Chapter 336 - This World (2)

Sistina should have known. Claude’s plans were well thought out and had a high chance of success. But one of the problems was recognizing what drove him to begin with. He operated in the background at times, much like he did on Earth. That low visibility meant that no one had guessed his real intentions until it was too late.

“They’ve gotten a lot stronger again, haven’t they?”

“Haven’t the monsters been, I dunno, more aggressive lately?”

“It’s less frequent but more powerful, for sure.”

It started when Sistina first heard the voice of the planet. She could feel it – an act of desperation as things neared the end.

Some would consider the end of their enemies to be a good thing. The heroes would have done their job, and there would be peace.

However…

“The end means death, for everything.”

That was the simple message conveyed to Sistina. The planet wasn’t simply attacking mankind for no reason. And by exterminating the powers that Leguardia sent to the surface, they were attacking the planet itself. For those born from the planet, there was a limitation to how much they could possess. But for those coming from another world…

“Every time we fight and grow stronger, the world hurts more. We are not part of its natural cycle!”

Sistina didn’t want to believe it. She had heard many lies told in desperation. Faith in her companions was everything to her. That was why she confronted Claude.

“Is that not what we were sent here to do? To prevail against a power that threatened all of us?” Claude seemed to smile as he answered her.

But his eyes. They were cold. They were full of lies.

Sistina’s power only allowed her to connect with those around her, an earnest desire brought about by her character, her intent. That was why she could tell that something was off about Claude. His gaze continued to look toward the horizon, to progress his grand scheme. But as to who he was fighting for, she was no longer sure of it.

“Please, Claude. Whatever you are considering. Take a step back and let us help you. I will do anything I can to-”

Arms suddenly wrapped around Sistina, surprising her. Even Cielle, who had been standing by their side stoically, noticeably froze at his action. A low whisper brushed against her ear.

“I know. And I thank you. If you hadn’t brought us here, we would have disappeared along with Earth. You gave us this chance, so I plan to make the most of it. If we have to take charge instead, then so be it!”

Deception hid in kind words. Sistina knew that more than anything. But for just a moment, she thought that Claude was different. He had given his all to the people on this planet, when there was hardly anything he got in return. Surely, what he hid behind that gratitude were mere white lies. Those spoken as to not worry those around him.

Sistina wanted to trust. She wanted to believe.

She allowed for it to happen.

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“This is it! The last one! Hit it with everything you have! Seize this opportunity!”

Claude’s war cry echoed across the land. He and his fellow heroes had awaited this moment. The conglomeration of purple energy that spewed from the planet had reached the surface and become a giant being akin to a golem. It was massive, almost worthy of a godly being.

However, they were ready for it.

Their heroes were equipped with the finest weapons and armor that materials could yield, courtesy of Kazutora. A blissful melody echoed through the armies that made up the Leguardia Unifed Army. Eyes turned to a floating arrangement of magical keys and organs, spewing out notes like a heaven’s symphony. The quirky musician, Cecil, pounded out his original arrangement, tuned by the numbers to produce the maximum parameter boosts. Two girls sung beside it, Hanako and Chrysanthemum, their voices harmonizing to bestow their allies with ‘Lionheart’ and ‘Impregnable’.

Those on the ground felt only the anticipation of victory, even in the face of such a large mana signature. It threatened to swallow them all whole, but those were just cries of a cornered beast. Claude was sure of it.

“Milensea, Zhang, Man Ho, Man Ching – lead the vanguard!”

With a single command, the strongest attackers went forward to deliver the first crippling blows to the monster. Claude, Grendosa, Kazutora and Cielle drew guns to fire from a distance, their strength lying more in strategy and support than pure power.

Sistina, having no intent to fight, watched from the rear. The looming giant mass of mana cowered as it was peppered with attacks from every direction. It was clear to her who had the upper hand.

‘Yet, why do I feel so unsure?’

This was the final enemy in their path. Claude had reassured her. But she felt like something was missing.

After this was over with, then what?

Claude wouldn’t answer her. Like a magician refusing to reveal his secret, she was asked to wait for the surprise. He brushed her off, closed his heart from her, all to keep her from getting a good read of his intentions.

“We did it! The monster has fallen!”

Cries of victory erupted throughout the land. The entire battlefield rejoiced as the giant golem in the distance fell and no longer rose from its spot. Together, the heroes gathered before it, waiting for Claude to signal the final blow.

They had agreed to it beforehand. The defeat of this monster, the greatest of them all, would undoubtedly transfer an immense power to whoever dealt the finishing blow. The person would undoubtedly become a god.

But because of this, no one wanted anyone else to take on that divine role. Humans were fickle creatures, throwing out reasons to mask their desires. And Claude knew that would be the case, so he proposed one solution.

“Let us all strike at once and split the powers of a god between ourselves.”

They could all agree to that. With a weapon each in their hands, everyone, even Sistina, delivered the final blow to the monster’s core. A light so bright that others had to shield their eyes engulfed the surroundings, and when it finally dimmed, the heroes that carried Leguardia to peace shone with a power far beyond anything they could imagine.

