A Collection Of Other Adventures
Battle Of Glast Heim
Date: December 7th and 8th, 2022
Continuing on from last time. A person watches a news report about gun violence and screams about being so useless and powerless to do anything about it. "This era of hate, it's crushing down on all of us and we can barely do a thing. There's not enough resistance. It's time to survive." Before it can conjure up more bad images, I decide that I've had enough. I know what's at stake in my world but I can't do anything about it right now. I need to find a way back to my body. There must be a way to get out of this living hell. I will not let anyone control what I see and think. My view of everything has been twisted away from innocence and a overarching powerlessness and anger afflicts me. But still, I have to do something here and now. If I can't break myself out of here, what hope do I have of making enough of a difference to save a lot of people in my world? These images are my fears and reality shown through magic but they cannot stop me. I will focus my attention away from it all. All the noise, everything. It's what I must do and I can. Concentrate. Concentrate. Concentrate! I am Swiftdrawer and my alias has 3 meanings! This is not where my story ends! If someone wants to end my story, they'll have to kill me for good! Even if they deprive me of being able to recount all this in my world digitally, I will just write this on paper with a pen! I concentrate on my resolve rather than the singing or disturbing but realistic images. And just like that, all of it fades away. Instead, I see the battle going on as if it's going on quite far above me. Roan, Yufa. You're still hanging on.. "Turn Undead!" "Don't you mortals ever get tired of using and failing at the same old spells? You only live because I'm enjoying this so much! I'm making you suffer as much as possible before I kill you and the bodies of your pathetic friends! You should have never relied on useless things like love, bonds, and teamwork! There's only one truth in this world and it's power! I'm growing tired of this. It's time to show you more of my power!"
"Don't forget about me, Dark Lord! Grand Cross!" "Now that's an attack that could almost harm me but it will do you no good in this battle, boy!" With a small ball of energy, the Dark Lord deals serious damage and stops their attacks in their tracks. Roan's armor cracks. I hear it crack even though the shadows up there are obscuring it from my sight. "Normal attacks do nothing against me! You have no hope of surviving this, humans! I will use your emotions to fuel my power and only then will the world truly understand that I rule over all of it! There is no victory for you, only suffering and hatred!" "Heal! Sanctuary! Blessing! Heal! You may be stronger but we will punish you in the name of Odin!" "And how do you plan on accomplishing that when your friends can't help you? I could easily just kill them all myself and permanently have their souls in my grasp because they won't be able to return to their bodies with them dead!" This goes on for hours. Literally hours. It's just constant and grueling pain for them. They just suffer more and more as the Dark Lord mocks their persistence and lets them heal and even eat some lunch just so he can torture and hurt even more. About 4 hours after I am able to start watching the battle, Roan and Yufa are beaten badly but Yufa's magic has yet to run out. Hold on, are they sharing their magic with each other? "Roan.. We can't give up! Not now, not ever!" "I know but it feels hopeless." "Impossible! You're still not giving up even after everything I have put you through? Just what kind of mortals are you? You should have run out of magic a long time ago!" "Maybe you shouldn't have allowed us to have lunch." "Hahaha, you think your lunch prolonged your suffering? All you consumed were yellow fruits! You mortals are so amusing! You look so tired and crushed yet you cling onto the false hope of victory that you have!"
"What Roan said. The power of Yggdrasil berries restored our magic!" "Yggsdrasil berries? Impossible! I haven't seen any in millennia! Is Odin responsible for making them unrecognizable to me? Once I gain enough power, I will destroy Odin and the other remaining gods left that hold dominion over this world! I knew I should have destroyed Yggsdrasil when I had the opportunity! That meddling Lord Knight must have given you those! He'll pay for this with greater punishment for eternity!" The fight continues but Roan and Yufa do no damage. It gets so desperate that they focus on defensive and healing moves only after a while. Their attacks aren't going anywhere so it's like they might as well hold out as long as they can, right? If they're lucky, our allies with burst through the doors of the catacombs and back them up in combat or Baphomet will break the entrance to it with brute force and swing at the Dark Lord. But none of that is happening. Where are the others? Is the battling outside that bad or is there something else going on that is preventing them from helping? No matter the case, I believe in Roan and Yufa. If they last long enough, they might be able to force the Dark Lord to wear himself out. If that happens, he can be killed for now. Hope remains alive as long as they fight him. I've been trying to return to my body all this time but haven't been able to budge one bit. Damn it. If I had returned to my body, Roan and Yufa wouldn't look so despaired and worn out. 6 more hours pass and the Dark Lord let them even have dinner. How are they still fighting? Do they seriously have such huge reserves of magic? Is this the power of the 3rd job change combined with their other powers and the berries? "I grow tired of this! Just perish! Torturing you has become a bore. Prepare to die, mortals! You have my full determination now! I will kill you and I will use my full power to do so! One attack will leave you defenseless! After that, I will make you squirm as I torture you and prolong your deaths at my hands!"
