Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond Chapter 248: The Friends We Made Along The Way

Chapter 248: The Friends We Made Along The Way

One blink. One blink was all it took for John’s image to vanish, flashing forward faster than anybody could see.

But when he reappeared, there were still so who could react in ti.

His sword was t with Lupin’s, sparks flying as John’s blade was knocked out of his hands

“I’ve heard I took you on as a student in another life. I’m looking forward to your skills,” the wolf growled.

“...what the fuck are you talking about?”

He teleported away, trying to create distance, but Lupin kept up, his blade flashing in the sunlight. John’s body darkened multiple tis, each one perfectly in sync with Lupin’s attacks.

Not keeping his defenses up was his mistake.

A massive gust of wind knocked John down to the ground, and he managed to block, just in ti. Still, he was winded, montarily stunned by the force of the blow.

“You’re going to have to try harder than that!” Lupin laughed.

Imdiately, a pillar of dirt rose from the ground, pushing John into the air. Alan Windwalker shouted as Haze and Hart leapt up, their weapons ablaze, threatening to pulverize John.

It would have been a good attack. John shouldn’t have been able to dodge. Having been knocked even further into the air, there should have been no physical way for him to move.

Unfortunately, John’s powers didn’t rely on physics.

He reached forward, hand clenched, and he teleported out of the way, sohow managing to redirect his montum despite having nothing to redirect it with. Dirt kicked up as he hit the ground with a thud, and a dozen throwing knives fell into his hands.

“What the- where did he get those from?!” Albert yelled, charging forward with his axes.

Breaker moved in from the other side, his heavy blade lifted high, and the two ca crashing down… on nothing. John was already gone, repositioned high up in the air, a volley of knives raining down.

“Dodge!” Prota yelled frantically.

Just in ti, the guildmaster and his old friend moved out of the way, watching as the knives cleaved through the ground like butter.

Although so present were stunned, others continued to fight. A volley of missiles flew out of a contraption held by Danjo, magic circles tied on the end. The device then morphed, falling into Briar’s hands, who extended it into a pole, launching herself forward.

“Oh, my god, it’s a fucking bullethell,” John cursed, his eyes flicking back and forth, trying to analyze every attack coming his way.

Suddenly, Leora teleported everyone out of the way as a fireball blazing like a small sun fell down on John, threatening to devour him entirely.

“Oh, give a break.”

A gun fell into John’s hands, whirring with a strange chanical noise. There was a soft click as the trigger was pulled, and a thin line was drawn through the sky, splitting the sun in two.

“There are- so- many of you!” John roared. “Take it easy, yeah?!”

It was nearly impossible for him to do anything. Everyone was constantly attacking at once. He was mainly focused on one person at a ti, but he was constantly being barraged by every single person present. The Mystics, of course, were the biggest threat. Their speed could keep up with John’s, and they were easily able to keep him in check. The others, however, were just as ready to fight.

It was less that they were dangerous, and more like hazards in the way. It wasn’t like John was weak. If he could just deal with them one at a ti, he would likely have won already. He had more than enough firepower to deal with even the gods. But the power of numbers was simply overwhelming him.

[Zero] was strong, but the fact that he was using it carefully ant that he was still trying to preserve his energy. That ant that he dodged when he could. Trying to avoid everyone’s attacks at once was nearly impossible, but he was definitely doing the best he could. This, however, ant that the attacks of the mortals had to be dodged, and those attacks were keeping him heavily pre-occupied.

“Don’t let up!”

He had to constantly juggle between three Mystics and a dragon whaling on him at all tis, while a swarm of other enemies continued to pester him, acting like caltrops on the ground. Avoidable if you knew where to look, but potentially deadly if you just made a single misstep.

Prota could only watch. Now that the battle had begun, she didn’t know how to step in. Not only that, but she definitely wasn’t fully recovered. She was slowly healing with mana recovery and a charm of healing, but her body had taken quite the beating. Sohow, she just wasn’t healing fast enough.

She saw Lupin flicker in and out, his blade flashing in the sunlight like a million needles. Sohow, Lilith and Ryan were keeping up, summoning vortexes of fla and ice that limited John’s movent, occasionally forcing him to use an attack to dispel the storm. That would leave him open to an ambush from Haze, and when he blocked that, Danjo would shoot him with yet another chanism.

“Go! Go, go! Don’t stop!”

Magic circles were being drawn all over the floor, forcing John to evade into the sky when triggered. Whenever soone ran out of mana, they’d dash back to Arthur, who would provide them with a mana potion to get them back into battle. If John managed to injure them, a potion or Celestia would get them back into shape.

The sight was absolutely ridiculous. The forces present could easily wipe out all of Devfroth.

But instead, they were struggling against an individual.

A single person.

That was simply how strong John was.

And he wasn’t desperate. Not yet.

There were still options left for him to use.

His ans of attack weren’t [Zero] or [Infinity]. No. They were simply the weapons falling into his hands, weapons that didn’t require powers or mana. He was winning, not with abilities, but with tools.

What would happen if he felt the need to use [Deus Ex Machina] for real?

