Well, this is a mess. I watched the whole thing unfold from a safe distance, I didn’t think it was a good time to interfere but now…. everyone is underground.776Please respect copyright.PENANAE7IAxYf29T
This has gotten out of hand, I think it’s more important to get my powers back instead of gaining trust from either side.776Please respect copyright.PENANAp03ls1fETw
I look towards the many pillars in the distance and wonder which one could be hiding the Essence of Zeus. Just to be safe, maybe I should go to the one Caecius is heading. Don’t want him to get his hands on such power.776Please respect copyright.PENANAFPYrFCx4RB
???: “Watch out!”776Please respect copyright.PENANAIzXeqe0v6v
Moryuu: “What the-”776Please respect copyright.PENANAek8GAqDIKX
I instinctively moved out of the way of the falling object which seems to be who I’ve been waiting for.776Please respect copyright.PENANAARIZ6UJ1Se
Moryuu: “About time you showed up.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAoD5VFKTK64
The seemingly young boy dusted himself off and rose to meet me face to face. Considering our situation, I’m still surprised he would wear a normal yellow t-shirt and blue jeans like we’re on some vacation. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAr7Ymm6zOMO
???: “Sorry, it was hard forcing my way in here but the portal that girl’s bird made helped a lot. Sad what happened to her.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAXM7e4yNym3
Moryuu: “….Yeah.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAx5SKbh5aW2
???: “Well, don’t worry I’m sure her next self will be just as interesting.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAmhjM05Glal
Moryuu: “Maybe, anyway now that you’re here Talon, what’s the plan?”776Please respect copyright.PENANA3swsxF9HOq
Talon: “Well, it seems that those guys forgot about the dolls I gave them, oh, here’s a refill on those poison vials.”776Please respect copyright.PENANACHJAsIPdl3
Moryuu: “Thanks.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAulvDwQUKAt
Talon: “Anyway, I think you had the right idea regarding your powers. Things are getting dicey, try not to kill any more people.”776Please respect copyright.PENANApM50ILvkXQ
Moryuu: “Alright, I’ll try. What about you?”776Please respect copyright.PENANALQb9LPPGVl
Talon: “I’ll try to find the sleeping bodies of the fallen by teleportation. Their souls should still be in there ready for the next round.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAi5aGBarkqO
Moryuu: “Right, after that maybe you can help the rest of those alive.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAXNq65Mm78L
Talon: “Of course, I can’t wait to actually meet normal people. Well, except maybe Jayden since his organization is similar to mine and I don’t want to be dragged back into that environment.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAAJYKIfU7jQ
Moryuu: “Let’s hurry, we don’t have much time.”776Please respect copyright.PENANA7U2zuiwXF5
Talon: “Never time for a joke to lighten the mood I guess.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAtAINE8NnDE
Talon raises his hands and a yellow portal appears beside me.776Please respect copyright.PENANAjhwKBlu5px
Talon: “It’s way easier to open portals inside this place than outside. This should take you to where Caecius is, be careful. Get your powers and leave, I can’t have either of you dying.”776Please respect copyright.PENANA6ThsdvzRBG
I guess my powers are in the pillar Caecius was heading towards... terrific. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAoXTFHtrVE3
Moryuu: “You too, don’t mess with the Umbra Lord Gideon.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAiR3cM5mOMj
Talon: “You find him interesting?”776Please respect copyright.PENANAH2hDeTMZ5s
Moryuu: “I want a rematch with him after I get my powers back….and you’re no match for him. He’d rip you apart.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAJkMs5xFinr
Talon grabs his chest in a dramatic manner resembling the melodrama I attempted in my alter ego. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAfMtVJTb6u5
Talon: “You wound me good man, don’t worry If it’s one thing I’m good at it’s teleporting away.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAbtN3Cv9Icf
I nod and enter the portal to find myself in a near pitch-black structure. There are glimmers of blue light to the right and left of me. 776Please respect copyright.PENANATtSwumgRoq
I steel myself for the journey and take the right path, listening closely to see if Caecius is near.776Please respect copyright.PENANAfsfUsrqKr6
A wind mage is too much trouble for me now, especially since he can suffocate me which is pretty high level. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAK3eWT6Tql0
I creep through the dark corridor to come across the blue light from earlier that’s coming from a weirdly floating lantern. Suddenly the Flame begins to dance around and playfully flies deeper into the structure. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAmryU3oIMCq
Moryuu: “I guess you want me to follow you.”776Please respect copyright.PENANARt3NBJtbcU