Roan.. Yufa.. They're so done for now! Let me out of here! I've watched this for so long. I can't take being a bystander anymore! Wait, Roan and Yufa are tired. They're yawning now. It must be late at night by now. Now that I notice it, I'm tired too. How is that possible? How do souls split from their bodies get tired? Maybe it's because my consciousness and soul are thankfully together? I really don't know. Damn it. My spectral body must be tired then. That's even stranger. So drowsy. So tired. I close my eyes and have some dreams before waking up in my other body. At that moment, I forgot about everything and continued my day as I wanted to. It was a pretty chill day. Then, I got into bed again and fell asleep, having some dreams before waking up in my non Earth body. I look around in shock as I struggle to stand back up because my body is stiff. Roan and Yufa are watching in horror as the Dark Lord powers up to full power. So then. I woke up here not long after I fell asleep as a split soul? The spell cast so long ago to allow me to switch between bodies during sleep worked, even in this situation. Incredible. The Dark Lord hasn't noticed my return to my body. Good. I'm hungry and thirsty. I quickly teleport to Twisted Land, eat and drink fast, use the bathroom, and head right back. After stretching my entire body, I pick up my sword which fell to the ground when my body and soul were separated. Now I'm ready. The Dark Lord laughs: "This is the end of your resistance, Roan and Yufa! Say goodbye to all of your hopes and dreams!" He gathers energy into the form of a giant dark sword. As he begins to attack them with it, I equip my shield and run in front of the couple who have miraculously resisted the Dark Lord for the majority of the day. I block his attack with my sword, shield, and armor.
His big sword vibrates upon connecting with it all, the clang of metal is heard audibly. "How dare you get in the way of my victory, mortal? How did you return to your body? There is no escape from the abyss for souls like yours!" "You had no idea, did you? How do I put this? Let's see. I live my life in 2 bodies. When I sleep, magic switches my soul and consciousness from one body to the other. It means I can continue my pretty mediocre and very flawed and imperfect life on Earth while living my life fighting for what's right while having the actual strength needed to do so elsewhere in this body! It turns out that souls themselves can get tired! Did you know that? I sure as hell didn't! Now that I'm here, you won't be killing anyone for a while if you even manage to even break my defense and kill me! Haaaaa! I will fulfill the duty I have sworn upon as a knight of the people and rebellion! My loyalty does not lie with any ruler of any country! My will is solid. My mind is sharp. My sword is sharp and ready. This world will be liberated from you eventually. If I fall, someone will rise to keep up the fight. Hurt me all you want but I have decided to resist you with all I got. Roan, Yufa. You can rest." "But we want to help you vanquish the Dark Lord! You need us to back you up! We have a duty to serve Odin and defeat this menace for him and all of humanity!" "I'm not trying to defeat him on my own, Roan. I'm trying to hold out. Some souls need to be freed and you two need to get some sleep. No buts! I have this covered for a while. I'm not forfeiting my life, I promise you that much. Take turns sleeping and trying to free our friends from the abyss. I'll keep Mr.prouddarkpants right there busy." "Okay. Roan, let them do it. Let's take their advice. We've kept the Dark Lord from doing anything else for hours." "Okay if you say so, Yufa. But you sleep first!" "Then it's settled!"
I smile: "Glad you listened to my words. The Dark Lord is too powerful for any of us to handle and defeat." "Hahahaha! You mortals are utterly pathetic! You think you can last long against me? I'll make you regret your words as you drown in a pool of your own blood!" Yufa finds a actual decent place to sleep while Roan watches over her and tries to use spell after spell to break through the abyss. I would tell you how he did but the Dark Lord is my focus. "Human, why do you so foolishly give yourself up for stalling me?" "I believe in my friends. I will not let you win so easily. Even if you had your highly advanced lasers pointed at me, I wouldn't give in. From watching you fight Roan and Yufa, I know that my attacks won't do anything to you. I'm not going to attack you, I'm going to resist you. That's the best I can do." "If that's your best, you humans have no hope or chance of survival!" "I wouldn't say that. This battle hasn't been decided. Because it hasn't, you can't expect to just point at something and say 'I'll destroy them without opposition to slow me down'. That's just not how it works. Villains are always so sure of themselves. Enough talk, try and kill me! I dare you! Come and get me, bastard!" "You mortals always like having death wishes! Time for you to die!" "Not so fast! Continuous Extremely Risky Spin Slash: 115! You aren't able to hurt me for a bit thanks to this!" Before he can even break through my attack which I'm just using as a defense, I shout: "It's time to link into the VRAINS!" I transform into my Link VRAINS version of my Swiftdrawer disguise. Afterwards, I summon my duel board as before and begin evading the Dark Lord's attacks. After several hours of dodging, defending, using my attacks as shields, and even summoning my Artist comrades every so often to help me hold out against the Dark Lord, I run out of HP bananas. "Damn it! I'm spent. Now, I can only defend myself and the others with what I'm wearing and holding. No more special attacks. My duel board is bust and my duel disk doesn't have enough energy to keep my comrades summoned." I revert back to my regular form.
"Hahahaha! Finally, you're almost done for! Mortal, I can't wait to kill you! Your soul will be mine once again! Thank you for your anger, it helped me grow stronger, fool!" "Stop underestimating me if you want to have a shot of actually ruling this world. I'm far from done. I'm exhausted but I can stand my ground because my legs are less exhausted than my arms." For 2 more hours, I hold out against the Dark Lord even after my shield and sword become too damaged to be able to be used to defend with without them quickly breaking. The only reason I stop resisting him is because my armor becomes heavily damaged and I start hurting all over. "This is it. I've done everything I can. I can barely move my arms now. And my voice is so weak and sore. My legs are unstable. I'll fall down at any second. If it weren't for my equipment, I would have died hours ago in a horrible way. I'm just glad I was able to hold out so long against you. *coughs and gags* Damn it. I might have gone too far this time. Crap." "Good! I'm going to destroy you now even as the foolish priestess tries to release your pathetic fri-" Yufa breaks the abyss as Roan sleeps as far from the battle as possible. My legs tremble and I collapse to my knees as Yufa heals my wounds before waking up Roan. "Adam! Are you okay?!" "No, I'm not but I did what I could. It's time for you Midgardians to finish this. I only managed to drain some of the Dark Lord's massive power. Beware of his gadgets, they're far more dangerous now than before. Those lasers almost cut one of my eyes. I'm going to scoot my way to the entrance of this room once I rest a little bit. Take it from here. I'm not dying thanks to Yufa. Don't worry. Just fight." "I will do my best." Just then, the souls of the others return to their bodies. I give a weak smile as this happens and Roan fights the Dark Lord at full strength. I did all I could. Now, it's up to all of them to work together with Herbsalvin to kill the Dark Lord.
