shabriri's wariness of Destined Death that had caused this to happen. Knowing that Shabriri would immediately try to curb any usage of Destined Death, the Tarnished had pulled out the Black Knife in order to make him hastily take action, which Shabriri had most certainly done thanks to the battle so far making him all the more paranoid about when the Tarnished would attempt using that great and awesome power. This had finally allowed the Tarnished the opportunity to properly pin him and say the words that had saved Goblin Slayer from the spirit's possession and in turn set up this chance to use Maliketh's Black Blade.
It'd been a bit of a gambit, really, since there had been a chance Shabriri wouldn't fall for the bait so readily, but as made clear, it had worked.
And on that particular note…
Stopping to pick up the Black Knife and store it away first, the Tarnished swiftly walk on over to the younger man, who was still down and breathing heavily. Most fortuitously, Shabriri's possession of him had left his body quite tough during the possession period, meaning Goblin Slayer was still in one piece. Sore and bruised all over, to be sure, but still nothing that couldn't be recovered from with a week of good rest.
Aware of the others closing in now that the battle was over, the Tarnished remained focused on the young adventurer, offering him a hand.
"…You saved me," spoke the man in a plain and tired voice.
"I merely spoke the truth – the real truth," the Tarnished couldn't help but quip. "You saved yourself at the end."
"…I see," was Goblin Slayer's response.
The Tarnished chuckled upon hearing those now familiar words, their hands clasping and helping the silver ranked adventurer sit up.
"He's gone for good?" asked Goblin Slayer.
The Tarnished nodded. "For good."
Goblin Slayer nodded. "Good to hear…" He paused. "…It wouldn't do if I couldn't keep slaying goblins."
The chuckling from before evolved into laughter on the Tarnished's part, but it lasted only several seconds before there was some noise.
"Milord Goblin Slayer!"
"Beard-Cutter, you good?!"
"Still alive there, Orcbolg?!"
"Goblin Slayer, sir!"
Looks like the sounds of battle had caused his party to come rushing back to see the end, the four of them crying out for their leader and friend once they were on the scene.
The Tarnished stepped back as the four of them – Lizard Priest, Dwarf Shaman, High Elf Archer, and Priestess respectively – converged on Goblin Slayer in posthaste.
As he watched on, the Tarnished observed the others nearby coming close in wonder. Save for Ranni, of course, who approached him as though it were just another day… though she did have a gentle smile gracing her lovely face.
"Excellent work, my dear… though perhaps thou may try to avoid taking such risks in the future," she said.
"I believe in these lands, such risks are considered a roll of the dice?" the Tarnished replied lightly, eliciting a huff from his beloved.
"Thou should not let thyself be so absorbed into their culture," she remarked. "Tis enough of a worry to deal with what we already have at home."
"I shall keep that in mind."
The two of them proceeded to watch in relative silence as the party reunited and the others nearby – Hero, Sage, and Sword Saint – proceeded to actually cheer alongside the others that had come closer now that the flames from before had begun to fully die down.
Off in the distance, series of trumpets bellowed – a sign of triumph judging by the sound of it.
The Tarnished let out yet another sigh of relief as did Ranni.
Looks like the battle was well and truly over now.
If it seems like Goblin Slayer and his friends didn't get the focus they deserved at the end there, don't worry – that's what the epilogue will be for. And as for how he ultimately survived the possession and broke free, well, as dark as the light novels can be at times, it is still written with a hopeful tone in mind. After all, Goblin Slayer specializes in never letting the dice be rolled - in other words, he can pretty much defy fate no matter how often the gods of his series get bad rolls on his adventures. And him declaring himself to be Goblin Slayer so seriously is also a canon thing too, I simply weaponized it here, heh.
Anyways, hope the final battle was up to snuff. Been a long while since I wrote a fight this long, I think though do correct me if I'm wrong, ha ha.
Also hope that the Tarnished's logic concerning how he ultimately baited Shabriri out is sound because while it may seem that way to me, it naturally may not look that way to others such as yourselves.
…Man, hard to believe the epilogue is up next now. Doesn't quite feel real even as I write this ending AN. What a ride it's been.
Hope you guys will look forward to it because I will be addressing some other stuff in the epilogue aside from the obvious stuff. Wouldn't quite say I'm setting up a sequel or anything, but given that this fic is based on two very open ended series, it could turn out that way, just like with most of my other fics.
Until next time, everyone. Take care.