I follow close behind the strange lantern until we find ourselves to what I imagine is the center of the pillar. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAgTILdlk73A
Blue light shines from the top that reveals another sharper pillar in the center of the room with 2 lanterns adorned on 2 of the corners. I guess this little guy is one of them but where’s the last one. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAyApUwcdybt
*Footsteps*776Please respect copyright.PENANAASC6DZLl3D
I dash to the nearest hiding place within the cracks of the jagged walls. As expected, Caecius comes walking in with the last lantern. I guess they don’t care who comes in.776Please respect copyright.PENANAWULplF8XCE
Caecius: “I feel powerful energy here, perhaps it’s really here. Surely it must be fate if I’ve found it so quick.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAAJNQoBGUeG
He inspects the sharp pillar in the center, searching for a way to unlock the contents of it I gather. I can’t let him get Zeus’s Essence.776Please respect copyright.PENANAdGXf1Y3rue
I’ll find a way to get the jump on him, maybe there’s a way to scale the walls. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAJGcIOi9UDM
Caecius: “Mmmm?”776Please respect copyright.PENANAJTE7NDDAee
I guess that makes too much noise, now what?776Please respect copyright.PENANAlrZATwFvYE
Caecius: “I know someone is there, come out or I’m coming to you.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAbZL7k0Sk4w
Unless I have Zeus’s Essence it will be too risky to fight him. I come out of my hiding spot with my hands up.776Please respect copyright.PENANAiRaSNRUUhi
Caecius: “So it’s you, the mysterious man. What do you want, come to fight?”776Please respect copyright.PENANASyQlvCKRwB
Moryuu: “Not really, I’ve come looking for something.”776Please respect copyright.PENANA1IjitdptiJ
Caecius: “Oh, and what would that be.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAsWAtoI81ZT
Moryuu: “Something that belongs to me.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAabIEroPdmY
Caecius: “Depending on what that thing is, I might have to kill you.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAJDfjmB0ujE
Moryuu: “I expected as much.”776Please respect copyright.PENANA28sEh9DjHC
This is going smoother than I thought. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAij7OCV4VWx
Moryuu: “!!”776Please respect copyright.PENANAyZn517xKJY
Is what I thought until he shot a blade of air near my face, leaving a cut. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAntV65CkTRz
Caecius: “There’s something else I need to know from you, who are you, and what’s your purpose?”776Please respect copyright.PENANAPMu7rZM405
Moryuu: “Is that all, do you want fries with that?”776Please respect copyright.PENANAGJzORzm1bH
Caecius: “*Glare*”776Please respect copyright.PENANADpvv8PUIrY
Moryuu: “I have no problem telling you the truth about this place, I wonder though if you’ll believe me.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAUUDSN2J1GK
Caecius: “No harm in trying.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAd8T9c0hVTx
Moryuu: “Fine, the first part of the info dump is the fact that this is not the afterlife.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAfyBeJZw2NK
Caecius: “!!”776Please respect copyright.PENANA5OEyGB5E6i
Caecius: “Explain.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAwGTeL7MmEN
Moryuu: “I don’t know if your world has something similar but what we’re standing on is actually a dead eldritch god.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAPasxgPmEUJ
Caecius: “But….why and how are there dead people here?”776Please respect copyright.PENANAwNreKlSE0u
Moryuu: “Well, an acquaintance says that the nature of this god is to drag souls from other afterlives into this realm that seems like one but with an added twist. Time loops, every time someone dies and comes back, a part of their soul feeds the god and with enough energy, it will revive and cause massive damage to our universes and much more.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAbOxsh3Awqa
Caecius: “….”776Please respect copyright.PENANAkk2Yj9ChKM
Moryuu: “Don’t believe me huh?”776Please respect copyright.PENANAHIXWEiByKP
Caecius: “So you’re saying we’ve all died multiple times, came back in the warehouse without much power, and then did the whole thing again but slightly different.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAx8ichB3K8k
Moryuu: “Yep, well, everyone except the Umbras for some reason.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAXKxKcCdouG
Caecius: “Impossible, this is too outrageous to believe!”776Please respect copyright.PENANAZuOXx9SB4F
Moryuu: “Have you ever wondered why shifts happen?”776Please respect copyright.PENANAIZbecxkjus
Caecius: “….”776Please respect copyright.PENANApXbAVwr3GT
Moryuu: “That’s the beast stirring, my job is to keep everyone from dying and maybe work together to do enough damage to it so it loses all the energy it’s been building up. After that, everyone can go back to where they belong.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAy72OY80ECJ