They can do this. I believe in them. We may have severely underestimated just how powerful our foe is but my belief remains strong all the same. This all should be enough to finish him off. The others recover and I scoot my way away from the battle. If I stay too close to it, my armor will break and I will most certainly die. My knight robes under my armor are even torn in some places. I can see that thanks to the damage dealt to my armor. Dominic is going to really want a nap when he sees what shape I'm in. Haha. Gotta stay a little positive given that I tried my best and allowed the battle to continue without any of us dying. I earned the opportunity to think a little positive without too too much of a care in this situation. Judia says: "You damn Dark Lord! Do you have any idea of what you really put us all through? I'm going to make you pay for hurting Iruga Jr. He's frightened because of you and I won't let you live that down! Let me show the power of a Ranger! Arrow Shower! Charge Arrow! Electric Shock! Bomb Cluster! No Limits!" "Judia, I will help you protect our child. Sonic Blow! Venom Knife! Sonic Acceleration! Enchant Poison! Grimtooth!" "Don't forget about me! Crazy Uproar! Cart Revolution!" This starts an escalation of the battle. The action picks up very quickly. Varmundt says: "I won't allow you to take our souls again, Dark Lord. *casts a spell* I have placed a seal on the abyss you speak of. No creature, even you can enter or leave it now. This is where you fall, Dark Lord. I will not allow you to get past us. Meteor Storm!" His attack summons meteors that open large holes in the roof of the room and crash hard. Before they finish falling, I use the little movement I have regained to send away the remains of everyone killed in this room to the laboratory in Miitopia for Dominic and others to take care of. Hopefully, that means those who died can be brought back to life. After doing that, there is nothing else I can do because I have so little movement in my arms. I can barely feel them as is. Back to the battle, the attacks do nothing to the Dark Lord.
Not even when all of the knights use Magnum Break. It is just painful to see. The Dark Lord isn't weakened by the light of morning coming through the ceiling. In fact, it appears to have made him even stronger. I'm not sure how that works but that's what happened and it's not good. At this point, it's like "how the hell are we supposed to win". The others are doing very well. Between the attacks, defenses, and healing, no one is getting seriously injured long enough to make a difference. No one is dying. The teamwork and cooperation is astounding. Our journey has seriously led to some character growth it seems. That's really great. After 30 minutes, they all start getting pushed back: "I don't know how much longer we can keep this up. My duty as a knight is not enough." "Don't give up, Seyren! We have to keep going! Reflective Shield!" "I know. We must keep fighting but I am worried." "As am I, Seyren. None of our attacks have done any damage to the Dark Lord." "Hahahahaha! You mortals are finished! Soon, your souls will be mine permanently and I will use your bodies as sacrifices to open the way to other worlds! Those other worlds are full of monsters and demons! Once my plan succeeds, no humans will be able to stand up against the new age of monsters! Baphomet will die for getting in my way before! I'll make him pay personally!" In minutes, things go from okay to really bad. Everyone fighting the Dark Lord sustains serious injuries that healing isn't enough to stop completely. What the hell. At this rate, we're all finished! Dead. Gone. Doomed. And none of us can contact outside help. This is just horrible. And I can't do anything about it. What am I supposed to do now besides wait for my end in this body? Nothing. The Dark Lord charges up an intense amount of energy: "It's over! Not just for you but all mortals in Glast Heim! This attack won't hurt monsters but it will destroy all humans in Glast Heim and Glast Heim right along with it! Game over for you, I win, all of you now die!" I brace for the doom and the destruction but something happens. First of all, music from the game Dragon Ball Legends suddenly starts playing and it seems only I can hear it. The intro to be specific. Iruga Jr. starts squirming in Judia's grasp: "What's wrong, sweetie? I don't know how you calmed down earlier but now, you're squirming now of all times? You are such a handful. Are you hungry or tired? Do you need to get changed? I can't do any of that now, my little Iruga Jr.." The infant exhibits superhuman strength and breaks free of her technologically and magically aided grasp. "Hey! What's going on? My little boy is that strong? When did this happen? Like it matters, we're all done for, now.."