Each one of them possessed a unique power – drawn by their desires and beliefs.

Milensea became a flash of swiftness. Her eagerness to be first prioritizing that over all else.

Hanako wished to be stronger, having been reliant only on song before. She could now crush boulders with a squeeze.

Zhang’s abilities allowed for him to dodge everything thrown at him, unlike before when he couldn’t adapt to the situation.

Man Ho and Man Ching were impenetrable by either magic or attacks, a testament to their headstrong ways that diverted but also butted heads on occasion.

Cecli merely wished for true magic to happen, as all he had known were the miracles of music at his fingertips.

Kazutora got his greatest wish – strength that matched the outward appearance that he so cared for.

Chrysanthemum prayed for the future and the fortune needed to maintain it.

Cielle’s mind wondered what it be like to truly live, and Grendosa thirsted for the endless possibilities that he could conjure.

As for Claude, he was always the opportunist. He looked for ways to make his mark and find success. And with how he had come up with a system to numerically categorize people’s traits, it was clear to see how these intentions boiled down to simple numbers.

Stats – a representation of a person’s abilities.

Each hero embodied a different stat that stood out clearly when brought up. And because of this, the 11 heroes that Sistina summoned were now gods of the respective stat. A unique strength for each one, governed separately but coming together as a whole.

As Sistina stared at the changes of her companions, she too felt a change within herself. Voices slipped into her ears, and right away, she knew that her powers had grown as well. The voices of the entire world entered her ears like a deafening crowd.

But somehow, she was able to pick out a specific one amidst it all.

“This power… it’s still not enough. We can’t save Earth this way! We have to keep going! This planet still has so much energy left, even without the god hosting it!”

Sistina’s head shot right toward the one saying that. It was Claude. He was the only one lacking smiles in a sea of celebration. His mind was already on the next goal, the next milestone. And it would continue to do so until he got what he wanted.

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“You can’t keep doing this, Claude! This is not our energy to begin with! The people of this planet may say that we are gods, but we are just leading them on!”

“We may be human to begin with, Sistina, but now, we are far greater. This world had a god that tried to destroy them, but now, they have 12 gods who hold the power to rewrite that!”

Sistina stared at Claude with a look of concern. Like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. They ended up arguing on a grassy hill overlooking a seaside town, the civilization that they saved.

“And then, what? You’ll control them? You’ll gain more and more power until you can remake the world how you want? Or maybe you want to take that power and revive Earth instead? Can you really go on deceiving them, all those who believe in us?”

“What choice do we have? One spark of conflict and the Earth died. Someone has to sit on the throne to keep that from happening. A world needs gods and heroes. It needs an unquestionable hope to rid any disasters. And once we have succeeded here, we can move on to save other worlds.”

“You and the others want to do that, then? Well, I don’t hear the same harmony within each of you. You are strangers put together towards a common goal. Eventually, someone will fall out of line. Things cannot possibly go your way all the time, Claude.”

Sistina scoffed and turned to leave. She would tell everyone herself that this was not the way to go. The world could not be saved by any lone person. Even if there was an apparent ‘balance’ of powers, she knew that it was all held together by Claude’s ideals. He was the mastermind who had convinced the others to follow him. It was only Sistina, who could hear a person’s true intentions, that realized Claude’s change.

“Then, I’m sorry that it has come to this.”

A blade pierced through Sistina’s stomach. Claude had meant to strike her core but hesitated at the last moment.

“And I had gotten so attached to you….”

Tears brimmed from his eyes, the first time she had seen his true feelings spew out onto his face. They spoke of a lost love, forcibly discarded. His hands shook from the decision that he made.

Sistina tumbled down the hill. She caught herself only due to her enhanced stats. Her feet broke into a dash, hoping to make some distance. Some time to think about how she could reverse the situation.

But Claude was right on top of her. A slice to the back sent a line of blood into the grass. Sistina didn’t stop to flinch or look back, because her mind recalled that other time she was chased. She had to get away. She had to do something.

But another stab to the back caused her to tumble once again. This time, she couldn’t stop herself. Her body rolled right into a lake. Her arms flailed to swim, but the blood from her wounds seeped into the water and the saltiness sapped her strength. The most she could manage was to paddle partway into the sea, where it suddenly got deep.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced her throat, and she couldn’t breathe. Her hand reached for her neck but found a protruding knife. Claude had thrown it perfectly.

The glassy surface of water filled her vision as she sank, further and further down. The current pulled her away, from the betrayal by the person she was most connected to. Though she could no longer see him, images of his face flashed before her eyes.

Claude would always do something because he felt like ‘he had to’, rather than ‘he wanted to’. And it had led to this.

As Sistina’s vision started to black out, she heard a voice once again.

“Help… Please… This… Planet…”

This time, she wouldn’t hesitate to do so.

The core within her flashed brightly for a moment, before being claimed by a weak, purple hand. The body that housed it rested gently at the sea bottom.

But the core was nowhere to be found.