Caecius: “Let’s say I believe you, why are you here instead of babysitting everyone else?”776Please respect copyright.PENANA2OVs7WFdTW
Moryuu: “Because there’s an item of great power that can help me do my job.”776Please respect copyright.PENANA8Czm07xKUa
Caecius: “….”776Please respect copyright.PENANAZU6GIlROko
Caecius: “Sorry, I can’t risk believing you.”776Please respect copyright.PENANA08gya5AUss
He swipes his hands and shots a wide blade of air towards me and I narrowly dodge out of the way.776Please respect copyright.PENANAVBgMXUzVMJ
Moryuu: “I knew it, never trust a mage, especially one hellbent on bringing back the dead.”776Please respect copyright.PENANABqCItGOELm
Caecius: “It can be done!”776Please respect copyright.PENANASJPoY4V8p6
Moryuu: “Maybe, but the dead should rest.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAaIzWFmAejn
Caecius: “Silence!”776Please respect copyright.PENANAw1NMxEuWDo
Caecius continually blasts out wave after wave of air blades but I dodge them all. Still, it’s hard to maneuver in this-776Please respect copyright.PENANAURiTpVSpvw
Moryuu: “!!!!”776Please respect copyright.PENANAcDVT51zb2d
I'm….suffocating!776Please respect copyright.PENANAAucln0FzRS
Caecius: “Enough of this game, I’ll kill you and get what I've come for.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAYluZhuIR8S
I throw 3 daggers at him and he blocks it with air but it did break his spell. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAy0wT3QezFy
Moryuu: “*Cough* *Cough*”776Please respect copyright.PENANAa0uufE4wjs
Moryuu: “I guess you need concentration for that huh?”776Please respect copyright.PENANAGAsysrN0zZ
Caecius: “I don’t need it to kill you.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAZQLmvGmb3P
He shoots more air blades but I jump high up onto the few bars that line the ceiling corners. I let loose more daggers at him from above but he blocks them again.776Please respect copyright.PENANAvOVHu4cIs6
Caecius: “It’s useless!”776Please respect copyright.PENANACF11Id278m
Moryuu: “Is it?”776Please respect copyright.PENANANRG7cjNCEf
I close my eyes, breathe, and take out my tonfas. I jump down and slam into the ground causing a small crater. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAediCSWweH7
Caecius: “You’re going to fight me with melee weapons, fool.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAoycANvaWov
Caecius shots a dozen or so air blades at me but I stay still….and listen.776Please respect copyright.PENANAAzfJmm8YfV
The slight movements in the air, the whirling sound of blades, and the split second before impact.776Please respect copyright.PENANACcXGax5Zln
My instincts flair up to prepare for the assault.776Please respect copyright.PENANAZcajhJqhk5
…776Please respect copyright.PENANAIaAqtVUZaf
..776Please respect copyright.PENANA9Qpe0cITco
.776Please respect copyright.PENANAZ9XW6nuURf
NOW!776Please respect copyright.PENANAaj1sFHiWYW
*Slash*776Please respect copyright.PENANAbbalGgCaMN
*Slash*776Please respect copyright.PENANAkedqgaOZ44
*Slash*776Please respect copyright.PENANAQZ56ACPq7l
Caecius: “Wha, how!”776Please respect copyright.PENANA37IqEGVU0G
I knocked away all the blades of air, probably causing large gashes in the wall behind me. I was still cut all over but nothing vital has been damaged. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAyj7Via1oaE
Moryuu: “What’s wrong, I guess you’re not the best wind user out there.”776Please respect copyright.PENANA233eFkBG3H
Caecius: “You!”776Please respect copyright.PENANAsQUTFKfX6V
I keep my eyes closed and anticipated the assault of air blades.776Please respect copyright.PENANAZIvnnWKxVL
I dash forward and reflect the dangerous ones away right before they touch my body while letting others past my defenses so I can keep going.776Please respect copyright.PENANAeTI3TKxFga
Despite the many injuries, I make it right in front of Caecius and hit him in the gut with my Tonfa bypassing his wind barrier. 776Please respect copyright.PENANA1TK6vToNzK
Caecius: “GAH!”776Please respect copyright.PENANAdBBGLd9ur2
He’s sent flying into the wall, still-776Please respect copyright.PENANAOVXDVHqzdk
Moryuu: “Tch.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAdIwiXebmtm
I’m not that well off either, I’m breathing heavily and I don’t think that finished the job. Damn, I should have attached an Anti-Magic Dagger to my Tonfa. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAuy8fpmCyaY
Caecius: “*Cough* *Cough*”776Please respect copyright.PENANAnifICzTLmy
Caecius: “No more playing around, I’m going to…oh my god.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAyJNV1ijCov
Moryuu: “What?”776Please respect copyright.PENANAjcb95OKaE4
I look towards what he’s staring at and behold, there’s the flask of Zeus’s Essence and….something else floating in the air. All where the pillar once stood, I guess it was sliced to bits during the fight.776Please respect copyright.PENANATzOOikI6u2
Caecius: “The Eye….”776Please respect copyright.PENANAbt5fMwXV4H
