The Final Desperation

"Silver Empress, have you ever killed a Reaper?"

The queens around him were taken aback by Genji's question. Killing a Reaper? How is that possible?

"Hahahhahaha," Morris burst out laughing when he heard the question. "That's the funniest joke I've heard in a while. Kill me? You have a vivid imagination."

"I'm serious," Genji said. "Silver Empress, are you interested in this?"

"Shut your mouth. If you want to die, go die by yourself. Don't drag us into it!" Cammie, who never liked him, shouted, giving Morris another show to watch.

"Your answer, Empress?"

Genji ignored the ant queen and continued the question.

"What kind of a fool are you? Of course, it would-"

But before she could complete the sentence, her eyes rolled back as Silver Empress's consciousness took over, replacing Cammie's arrogant tone with her callous voice.

"How confident are you?"

"50%."

"If you die, the contract will be considered fulfilled," she bargained, unwilling to lose out on the promised piece of information.

"Deal," Genji instantly agreed, confident in this gamble.

"So where is this 50%?" Morris asked, teleporting behind Genji to behead him.

"Here," Genji replied, igniting shadow flames to counterattack while disregarding defense or evasion.

Recognizing this familiar fighting style, Morris's eyes widened, and he teleported away. It wasn't worth risking their lives like this, not when he could easily kill Genji.

"It's you!"

Morris finally remembered where he had seen this person. Wasn't he the prey that had escaped three weeks ago?

"Yes, it's me. But I'm not alone this time," Genji replied, waving his hand to send the surrounding Zergs at Morris.

"You think this will stop me?" Morris sneered as he teleported next to Genji again. This time, he opted for a ranged attack to ensure the kill. A black energy crescent zipped toward Genji, aiming to bisect him.

Swift Movement, Flashstep

Genji quickly used this extreme combination and appeared far away, letting the Zergs in his previous position take the attack. A large area was instantly cleared out as all the Zergs' bodies slid apart.

"Silver Empress, use the units that survived the battle prior to delay him. Those units are poisoned so they won't last long anyways."

Then Genji initiated a game of chase with Morris where Genji ran for his life. Anytime Morris got close, Genji would force him back with a suicidal attack or use the surrounding Zergs to stall. After a few minutes, Morris got tired of this game and unleashed a wide area of attack, instantly killing everything within a 50-meter radius.

Whisps of death energy floated from these corpses and gathered around Morris, replenishing his stock, but Genji knew this attack took a big toll on him. The black whisps around him had drastically decreased after that attack. Genji suspected this death energy was what fueled Morris's abilities.

"Any final words?" Morris asked as he approached a heavily wounded Genji.

"The last time someone asked me that, I ended up surviving. How about I give you the same response? Is your body feeling numb yet?"

At Genji's question, all the poisons accumulated in Morris took effect, causing him to cough out blood. Yet before Genji could celebrate, all the death energy rushed into his body, repairing the damage.

"What the fuck?! That's a broken ability."

"Why do you think everyone avoids Reapers? They feed off of death itself and use it to augment their powers. Only now is he using his own reserves," the Herculean Beetle replied.

"No wonder all the poisons didn't affect him. Oh well. At least we are chipping away at him now."

Genji stopped caring and ran again, doing everything he could to lead Morris through a crowd. Since Morris experienced a full recovery, his attacks became deadlier, forcing Genji to constantly use healing items to stay alive. This scuffle lasted another 30 minutes before Genji spat out green blood.

"Seems like the poison is affecting me as well. But are you any better?"

Genji looked over to a panting Morris, who had chased after him for so long. Since he realized the dangers of the poison, all the death energy has been used to repair the damages, resulting in him using his pool to chase after Genji. Luckily, teleportation consumes a large portion so Morris can't instantly appear next to Genji, giving him some breathing room.

"I'll let you rest for now. After I recovered, it will be your turn," Morris replied, turning his attention to the surrounding units to replenish his energy.

'Good luck on that.'

Genji thought, breaking out in a full dash to get away from this poisonous area. Once he returned to the hill, he collapsed hard. A queen came over to him and set him upright against a rock.

"Are you sure this will work?" Silver Empress's voice sounded in his head.

"No. I'm gambling on my poison weakening him faster than he can recover. I want you to keep sending bomber bugs or anything that can attack him from a distance. As long as we can out-damage him, it will be our win."

"You do realize all those units are costly to produce, right?"

"Doesn't matter. If we can kill him, I'm sure your powers will spike, especially after everything."

This was the main reason Genji was confident Silver Empress would support him. The Zergs have two ways of evolving. They could either figure things out on their own or they can kill strong beings. By analyzing these kills, the Zergs can evolve units that resemble the former. It might be a weak imitation, but optimizations can be made. It's not often an Empress gets such powerful samples, let alone a Reaper.

