NOVEL NEXT Chapter 219: Death
Ever since he was reborn as a Weapon, Elian had a goal. The first was to heal Bianca's body. Then it was to grow strong enough to protect her. Getting revenge on the big three and fighting the Crucible came after.
However, all of these things were predicated on one simple fact. He needed to fight in order for him to live in peace. But what if that was no longer the case? Many have made the same offer to him; even the Big Three did at some point.
The problem was that they had neither the power nor the clout to follow through with that reality. But what if it were someone who did? What if a person who could guarantee such a future came forward and offered a life of peace to Elian?
"You guessed it right. I am the one who created the Crucible. You wanting to end it is a problem for me. So, I came here to negotiate. Call off the Weapons, and I will let you live in peace for all eternity."
The being called Origin. A humanoid who lacked a face but felt immensely powerful.
Despite all he claimed, only three words struck Elian.
Created the Crucible.
"…"
The abominable death game that Earth joined. A contest that ended in annihilation or doomed worlds to perceptual war. If one tried to find the root cause of all the issues the current Earth had, it was without a doubt because of the Celestial Crucible.
Dungeons, guilds, talents, artifacts, the Breakers, even the Valestra institute. Everything was because of the Crucible. It meant that the world Elian knew was directly caused by the man before him.
And the same person now offered him a life of peace.
"Elian…"
He didn't need to know what his lover wanted to say. Her worry and affection bled into the way she leaned on his body, her trembling hand and voice.
He took a deep breath and tried to ease Bianca's anxiety with his touch.
"I am fine, Bianca."
Turning to face Origin, Elian shook his head and asked.
"Why?"
It was common to question what one could not understand. If Origin truly knew him, he should know that Elian Reed never does anything without a cause.
"Sigh, I guess a tiger cannot change its stripes, huh? Even now as a weakling, the ghost of the friend I know so well lingers." Origin then massaged his chin as he added, "Fine, I will tell you. It is because if I left you alone, you would destroy the crucible."
"Huh?"
Unable to stop himself, Elian let out a voice of confusion. Origin nodded, then raised his left hand. A large mirror-like screen appeared; the reflection changed and began to show various images like a computer monitor.
The images were all over the place, but they all showed the same thing.
Black beings with orange eyes were in combat. Their shapes and sizes differed, but somehow they all behaved in exactly the same manner. With absolute impunity, they butchered everything in front of them.
"These… are Weapons?"
Origin nodded.
"Indeed. Somehow, in every world you exist in, the end result is always the same. You create a race of beings known as Weapons, whose singular goal is to end the crucible."
The audacious claim left Elian stunned. His words, which he chose after much contemplation, manifested themselves with the army of golems in the worlds in which he existed.
But before he could celebrate, Bianca's hand gripped his tighter.
"Elian…"
The screen showed something that made the Tyrant's blood boil.
[Please spare us! We surrender! We submit to the Tyrant of the End!] a female humanoid cried out. She was holding what looked like a baby in her arms as she knelt on the ground.
But the Weapon in front of her did not even pause for a single second. It raised its arm and bisected both her and her child in two. Their blood splattered on the Weapon's body like a vile painting, yet the golem didn't mind and resumed its slaughter.
The images changed, but the videos they showed were the same.
[WHY? DOES ELIAN REED NOT EVEN HAVE THE SLIGHTEST BIT OF MERCY? ACK!]
[I CURSE YOU, ELIAN REED! I CURSE YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE BLOODLINE! KUAARK!]
[YOU WILL NOT HAVE AN EASY DEATH! YOU WILL SUFFER JUST AS I HAVE SUFFERED!]
Death. That was the only thing the screen showed.
The Weapons were like a tide of death. Nothing survived once they passed. Everything was trampled without exception. They were the incarnations of violence.
The screen flickered again and showed a bunch of humanoid demons hiding in a cramped passage. Their clothes and equipment looked pitiful, but their eyes burned with an immense fervor. They conversed in hushed voices as they steeled their wills.
[You all know what must be done.] Called one of the horned demons. [For all the ones who have died and for all those who have yet to be born.]
[Death to Elian Reed! Death to the enemy of all life! Death to the Tyrant of the End!]
They then charged out of the passageway and raced to strike a procession. A large golem was in the center. The demons all had their bodies lit up with mana and then ran towards the large golem.
The large golem said nothing but raised its arm; black bullets shot out and ripped the demons apart. Of the nine demons that attacked, only two reached the large golem, and then they exploded.