Iruga Jr. does something even more shocking. He gets up onto his feet and stands while making lots of anger noises. "A human child angry with me? That's so pathetic! A human child stands no chance against me! He'll be the first to die to this attack that will finish all of you off for good! It'll keep your bodies intact but destroy everything else except all of the monsters! Humanity is doomed! The age of monsters will begin soon! And there's nothing a single one of you can do to oppose my ultimate and completed power!" Varmundt gasps: "In all my years of life, I have never heard of a child standing so defiantly against an infamous monster of Midgardian history. What power does Iruga Jr. have? I sense immense power coming from inside of him." The child's white hair grows much longer and his body starts glowing with a light silver aura. I also gasp: "No way! That can't be Ultra Instinct?! Can it? Arg.. my throat.." Without warning, the Dark Lord releases the energy and we brace ourselves for the end of us and many others. We had a good run here, too bad Super Iruga Jr. didn't change anything. The energy just vanishes after being released. "Impossible! No mortal can stop my attacks! Where did my attack go?" We hear the loudest and longest burp I think I've ever heard in my life. Iruga Jr. giggles before getting angry again. I know he's glaring at the Dark Lord without even being able to see his face. Before anyone can react to the burp and giggle, Iruga Jr. demonstrates the ability of flight and super speed before punching one of the Dark Lord's bones. A satisfying crunch noise is heard as it echoes throughout the room. "HUUUUUUUUMAAAAAAAAN CHILD! How dare you do this to me when I am the master of this world?! You will die today along with everyone who has ever cared about you! Care. Feelings. All pitiful and useless! There is no hope for your foolish species, I will finish what I started so long ago and what Baphomet could not do! This is the end, fools!" He tries to kill Iruga Jr. but the armor takes all of the damage with ease. The infant sticks his tongue out to mock the Dark Lord.
Judia looks happy: "So it really works after all! This is amazing! But where did he get all that power from?" As if to not answer that question but make it even harder to answer, Iruga Jr.'s power literally knocks the Dark Lord back as he tries to kill the child again. After that, it's like a light show has begun as all the Midgardians get surrounded by auras of many different colors. Their power levels have increased to a point that my skill Artist's Eye activates to allow me to feel the difference. This is unprecedented in most universes outside of the Dragon Ball multiverses. Is this the effect the end of the calamity in time had on this world? What better explanation is there? No matter. It matters little where it came from right now. What matters is that Herbsalvin just collapsed from exhaustion next to me due to fighting by butting into the Dark Lord and that the Midgardians are fighting with new vigor at frightening speeds. "Cross Judgement! You will not stop us, Dark Lord! We will defeat you today! There's no quitting for us!" "Roan, I have your back! Thunder Ice Storm!" "I have no more patience! You're getting in the way of my plans! I won't hold my power back any longer. You can all just die and I don't care how you die! Just die so I can bring on the age of monsters!" "We won't surrender! Holy Wrath! Blessing! Sanctuary!" "Joint Break! It is our duty to finish you off! Gunnr is next! Magnum Break! Endure! Berserk! Knight's Assault!" "My friends, you aren't alone in this. The captain will be happy to hear about all of this once this is all over. Knight's Devotion!" "Dark Lord, you have caused a lot of pain for others. It's time to finish you off again. This time, I'm able to directly fight you myself. Venom Vengeance!" "Poi Poi! You know what to do with me, right?" "Poi!" "This can't be happening! I can't hurt any of you! I'm the Dark Lord, master of evil and destroyer of humanity!" "That doesn't matter to us, we're here to finally stop you! This place stinks! I want out of here! Poi Poi-Maya Cart Surprise!" "Sister, are you ready?" "At long last, I am brother. Let's show our friends how much we've grown since we met them!"
"Double Divine Slash!" The attacks are constant. No one is holding back. It's as if every combatant has reached a point in mana reserves that is far beyond anything anyone really expected when this situation first began. This is brutal and constantly action packed. I just wish Herbsalvin and I could join in on the fun. But at the same time, I'm happy this is the way things are going. There's too much battle to absorb now. It gets more and more intense by the second. Iruga Jr. is fighting alongside his parents and I think I heard him shout something that sounded like: "Sonic Blow! Arrow Shower!" Just what kind of powerful child did they procreate together? This is just so unbelievable and it's still going. But then, Freddie appears with a frown on his face: "This experiment is going so wrong! Just look over there! They're evenly matched with the Dark Lord! And how does a infant child suddenly get so powerful?!" Ultimate Shaggy also appears: "Like man, chill out. It's okay, just let it play out." "No! I refuse to let this experiment fail after all the work I put into it! This result is making me lose sight of my personality and normal vocabulary! Can you believe that?!" "Calm down, this is what was meant to happen!" "Since when did you know anything about destiny?! You're called a meme in many human Earth worlds!" "Since when did you not realize that I know about destiny?" "This is getting nowhere! I'm going in there to help the Dark Lord win." Freddie charges into the battle while Shaggy just watches while sighing and eating a hot dog: "I told him to like not get involved. But here he is playing me for a fool. Like man, come on. This is not groovy. Our boss will not be happy about this. Or maybe they'll just see this coming and tell me not to worry. Oh well. I tried. Like, what else was I supposed to do for something that wasn't a Scooby Snack?" Freddie is about to attack our friends when something strange happens. Iruga Jr. senses him with Ultra Instinct level senses and blasts him away with a Lightning Bolt spell. Freddie crashes to the ground, his circuits sustains damage and start sparking.