"You know me too well."

"Basic psychology."

Genji then entered a meditative state and channeled his energy to force out the poisons he inhaled. It was a tough maneuver considering how aggressive the poison was, but after draining everything, he succeeded. Then he spent the rest of the time recovering his energy. The good news is that it's approaching nighttime by now, making this process easier.

After making a full recovery, Genji pulled out a telescope again to watch Morris. Because of the poison accumulation, the damage he's taking is increasing by the minute. Morris might be able to kill more, but he needs to spend more to heal. The healing only deals with the damage, not the source.

"Let's see how you dodge this," Genji thought, manifesting [Curse Bearer] to unleash shots at the opportune moment.

Morris was able to dodge a majority of them, but Genji's Grandmaster firearms proficiency wasn't for show. With each hit, his speed slowed slightly, forcing him to use more energy to remove it. By this point, it's become a battle of attrition, something the Zergs excel at.

Realizing how desperate the situation is becoming, Morris quickly burst out with intense power, quickly carving a path to Genji.

"Are you sure you should be gunning for me? I'm not the one controlling the swarm."

Then Genji started running again, further infuriating Morris.

"Die!"

At this moment, Morris threw caution to the wind and teleported next to Genji. He had made up his mind; he was going to kill Genji no matter the damage. He's had enough and he's confident he can emerge alive from the counterattack.

But unlike the usual suicidal exchanges that Morris was expecting, Genji's next action made him hesitate.

"I've got you."

Genji's face broke into a wide smile as he pulled out a potion to throw at Morris.

Seeing how confident Genji looked, Morris instinctively teleported away. If Genji was opting for this move instead of attacking, then it must mean this was more effective! Since Morris didn't know what Genji was planning, he couldn't afford to take the risk. If that potion aggregated the poison inside him, then he would end up dead.

Yet when he processed everything, he felt something was wrong. Turning to the bottle, a medicinal scent wafted up his nose, making him realize he had been tricked. That wasn't poison; it was a healing potion!

"You bluffed me?!!?"

But Genji didn't respond, preferring to escape as fast as possible. That was another close encounter with death, further reminding him how dangerous Morris was. If it weren't for his quick thinking and acting, he would be dead by now.

"Get ready. He's going to try to escape any time now."

It was like Genji predicted. Morris gave up trying to kill him and made a beeline for escape, conducting countless teleportations with all his energy. Yet this meant that his body got weaker as he stopped healing himself. More reinforcements entered the battlefield, bombarding Morris with attacks. Eventually, his body couldn't keep up anymore, and he succumbed to the attacks.

"I'm unwilling!"

"It doesn't matter if you're unwilling. All that matters is ability," Genji said to Morris's last battle cry.

[Under your machinations, you have caused countless deaths. Your self-directed event has concluded.]

[Reward calculations will now begin]

[You have received the following rewards]

• 689,000 coins
• 4.32 million contribution points
• Dance of Death (Reaper faction reward)
• Prosarmozo's Mutation (Parasite faction reward)
• Tyrant Shoulderguard (Beast faction reward)
• Quantum Pulse Pendant (Sentinel faction reward)
• Celestial Core (Celestial faction reward. You are still rewarded for causing the Celestials' death, but the overall rewards have been docked)
• Zerg Faction reward has been docked

[Dance of Death]

Rating: Legendary

Type: Active Skill

Effect: Consume 30% of your maximum energy to summon 3 elusive figures. These figures last for 10 minutes or until destroyed. At any moment, you can swap positions with these figures by spending 5% of your maximum energy. Cooldown of 3 days.

Note: Using this skill might draw the attention of certain factions

 

Genji's eyes lit up when he saw this. This was a life-saving skill that could act as a trump card in times of necessity. Imagine what would have happened if Genji had gone for mutual destruction and then had teleported away at the last moment? Wouldn't that have meant his opponent suffered his attack for nothing?

 

[Prosarmozo's Mutation]

Rating: Legendary

Type: Knowledge item

Effect: Upon use, gain all of Prosarmozo's knowledge on mutations.

Note 1: A legacy condensed from the General of Mutation

Note 2: The user will be marked by the Parasite King and hunted down by his legion.

Note 3: Your relationship with the Parasite faction has dropped to permanent hatred.

 

Genji didn't care if his relationship with the faction fell any further. He was already being hunted down, so another reason wouldn't have mattered. Plus, he was very interested in the applications of this inheritance.