Only even after their desperate suicide, the large golem remained undamaged. It glared at the surrounding golems and spoke in a commanding tone.
[Those were demons from Austeripa. Tell the legion commanders, I want that world eradicated immediately.]
[YES TYRANT!]
The screen changed again in the next moment. It showed a tide of golems butchering the people of Austeripa. All the corpses were then recycled and turned into more Weapons.
Elian felt his stomach twist into knots at what he saw. It was unspeakably vile and cruel. The army he meant to protect was no more; in its place was a force dedicated only to death and annihilation.
Thousands of worlds were shown, even some from different realities. Until in one world Elian finally saw a glimpse of Bianca. A gruesomely mutilated version of her.
[I shouldn't have ever created you. You backstabbing piece of trash!]
She cursed in her final moments.
"No…" he whispered.
The Elian Reed of that world took Bianca's core into his hand and crushed it.
Even if it was a different him, Elian's body began to ripple with rage.
Bianca was similarly stunned into silence.
"These are the images from one of the many worlds I oversee. The details change, but there are always two certainties. By the end of your conquest, all sentient life is extinguished, and you always kill your creator, Bianca, at the very end."
"…"
Origin scratched his head as he continued, "The Weapons are a force of nature that cannot be reasoned with, negotiated with, or bribed. They exist only to kill and destroy. And sadly, in every single crucible your Weapons have joined, they have won."
The screen changed to show various pictures of grand armies, angels, devils, dragons, machines, undead, elementals, and so on. But then the images that followed were the aftermath of each army after fighting with the Weapons.
There were no survivors, nor were there even corpses left behind.
"You see, Elian, the things you taught your Weapons—kill, evolve, and reproduce? Those three things made them unstoppable. No matter what reality, no world could stop the Weapons for long. They were like death incarnate."
Elian felt his body tremble.
As the creator of the Weapons, he felt responsible for all the lives lost to his children.
Even with Adamant active, his chest felt heavy. Like Woody stomped on him with all his might. Despite Bianca being his master, he killed her too.
"You always start out as the Villainess's Weapon. Through you, she becomes the strongest being in that reality. At least until you kill her. You should already know why, right?"
The Tyrant shuddered.
Adamant Heartless turned his heart to stone, and Driven Hopeless destroyed all the memories that made him human. Without either, there would be no basis for his loyalty to Bianca.
"That will happen in this world too. Just as it did in all the others. There are some differences, but the ending will be the same. I am trying to save you from all that. Just stop while you're ahead."
"…"
"I know you better than you know yourself. The Crucible was meant to allow intelligent races to grow stronger. But your existence ends it all. The moment the Weapons are born, the Crucible ends. You just butcher everyone. No matter what I did, that was always the case."
"…"
Origin placed his hands on his hips and huffed out his chest.
"You know this to be true. You yourself know the darkness hidden in your metal. You are a monster, Elian Reed. The vilest kind. That is your nature. If I let you be, you will kill your lover and end all sentient life in this reality as well."
Elian's mind raced. He could not see the future, but he could predict it with the right information. And given the futures Origin presented, he tried to find a way to disprove it all. If he kept fighting, if he lost his heart and his memories, would he still have a future?
He knew it in his mind. If the situation called for it. If a battle against the higher ranks in the crucible needed it, he would use everything at his disposal. Heartless and Hopeless were too powerful to be left unused. Thus Elian couldn't help but agree.
At the rate he was going, he would certainly lose his mind and his emotions permanently. That would have been the bare minimum to ensure the conquest of the crucible.
Once that happened, he could see himself doing what the images suggested. How couldn't he? The person making the decision was also him.
"Stop fighting, Elian Reed," Origin answered curtly, "I will ensure no harm will come to you or your family. Better yet, just kill yourself for the sake of the world."
Against the alternative, Origin's words were heaven-sent. Only someone answered him before Elian could respond.
KRZZZZZ—THOOM!
A large plasma discharge slammed into Origin's face and threw him back. Then a heavenly voice, seething with indignation, growled at him.
"JUST SHUT UP!"
Bianca's mana froze the moisture in the air and turned it into icicles. Raising her sniper rifle, she roared in anger as she took aim once more.
"Enough with your abject accusations, you disgusting faceless pile of crap! How dare you slander my beloved husband with your abhorrent fabrications! I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU ARE! ANYONE WHO HARMS MY HUSBAND SHALL DIE!"