Ultimate Shaggy sighs again and picks him up. Before disappearing, he says to me specifically: "Like man, watch out. We're coming for you in due time. This is a situation that will like not happen again. Not on my watch. Oh and btw, I got a little something for Ovenzilla. I'm sure he'll like it. Don't try to get in the way of the surprise or you will not like what you get for doing so. Actually, scratch that. There's no way you'll get in the way." What?! That is so confusing to me. But then, Yufa notices me and Herbsalvin: "Ultimate Heal!" Just like that, we're both back to fighting shape. I don't feel exhausted anymore, just hungry and thirsty again. That can wait. "We need your help too to defeat the Dark Lord! Come on, join us in finishing him! Thank you for all of your help!" "Well, I wasn't expecting to get included into whatever that action stuff is supposed to be referred to as a unit. Let's go in and help, Herbsalvin." "Yes, let's. But your armor, shield, and sword.. They're fixed!" I look down: "What in the?! That heal went beyond healing flesh. Okay then, let's give the Dark Lord hell. Freddie is one day going to get reverted back to his old self or beaten down or so help me for all of this. He's responsible for this mess. Haaaaaa!" The two of us charge into the battle and help fight the Dark Lord as best as we can. I personally try to disrupt his bones with: "Anatomical Disruption! I should have used this earlier! Arg! But the past is in the past. It can't be changed but the future and present impact of it can be changed." "That foolish priestess will pay for allowing you to defy me as well! I will end all of you once I break through all of your useless defenses! It's only a matter of time! And I tire of your defiance. I have no need to torture you anymore than I have to to kill all of you now! Prepare yourselves!"
Despite his threatening words, we just refuse to give up. We keep on fighting with all we have despite the fact that we are currently evenly matched with him. Neither side is budging or yielding. It's just constant attacks at the same time with colors of energy radiating from us and into the room around us. "Ultimate Sonic Blow! Dark Lord, you will not bring us down anymore! It's been almost a day since you trapped us here. It will be fitting to break free by ending and trapping you. Keough, let's show off our secret special move we've kept secret since we were kids." "That one?! Yufa, Roan, everyone! You're in for something special! Until now, we haven't tried it because of my time as Haze and because we had to keep you two safe." "Magnum Sonic Slash!" The attack is the strongest unleashed by us since Iruga Jr. suddenly went "Ultra Instinct", that's for sure. "All I have to say is more combination attacks, please! Also, he's starting to get an edge over us. I'll fix that. Drawing Destruction! Your high tech weapons are at full power now but now, they'll be just scrap, Dark Lord! Haaaaaaa!" After my attack, his advanced weapons no longer work or do any damage to us. This resumes our being at pace with the Dark Lord. We remain evenly matched for a while. There's a lot of knockback and things that just keeps happening and it's actually thrilling. The Dark Lord gets more agitated. We all get more tense due to giving it everything we got but end up being unable to land the victory for our side. Please, let this battle end soon. "You mortals! Your persistence is so pointless and pitiful! Your strength is finite, mine is infinite! You will wear yourselves out and die instantly as soon as you do! I will destroy you, once and for all! My revenge will be soon at hand! It's only a matter of time!" This was a good 20 or so minutes after Yufa healed Herbsalvin and I. Our joining in prevented you know who from getting an advantage over us several times, not just once. You can thank her for all of that. My arms are so strained and I might join Dominic in napping after this is over. I've been up since late last night fighting or resting. Before any of us can form a response, Melopsum and Baphomet enter the battle.
Baphomet sighs: "So you humans and.. pegasus couldn't defeat him on your own even with the surprising power in most of you. Not even I or Melopsum foresaw this outcome. Your comrades outside have defeated all of the monsters. None of them died. Just as I thought. We had to interfere. Dark Lord, your reign of terror ends here. If you return again, I will be ready for you and we will destroy you before you can try to set your malevolent plans into action again." The demon yells for us to move out of the way before charging at the Dark Lord with a giant axe in his right hand that he uses to swing at the Dark Lord's still present large dark energy sword which has been his secondary method of attack. As soon as he pulls back the axe, that sword is shattered and a few of the Dark Lord's bones crack. The villain starts leaking dark energy. This is our chance. "Everyone, we can definitely kill this bastard now! Baphomet, Melopsum, be sure to back us up. More of your help will be appreciated. Haaaaaa! I might as well do this now because we don't care about this place! Someone better heal me! Great Infernal Tornado Slash!" The others follow up with more attacks too. Baphomet goes to a different side and comes at the Dark Lord's side swinging with his axe. It's relentless. Melopsum casts dangerous spells from behind him as this happened and we kept things up. My muscles are so dead after this. All the healing won't reduce the wear out to 0 unfortunately. But oh well. "Odin'a Light! We won't just defeat you to serve Odin! We have a responsibility to put you down! Roan, back me up!" "Right! I got you, Yufa! Grand Cross! Holy Cross! Shield Boomerang! Magnum Break!" "For Larjes and everyone hurt by the forces of darkness! Sword Quicken! Joint Break! Magnum Break! Bash! Bowling Bash! Vanguard Force!"
"Once again, don't forget me! Poi Poi! Add your weight at my cart!" "Poi!" "Crazy Cart Revolution!" "Roan, watch out! Nevermind, I have your back! Spellbreaker! Thunder Storm! Lightning Bolt! Meteor Storm! Frost Diver!" "Venom Rain! Dagger Dance! Sonic Blow! Yufa, Roan, everyone. I will fight by your side!" "One more from me. Anatomical Disruption! This'll leave a crunch." The Dark Lord's bones are crumbling. He's done. Put the battle climax end music here or something. Anyway, he gasps as we all unleash a few more attacks: "No! This wasn't supposed to happen! That interloping human! He ruined everything!" "He?! I'm not a man. Just a human. I go by they when it comes to be referred to in a way that doesn't include any of my names. More importantly, you don't look so good. Freddie and yourself brought this upon you. So go thank yourself in damnation." "This is the end, Dark Lord! May you never hurt anybody again! You took Keough, Iruga, and Takius from us. But now, they're back!" "You are being punished as you should be!" "That's right! This is what happens to those who foolishly try to rule over the world! We all have our own truth but one that is shared is that one holding all the power must be stopped at all costs!" "Justice for all that you have done will finally be served! Your days of using me are long over!" "You're trying to destabilize the balance by having the monsters kill all humans. I do not care much for them but some have shown my children and myself degrees of kindness. It is time for you to go back to the only place you belong." "While it has been interesting to watch you and these mortals battle and plan to confront each other, this is where it ends. Roan has nothing more I can teach him. He has learned that power isn't everything and that is serving him well."