 

[Tyrant Shoulder Guard]

Rating: Legendary

Defense: 42

Durability: 180/180

Requirements: 25 str, 25 con

Effects:

1. Berserk (Active): gain +5 con, +5 str for 10 minutes, cooldown of 36 hours
2. Tyrant Body (Passive): Increase maximum health by 20%
3. Vigour (Passive): Increase body healing speed by 300%
4. Compact Muscles (Passive): Your muscles have become compact, granting you +2 defense

Description: A shoulder guard fitting of a tyrant. If you aren't one, then this will make you one.

 

t was a piece of equipment that drastically boosted Genji's survival abilities. Don't underestimate the +2 defense. That could have minimized a lot of damage considering his normal body had no defense. Pairing that with the health boost, Genji could have passed off as a tank if he wanted to.

 

[Quantum Pulse Pendant]

Rating: Legendary

Type: Accessory

Durability: 80/80

Requirements: 25 Int

Effects: 

1. Energy Control (passive): +50% control over energy
2. Energy Flow (passive): Energy flows 15% faster
3. Quantum Shield (Active): Form a barrier with low priority in protection. Lasts 10 seconds, 1-day cooldown

Description: A dream accessory for all mages

 

The combination of Energy Control and Energy Flow explains the description perfectly. With these buffs, a mage could easily bombard their opponents with spells while minimizing the difficulties of the class. Although unintended, this accessory will be a significant help for Genji.

He's currently lacking in energy control, so this will cover that weakness. As for his energy flowing faster, that's equivalent to a reduction in casting time. The only difference is that he uses his energy for melee instead of spells.

While these two skills are handy, the main value lies in the last skill. Although it doesn't sound that impressive, priority is something rare to come across. Any equipment with priority means that the effect can be depended upon to work as stated.

For comparison, normal barriers will absorb a set amount of damage before breaking, meaning in some situations, they won't save the user's life. On the other hand, priority means that the barrier will always work unless the attacker completely overwhelms the user or the attack also has priority.

Basically, the power of this barrier will scale up Genji's strength. In fact, the barrier that Sinclair used in the Psychic World also had low priority. At the time, Genji couldn't do anything about it, allowing Sinclair to escape.

But Sinclair's barrier was the result of a consumable, while Genji's is an item. This key difference means that Genji can reuse the effect, making this another dependable life-saving piece of equipment.

 

[Celestial Core]

Rating: Legendary

Type: Knowlege item

Effect: Upon use, gain an understanding of how Celestials condense their cores.

Description: This is one of the core inheritances of the Celestial faction, allowing them to fight on par with the other factions

Note: Since EverRealm notarized this, EverRealm will customize the technique for your situation

 

It was fair to say that everything Genji got was directly useful to him, giving a huge boost to his strength. Since the Celestials were able to use this technique to become so strong, it wouldn't make sense if it were weak, right?

"I fulfilled my side of the bargain. Now let me rest until I leave," Genji said to a controlled queen.

"Naturally," Silver Empress replied.

Yet when they returned to the nest, they had an unexpected visitor. Standing at the front of the nest was a middle-aged man in white paladin armor. On the right side of his chest, a grey badge with a scale design lay pinned. Many Zerg were unnerved by his presence, but none dared to attack. History had warned them of the consequences of such a foolish action. The prestige of Balancers is not to be sullied.

When Genji saw this person, his instincts flared up again. This guy is stronger than Morris. No matter how he plans, he won't be able to fight him. Luckily, this person doesn't seem hostile.

"Enigma from EverRealm?" He asked as he noticed their return.

"That's me. What can I help you with?"

Genji tried to inspect the person, but EverRealm refused to provide any information.

"I am Balancer Julian. Do you know what you did wrong?"

"No. Care to elaborate?"

"You broke the balance when you massacred all the pillars in the factions. Now that the Zergs have gotten too strong, I can't allow things to continue as they will. Plus, you joined another faction to interfere with the dynamics of the battlefield."

"Oh? So joining another faction except your own is not allowed? I know EverRealm warned me, but it never said anything about it being illegal."

Julian shook his head, letting out an annoyed sigh. It can be seen that this situation is a tough case.

"Under normal circumstances, infiltrating another faction to spy is fine. The problem is how you betrayed your own faction to use another faction to cause mass destruction. Not only are you a traitor, but you also made it so that none of the other realms can comfortably send members here for tempering. If they do, it will simply be a massacre with this situation."

"So manipulating a faction for your own gains is against the rules?"

"Why do you think there's a rule about disruptive behaviors?"

"Then tell me. Why is there a LuminalRealm member in the Celestials? From what I can tell, he's climbed the ranks to the point he has sway over the council. Can you explain why he's allowed to do that?"