“They always get stronger when they’re the villain, huh?” Anta muttered.

Prota wanted to get up, but suddenly, Celestia pushed her back down, shaking her head.

“You still need to get to him, right?” she said with a smile. “Des told us that you’re the only one who can finish this. So rest up. We’ll need your help soon enough.”

“...thank you,” Prota said softly.

Hope rose in her heart once more. It wasn’t the first ti she’d felt this way in a desperate situation, so she really should have known better.

But she wanted to believe.

Maybe, just maybe, it would work. The power of the friends she’d made along the way would be the reason she triumphed. The might of many would triumph over the selfishness of the few. It would be a fitting ending. Good vanquishing evil. The will of the people rising up, fighting against fate, surviving through sheer willpower.

But was it really the case? They were still struggling against a single opponent. The fact that John had yet to take a single proper hit while he’d managed to leave so many wounds was worriso.

She watched as Briar swung a massive hamr, leaving herself open, but just in ti, Leora swapped places with her, a storm of arrows behind her. They shot forward, each one striking the ground with the force of a small teor. The dirt kicked up, montarily blinding John, who briefly stumbled. Just in ti, he flew up, but suddenly, he evaded midair, barely dodging a blow from Jinae.

Then, out of nowhere, he began to dodge, even though no opponent was visible. In what seed like an opportunity, he swung, and Kit appeared, landing on the ground with a snarl on her face.

“Oh yeah,” Anta muttered. “She can stop ti. Kinda.”

Unfortunately, that brief pause was enough ti for John to prepare a counter attack. He raised a strange looking sword sword, swinging with a shout, and a massive wave of energy sailed forward, threatening to engulf every single mortal on the ground. Just in ti, Lupin leapt up, barely deflecting the attack into the air, where it exploded with such force that the very earth beneath their feet shook.

“Keep going!” Kit yelled, firing off another set of flas.

John couldn’t be allowed to rest. Allen and Hart stepped forward, the daughter’s hamr spinning through the air, just as the father raised a giant chunk of dirt. It launched toward John, who tried to bash through it, but quickly realized that wasn’t possible. He dodged out of the way and into a spell from Sofya and was forced to unleash a barrage of bullets to counter the attack.

“Now!”

Then, through the chaos, Destiny leapt up, his golden blade shining as he swung over and over, blinking through the air, closer and closer. He slashed one more ti, but this ti, he didn’t move.

Another swing, and John was brought closer. His eyes widened as he blinked away again. Just in ti, he managed to evade a giant golden slash that tore through the air, just where Destiny had swung.

“He managed to cut through ti,” Anta exhaled. “Insane.”

It looked impressive.

But that was only when Prota was focused on John.

Suddenly, she noticed that the mortals of the group were beginning to fall behind. Their injuries were lasting longer. Celestia couldn’t keep up as long. Even the Mystics, who were ant to be durable and powerful, were beginning to bleed. And every single one of the townspeople from the Town of Beginnings was already dead, likely from the sheer collateral effect of John’s attacks. Craters were being dug into the ground, each one a result of a missed attack from one of John’s weapons.

Her previous thought that he wasn’t desperate hadn’t been entirely true. He was fighting seriously. Just because he was holding onto a greater power didn’t an he wasn’t trying to win.

No, it was the opposite. With almost all his being, he was definitely trying to kill every living being in sight.

“It’s not going to work,” she breathed.

The fact that he was using [Zero] and not [Infinity] ant he was fighting [Characters], not enemies. He didn’t see them as worth adversaries or objects of hatred. They were rely obstacles in the way of his goal.

They wouldn’t win like this.

They needed to sohow coordinate. If Prota could just give them a break, a mont to breathe, and explain that John only needed to be put down for a second, maybe. Maybe things would work.

But just as he wasn’t getting any ti to breathe, neither were the others. Both were being held in place by equal amounts of force. If one side relented for even a mont, the other would threaten to swallow them up.

John was simply too much of a one-man army. Even when he wasn’t paying attention, a random weapon or attack would strike near a mortal, forcing a Mystic to dive in and protect them. At first, it might seem like he was just firing at random, but it was far more complicated than that. The Mystics always had to step in to defend a direct target, and in doing so, were relegated to defending instead of attacking. More than that, his attacks were clearly strategic. Whenever a Mystic began to prepare an attack, he’d always target a mortal close to them, forcing them to abandon the assault in order to save a life.

One might say that the mortals present were just a liability. They removed Mystics from the equation, as they constantly needed defending, and it could be argued that they didn’t provide much value.

But on the other hand, it was an undeniable fact that they were helpful. The value they provided wasn’t bad. If they could simply understand that fact. The fact that John, despite all his power, would die from a single one of their hits. In a sense, they were impossible to lose. If they hadn’t been present, it would be entirely possible that John could have defeated the Mystics by now.

In the end, they were just barely an advantage, just enough to balance the scales.

It was almost a perfect stalemate.

Almost.

But if one could asure the state of the fight in numbers, then John was ahead. Perhaps by just a fraction of a percentage.