"You hurt Zealotus and Alice, my friends! I won't yet their deaths be in vain! But I won't do this out of revenge, they don't want that for me and I have grown to see that revenge isn't the answer! Friendship is so important! You are beyond redemption, we are stopping you right now!" "And don't forget me. My sweet little Iruga Jr. may have unleashed his potential while fighting you but I refuse to let you get away for hurting him and so many others, human and monster alike!" "The knights will tell the story of this battle for centuries. I will prove that the corruptions in the knights is over and taken care of. I do this for the knights who helped my sister and I when we were little. Being a knight is still my ambition. Forces of cruelty like you must be vanquished in the name of the good things in this world." "Behold, the results of my suave and heroic actions! Did my scent catch you off guard, Dark Lord?" "No matter the cost, we have finally gotten to this point. The nightmare you set upon us all will end alongside your death. There is nothing left for me to say to you." No one else is able to say anything as the Dark Lord begins to truly crumbling into dust: "Noooooo! This is unreal! Curse you all! Especially you, Roan, Adam, human child, and Baphomet! This isn't over! I will return and get my long awaited revenge! Just you wait! You humans will be doomed! Your arrogance and flaws will be your undoing someday! Aaaaaaaaaa!" The Dark Lord does because he crumbles into dust right before us, leaving behind an enormous amount of energy and metallic parts that break apart and shatter, causing small electrical fires. Dominic appears with a panicked expression as he points out: "This isn't over yet! There's a lot of left over unstable amount of energy! Behold! My latest Energy Accumulator device! Mark 10! Adam! Come over here and help me steady this thing!"
I go over to him: "What did you do this time? Woah! It's huge! No wonder you need help! Maybe making it so big wasn't a good idea!" "I was tired while making it! I needed a serious nap because I built it in haste though it has great design anyway! Now I really need a nap! *presses button* Be careful! Hold it like I am and it won't explode on us!" I hold it the same way he is. Good thing too because a lot of energy is going inside of it. Once all the energy is inside, he calms down and yawns: "We did it successfully. No big deal. Adam, want to go back with me? Are you ready to say goodbye for now yet?" "No, my friend. I will stick around for the victory celebration. There are a lot of individuals I'd like to invite to join BRAINS after all and I need to stick around to pull that off. Herbsalvin, will you stay with me until I decide to leave?" "I will follow you anywhere. We share a special bond." "It's decided. I'll be in the lab storing this energy somewhere more stable and helping Bray with resurrecting all the humans who were killed that you sent the remains of over unannounced. I would say don't do it again but I'm too tired and I know you too well. Goodbye, the rest of you. We'll be in touch. After I get a nap after getting that work done and helping in yet another battle. Oh and Adam, please help us counter the next attack. It'll happen tomorrow morning but we're ready for it." "Don't worry, I will." To sum up the rest of my time in Rune, here is some stuff. Dominic leaves just as Melopsum and Baphomet do and Varmundt opens a portal for all of us to Prontera where a whole bunch of people are waiting. They cheer for us as we walk into the city through the portal. Wow, word traveled really fast. We're all worn but relieved. We are led by some guards to the Themed Bar where a feast awaits. Many guests have already arrived before us. As it goes on, I end up eating a lot and drinking a lot of water shucked avoiding getting swarmed for being a hero. I hate attention like that. But my main mission is recruiting individuals. That ends up being extremely successful thanks to my counterpart and Herbsalvin helping out a lot. Everyone we fought with joins it along with some others. More on that in the future.
Once we have talked to everyone we wanted to about BRAINS, Herbsalvin and I decide together to leave. We say this to our teammates during the adventure and say goodbye. "Adam, Herbsalvin.. I can't thank you enough for everything. We would have been lost without you." "Roan, I know. You don't have to thank me. Just joining BRAINS is more than enough of a thank you to me. It's been amazing having you all as company. Wow, look at us, anarchist revolutionaries getting along with you all. Our goals and general morals aligned. That's why. Please, consider pushing for your society to be better. Now that your timeline has been tampered with, you might as well. After all, all organisms deserve happiness. In theory, a kingdom can be restructured to perfectly fit the needs of everyone. To allow for dialogue between the kingdom and its citizens. We believe that a stateless and communal driven society is best though. That being said, there are a large number of circumstances that determine what is needed. Most worlds inhabited by intelligent life forms that we know of aren't ready for the kind of society we fight for in Miitopia." Varmundt replies: "Your perspective on things is very different from most. I look forward to working with you and more of your friends in the future. This is farewell for now. Let us know if you need our help." "It's a pleasure, Varmundt. I'm under the impression that we will be back here to help all of you in the future. Bigger conflicts are sure to occur." "Adam. Thank you for helping me become strong enough to join the knights." "Of course. You're welcome to ask for more training in the future. I can't believe I still don't know your name. Oh well, we have to leave very soon. Tell me next time. I'm very exhausted and there's stuff to be done in Miitopia. You better believe I hope to see you again. Herbsalvin, aren't you going to say anything?" "No. I have no words to speak. You have a way with words that I don't and I only want to watch this exchange." "Fair enough considering all the lives you've lived."