Julian looked at Genji in surprise before pulling out a tablet to check the records.

"From what the files say, he's a Celestial, so an exception-"

"Bullshit. Do you really believe that? The same LuminalRealm that Shephard's from?"

Genji's retort left Julian speechless. Now that he thought about it, since when did the realms recruit from these factions?

"Plus, I became a traitor the moment they realized I disappeared from the fortress. Not only did they not check with me, they instantly labeled me as one. I refuse to believe that Sinclair had nothing to do with it. How is that not blatant faction manipulation?"

"Fine, I admit that was an oversight on our part, but you still caused massive destruction along the factions."

"Well, is it my fault I was too capable? Because I was forced out of my faction, I had to seek shelter somewhere else. You can't expect me to roll over and die, right?"

"Yes. In your situation, you are justified in trying to survive, but-"

"Before you say that's not justification for me to kill everyone, I have to tell you one thing. The reason Silver Empress accepted me was because I agreed to help her deal with her rival, Red Empress. That, and I bargained with an important piece of information. Because I am weak, I had to use the other factions to do the job. There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

"Errrrrrrrr."

Genji's story made it difficult for Julian to assign fault to him. He only wanted to survive and did everything he could to ensure it. Can he really blame him for that? It's a good thing Julian didn't know Genji initiated the attacks against the fleeing factions, or his defense would have fallen apart instantly.

"Fine, I'll leave aside your faults since everything was out of your control. Let's get to the main problem. This Zerg nest is too strong. I can't allow it to grow like this, so I'll have to destroy it."

"Wait, hold on. Can't we discuss this?" Silver Empress's mental communication sounded in their heads. The cool, callous voice from before had disappeared, replaced by uncontrolled panic.

"I'm afraid not. This is needed to keep the balance."

Seeing Julian draw his sword, Silver Empress's voice sounded in Genji's head.

"Quick, think of something. If I die, won't you have done all that for nothing?"

But Genji stood still. He didn't do it for nothing. He received five legendary-level rewards for his troubles.

'It was nice working with you. I'll try to find a place to hide for the remainder of my time,' Genji thought back, unsure if Silver Empress could hear him. Logically, she shouldn't be able to, but he wanted to see if her mental communication worked both ways.

"Don't be like that. Didn't you whitewash yourself just now? Can't you do something to change his mind?" Her voice sounded again, proving Genji's theory.

'Sorry, but what makes you think I can change his mind? If you have any last words, I'll be happy to hear them.'

"Hold on. What do you want? Just name the condition, and I will try to help out." Silver Empress's voice sounded desperate as she pleaded for help.

'How about a bunch of bio crystals and acids? And I'm talking more than what you provided me with before.'

"This..."

'Tick tock, time's running out.'

Genji thought, motioning to the positioned Julian.

"Fine, I agree! Just do something!"

Genji inwardly smiled when he heard that. It seems like managed to fish another reward for his troubles.

"Can you wait a moment," Genji asked before Julian could swing down.

"Hm?" Julian looked over at him, curious about what he wanted to say.

"How about we help you hunt Shephard down? I'm sure Eternal Void wants him dead, so how about you overlook this, and we team up against him?"

"This..." Julian hesitated when he heard the proposition. As balancers, they were supposed to be completely neutral, but that is a tempting condition. Julian was also aggravated at how one of their own died such an unfair death and the culprit got away pretty much scot-free.

"I know you want to maintain balance, but don't know how unfair it is for us? I worked so hard to find an asylum while Silver Empress did nothing to violate the rules. How about letting us help instead of not giving us a chance? If we help hunt down Shephard, I will get to leave safely and you don't have to worry about us doing anything harmful to the realms."

Julian's resolve continued to waver, but eventually, his sense of duty won.

"That's not how things work."

"How about we agree not to trouble the other factions, and we will kill some other Zergs on top of that? That way, you don't have to worry about us affecting the realms, and we will weaken all the factions to the same level. That would balance the forces again, and you get to avenge your comrade."

This was a huge compromise that made Julian fall into thought. No matter how he thought about it, this agreement was beneficial for the Balancers. Unsure about what to do, Julian consulted Eternal Void for an answer.

"Very well. But if Silver Empress ever becomes a problem, the Balancers will move out to exterminate them," he answered, having gotten approval from his commissioner.

"Thank you. We won't disappoint," Genji said, sending off this middle-aged paladin.

"So what is the plan?" Silver Empress asked as he walked into the nest.

"You can figure that out. I fulfilled my side of the bargain, so don't expect me to do anything else. Plus, it's not me who's going to get genocided if I don't follow the agreement," Genji shrugged, leaving Silver Empress dumbfounded at how he tossed the problem to her.