He dashes to the object and I jump too, he can’t have either of them. Whatever the eye is it can’t be good if he has it. 776Please respect copyright.PENANA4hgiLiijBO
He shoots a powerful blunt blast of air towards me which pushes me away but I throw 2 daggers at him and 1 from the blunt side at the flask as I fall. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAcZ5lrWfc7r
The flask falls to the ground safely but Caecius grabs the eye. I shake off the pain of the fall and push towards the flash while he’s distracted. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAkgQEts3VAl
Caecius: “At last, I’m closer to my goal. Wait for me….Nieth.”776Please respect copyright.PENANA6iHKqN50EA
Caecius: “It’s over Moryuu, now that I’m this close to my goal there’s no way I’m losing to you.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAELGu9GzBzB
Moryuu: “Maybe before, but not now.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAbwULDWwqv6
Caecius: “What’s that, a potion of some sort? That’s not going to help you here.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAljJUHUFEhf
Moryuu: “Well, allow me to surprise you.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAyFjev4AmTh
[ Music Plays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojL5Y5HvOlE ]776Please respect copyright.PENANAeAIqGEU041
I down the entire flask and instantly, I can feel the power of lightning coursing through me again.776Please respect copyright.PENANA9ojfRFr6tq
I’m lifted into the air, my body is electrocuted from within and I begin to feel the almost unbearable pain battering my bleeding body.776Please respect copyright.PENANAoue0Yh6BGt
I’ve survived this before, I-I’ll....survive ...again!776Please respect copyright.PENANAkTZych9ev8
Soon enough, the pain subsides and the real power begins to form within. 776Please respect copyright.PENANA5ii5hcJUGp
My wounds heal and azure lightning strikes all around scorching the area around me.776Please respect copyright.PENANAXBeF7MyFri
I float back down, my eyes shoot open to reveal a deep light blue color change and I push back my hair. 776Please respect copyright.PENANALdKDog84dE
Moryuu: “Bow, you’re in the presence of a God.”776Please respect copyright.PENANA163vULRgzS
Caecius: “Wha-What are you!?”776Please respect copyright.PENANA1sqsEM97CW
I blitzed past him in the form of lightning and grab the eye before he could register what happened.776Please respect copyright.PENANAKu2JQwComG
Moryuu: “The winner of this battle.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAdUqEu1a7ru
He hurried to fling more air blades towards me but I block them all with a lightning shield. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAAGc3VAY5yy
Moryuu: “Normally I’d kill a mage like you but I have a mission to complete, give up.” 776Please respect copyright.PENANA50UzmPpsfw
Caecius: “I can’t….I need that eye….”776Please respect copyright.PENANA4a3hpEbWyM
Moryuu: “She’s dead, let her rest.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAmdInicFo7D
Caecius: “Rest? How can she rest?! She was killed before my eyes by the scum of the earth! Even if I have to move heaven and earth, I will give her the life she deserved.”776Please respect copyright.PENANA0QrOu5g9nF
Moryuu: “I’ve lost loved ones too, but I would not disgrace their memory and name by dragging them back from the dead.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAyGmQSLJhIV
Caecius: “Tch….”776Please respect copyright.PENANAZaQwY8E4Lx
Moryuu: “There are few things I hate more than Necromancy. That’s why I’m going to kill Shadow for not only betraying me but because he dabbles in such dark arts.”776Please respect copyright.PENANASXafUImost
Moryuu: “We’re done here, I don’t want to kill you and you’re no match for me. I’m leaving here with the eye, maybe you should think about what I said.”776Please respect copyright.PENANAS6PnxbaZMP
I turn my back on Caecius and head towards the exit of this place. Now that I have my powers back, I can move around the place a lot faster and help everyone stay alive better. Well, everyone except Gideon and Shadow. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAvgQZIB1SiS
Caecius: “No….No….I can’t lose her again!!!”776Please respect copyright.PENANA0Qyyqj63kG
I turn around to see Caecius conjuring up a large mass of magical wind that would do nothing to me but would probably collapse the place. 776Please respect copyright.PENANAWCOfzOa4fC
Caecius: “Die!!”776Please respect copyright.PENANAJcxruYjBv0
He throws it at me, I know it won’t hurt me but….my killing instinct involuntary kicked in anyway.776Please respect copyright.PENANAYY1Ah35pIX
Moryuu: “You Fool!”776Please respect copyright.PENANAJuEX3axGaN
I shoot a powerful blast of lightning that rips through his wind and then through him causing a massive hole in the wall that leads outside and collapses a couple of buildings too.776Please respect copyright.PENANAYpBEQ5KzjL
In the end, Caecius collapses on the ground charred black and….probably dead. 776Please respect copyright.PENANANDBej7Omil
Moryuu: “….Damn it, why didn’t you give up….”776Please respect copyright.PENANA0IkGqArazx
1 Day Till Shift776Please respect copyright.PENANAlbLen9BPxj