Iruga Jr. wakes up from more sleeping and smiles at me: "Aww, you like me too still, huh? Iruga Jr., take care. I hope to fight alongside you as a friend someday. Your power is amazing. Judia, Iruga, I hope you help that power grow and grow at a safe and stable pace. Be aware that a few incidents may occur because of it. He's happy and just relaxed right now but if he doesn't like someone, things won't end well for them. Case in point, you're holding him and he's not breaking free, Judia." "We'll take care of him very well. Now you better take care of yourself, you hear?!" "I can't assure that I will do all I can to in my other body but in this one, I will and have. Please be well and continue to sharpen yourself and your arrows. Become point blank. Oh and keep that armor well maintained. He'll need that a lot especially if he has a lot of those incidents in the future. Some of us, myself included will investigate where he could have possibly gotten so powerful." "Judia already said very good things. But I will add onto them. Our son will become who he is meant to be and we will help him through the journey. Stay safe. Don't let anyone suspicious too close for too long." "We'll try our best. Keep on being you. And let this be stated for everyone saying goodbye to us. Keep growing stronger and be open to changing your minds on anything. Change is the only constant." "Adam, we haven't spoken much but I thank you for helping my brother. With training I mean. We'll continue to grow stronger. Please come back and visit sometime."
"I also still don't know your name but oh well. I know I will come back to visit but it will be well planned. Don't want to interfere with your universe too much and all that. Be safe and be well. If you are sick, don't endanger others by letting it spread around. Sickness is caused by bacteria which are teeny tiny creatures that are everywhere for those of you who don't know. And some sicknesses can mess up your body badly. Once the technology is made, we will scan this world with biometric scanners to find as many illnesses as possible and deal with any that are bad enough. This goes for all of you. Varmundt, Dominic will send you some books about this stuff along with data." Keough then speaks: "Your performances that helped us out were unlike anything I have ever seen. You have left an impression on all of us. Thanks to your help along with the help of many others, myself, Iruga, and Takius are back here, alive and well. Don't worry, we'll keep this world safe! We must grow even stronger to do so." "Good. Be on the lookout for invaders from other times and dimensions. All kinds of threats can attack any world in any universe at any time. You never know until they hit you. Please do not comment on my performances in the future, it's extra baggage. I'm just trying to survive and allow others to survive too. Oh and bring some happiness and rationality around. I'll have to spar with you and all the rest of ya too. We can learn a lot from each other." "My counterpart, I wish you the best in your future adventures." "I wish the same to you as well. Remember, your actions are often connected to the gaming part of my imagination. I see most of your battles and investigations. We discussed this before and you said you were comfortable with it. I'm glad that that's how it is. Okay, who's left? I'm giving you all hugs before we leave because there can always be more hugs." "I'll go next! Poi Poi and I will miss you! You helped me grow stronger! I still have a lot to learn but we did a lot!" "I'm glad to hear it, Maya. And Poi Poi, you aren't strong but your heart is gold and you make Maya's techniques complete. I hope to see you both again stronger than ever very soon."
"I have made many mistakes in life but you just like the others didn't harbor resentment for it. Can you try to have someone bring back my teacher? He deserves a second chance at life." "He has paid for his actions already and has shown proof that he has changed. He died peacefully with care in his heart, a return to his old self. I'll talk to Bray and the others about it for you. We're kinda swamped with resurrections right now given that we're fighting a war at the moment. Keep going and become a stronger Sage. Magic is precious and can bring about just about anything. I'm sure Bray and Julia would be most interested to meet you. Your bravery against your teacher when he revealed his wicked side will always be a defining moment of yours. Use that passion. Let it evolve you as the years go on. I will continue fighting by and with my sword." The mercenaries don't speak. Judia yelled at Raygene earlier and Lillah is shy. Seyren talks next: "You have proven yourself to be a honorable knight. I am excited to see what happens when we next fight together." "Seyren, you are an excellent comrade. Your reason for joining the knights is as pure and noble as it gets. I wouldn't say that I'm fully honorable. I'm not afraid to get messy in battle. And I fight for revolution and serve no master, king, or whomever. But whatever. Keep things up. I'll see how things go for you in the future. You know how and why. I will not interfere anymore with Gunnr's group any longer unless something happens that isn't supposed to happen." "Young knight, you had me thinking you were going to get yourself killed several times! But you proved me wrong and I admit it. You were as vital as any of us in that mission to Geffen Tower. Same goes for you, Herbsalvin." "Of course you'd say that, Maria. Don't make flattering us a habit. I'm kind of trying to crush my ego, not inflate it. Keeping a check on it is a task that I'd rather not do but do because I have to. If it got too big, I'd damn myself. Too small of an ego is not a bad thing. It can go die."
"You were a huge help. When can we expect you to visit?" "Catherine, I do not know. Only when things have died down a lot will I do something like that unless it's an emergency. That's almost everyone, just 3 more." My counterpart replies: "I forgot to mention. They're all too busy to come here." "Ah ha. That's why I don't see them. Okay then. This is it. Goodbye to all of you, my comrades. I will be back someday and certainly will keep in touch." I go one by one by hug all of them. Herbsalvin gently nudges them and lets them pet them if they wish. With that done, I walk a little away from there before turning around and smiling warmly while putting my left hand on Herbsalvin's mane and holding my sword with my right: "I hope you consider why we do what we do. And how to improve your society in ways that don't involve fighting and ways that do. Perhaps you can one day settle your society's differences with the Orcs, Goblins, and so on. May love and logic guide your every decision. May your hearts not harbor prejudice towards the oppressed. Let your beliefs, hopes, and dreams align with the reality of things and what you can do to make things better. This world has great protectors. All of you are among the best there are. I will see you in the future." I teleport off to Miitopia where some of the others are waiting for us and sheath my sword. Dominic walks out of the laboratory with PPE still on: "Oh! Adam, Herbsalvin! You're back! I just happened to finish all of my responsibilities for the day. I'm going to get a nap. The new napping room is a nice addition. Really needed with how bad things are here in Miitopia. Make sure to write a mission report, Adam. You too if you even can, Herbsalvin. We need your perspectives on what happened. Adam, you look dead. That just makes me want a nap even more. Care to join me? You don't look hungry or thirsty. After a nap, you could write the report with a recharged mind." "Yes, I will join you in there! Just let me use the bathroom and get a shower. I must smell like Odorzilla!" "There's a reason I haven't run to grab a gas mask. The air filters are working perfectly with their new upgrades that were designed after that pizza buffet incident. I need to change and use the shower myself anyway."
"It works out then. My muscles are just done at this point. Herbsalvin, why don't you go find something to do? I think you should rescue innocent Miitopians, if you're feeling good enough to." "I'll do it. Enjoy your nap!" "Haha, thanks! I rarely let myself take naps." The rest of the day is chill. I take an hour nap, write my report, do a chaotic experiment after the Wacky Clowns get me and Dominic to help them with it, put out Fluffy's hair, train a little, eat dinner, and get ready for tomorrow. That night, I had a nightmare. In the nightmare, I was in my other body in my room on Earth. I went to a family gathering, thinking that it might be okay to go after thinking it over for weeks. However, no one as usual was wearing masks. Okay, this just feels like a usual family party in my life. That's what I thought at first. However, things took a turn after someone started coughing. It was a couple coughs at first but they just didn't stop coughing. A few others had varying symptoms like headaches, nausea, and fatigue. Everyone who wasn't feeling well ended up going home shortly thereafter because it was clear they were sick. A few days later, one of them died suddenly just days before 2 others were sent to the hospital and tested positive for Covid. I went to work that day and learned about the passing of a family member after getting off. By that point, my throat had felt a little funny but I didn't worry too much. I convinced myself it was just dehydration. But when I had some water to drink, the feeling in my throat didn't go away. In the coming days after that, it just got worse. The funeral for the family member who died happened while I was sick. 2 days after that water thing, it happened and I didn't go. I explained I was sick and my family actually understood. As time went on, I got more symptoms: migraines, runny nose, and coughs. I eventually got better after a week. However, I tried to write for a whole day on one of my days off but no matter how long I spent focused on trying to write, I struggled to come up with any ideas. That wasn't because of my symptoms lingering.
They were gone by then. It was like an exhaustion and fog settled into my head. I went and got tested for Covid the next day and it came back positive. The exhaustion and fog got even worse by then. I was having trouble with cognitive problems that just seemingly came out of nowhere. The migraines returned as throbbing aches. I tried again to write after testing positive but the same thing happened. I tried again for 5 days whenever I wasn't working but the trouble was still there. I couldn't get much of anything done. I finally realized that I had Long Covid. My creative journey came to a halt and my dreams of becoming a full time artist and writer were crushed. My mental health tanked and I was angry, sad, afraid, and tired. It also turned out that everyone who had symptoms at that party tested positive for Covid as did several others in my family. One of them too brought up cognitive impairments. No matter what help I got, nothing worked except rest but even that wasn't enough. My life would never be the same again. I got stuck at a different job that required little effort because I just couldn't do things anymore. Long Covid. It's bad. You have at least a chance of 20% of getting it when you get infected with Covid. That's why I had the nightmare. I'm afraid of having my mind messed up because no one around me takes Covid seriously. The vaccines aren't enough. I'm just glad the Minecraftian version of Covid is gone at least. That was the only dream I remember having before I woke up in my world. Ragnarok arc complete.
Outro: Thank you so much for reading. I was going to get this done a day earlier but well, I ended up going out with my brother and that took up over 6 hours. That and I didn't expect this one to be longer than most of the other chapters in this arc. The Dark Lord has been defeated but you'll see him again. Don't worry for now. We're at the part of the horror where the main characters are getting together, a few people have died, people are starting to die much more, and the intentions of the killers are starting to become uncovered. This I mean not just for my stories but for our world as well. It's only a matter of time before everyone starts dying. If you want to act like Covid as a pandemic is over and just something we have to deal with as a disease, you can do that. There's nothing stopping you but don't go telling people like myself that we told you so when something really bad happens to someone you care about or you due to Covid. I don't like being around crowds who don't take Covid seriously. Yeah, it's important to acknowledge that Covid isn't going anywhere. 10 points to whatever social or gaming team you're on for that. Yes, getting vaccinated against Covid is very good of you but you need to get boosters if you haven't already or done so in a long while. Doing so might save your life. That being said, vaccines aren't enough. You need mostly clear air and a bunch of other things to reduce transmission of Covid. It's possible to have fun while taking Covid seriously. Please do it. XBB.1.5 is no joke nor any variant is for that matter. Please be safe and keep yourself well enough to keep focused long enough to read stories. Take care.