But he was ahead.

They needed sothing to tilt the battle in their favour.

And Prota knew exactly what that was.

“Everyone!” she suddenly yelled. “No defense! Just hit him! He can only defend for a little bit! Big attacks don’t matter! Sohow! Attack him!”

For what felt like an eternity, the battlefield froze. It took all the fighters a mont to process what Prota ant, but when they did, the mood suddenly changed.

In the case of the mortals, they realized why their attacks felt so effective. And that realization allowed them to change their fighting style. It ant they could be more aggressive, focus on actually landing hits rather than just lunging forward with their strongest attack and hoping it would land properly.

In the case of the Mystics and the dragon, they realized that big spells were no longer necessary. If a fireball had the sa effect as a column of pure heat, what was the point in using a slower but more powerful spell?

Perhaps he could block. But he couldn’t block forever. Nobody really understood why it worked, but everyone had noticed that John was dodging an awful lot for soone who could take on so pretty heavy attacks.

And John…

“Oh, you’ve gotta be shitting ,” he cursed. “I told you about that, too?”

“I told you,” Prota called out defiantly. “Just wait for .”

“Oh, my god. This is the worst.”

The battle began anew, this ti with a renewed vigour from Prota’s side. In a flash, the air was completely filled with spells. Most of the fighters could now ignore each other, sothing they’d been unable to do before. There were a lot of attacks. But no matter how many tis a pebble was tossed at you, it was just a pebble. At most, you’d be mildly annoyed.

But to John, each spell was a lethal bullet. One he could dodge, perhaps. But lethal nonetheless.

He couldn’t [Reset]. Not here. Even if Anta’s theory was wrong, Prota had forced too many resources out of him. If he died, he’d have to co back without the majority of his tools available to him, and he’d never be able to win that way.

As a result, he was forced to pick up the pace himself. He could no longer go on the offensive. All of his focus and effort now had to be dedicated to dodging.

But that was nearly impossible. With waves of unstoppable spells, John was forced to use [Zero] at least once per attack, and at that rate, he’d have to slow down. The usage of that ability would gradually fade away, and inevitably, he’d no longer be able to defend.

“Keep going!” Prota yelled. “Don’t stop!”

He had to be running out. At the very least, he had to be getting desperate.

Fires blazed. Scorched earth flew back and forth, whipping around like debris in a hurricane. Ice swirled around violently in strong winds that carried sharp blades, all of which threatened to kill John in a single blow.

They almost had it. Prota got up, fists clenched. She could feel Anta ready, holding Zero’s scarf.

Her muscles tensed up. She prepared to bolt, her vision dead set on her brother.

Just a mont more.

Just one more second of pressure.

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And they would win.

“Oh, my god. I’m bringing it out. Fuck it. Nuke them all.”

Suddenly, from the sky fell a strange object. Prota didn’t recognize it at first, but then sothing in her mory clicked.

“I’m going to attack with the unmatched power of the sun.”

Her eyes widened in panic.

“Everyone! Block, now!”

The object it the ground with a thud. For a mont, it seed harmless, but the panic in Prota’s voice was not to be underestimated.

She imdiately flew forward, using mana reinforcent to slow down her perception as much as she possibly could. Within that slowed ti, she had to cast it again.

A Dance of Fire and Ice.

Blood gushed from her orifices as her brain nearly imploded under the pressure of the effort. Clenching her teeth, she managed to hold on, just barely.

Then, in the nick of ti, she managed it. The two orbs began to spin at an incredibly rapid pace, forming what looked to be a barrier. The mana emanating from it was so strong, for a mont, it felt impossible to penetrate.

But Prota saw a thin line drawn across the battlefield. It staggered upon contact with her spell, redirecting itself up into the sky. She looked up to see John holding a familiar looking gun.

The sa weapon that had defeated the Ninetails prince.

Her spell was deflected.

And then the very earth below their feet was blown to shreds.

It was like the force of every single spell in the world had collapsed upon that very spot. The mana that made up Prota’s spell was imdiately dispersed, scattered under the force of the singular attack John had cast. Everyone was knocked off their feet, suddenly falling down as the ground below was shattered, creating a giant crater as deep as a mountain.

The Mystics reacted fast, creating barrier, shielding everyone as best they could, but even those began to break under the force of the explosion. Pure white light blinded everyone, a deafening rumbling noise erasing practically all of their senses. Those alive could only hope and pray that the others had sohow survived as well.

It wasn’t just a normal bomb.

This was sothing else.

Slowly, the noise and light faded away. Many of the mortals felt sick to their stomachs, throwing up, but they were alive. Even the Mystics were disoriented, amazed that such a weapon could even exist.

And above them, John slowly floated down, looking incredibly annoyed.

“Oh, my god,” he groaned. “I had to pull that out… seriously, the amount of [Zero] I had to use to block that wasn’t easy. I hope it killed enough of you…”

He glanced at the figures in the crater below, only to see them all alive.

“Oh, for fuck’s sakes.”

Even with all the effort, all the power, all the determination they’d put in, they still could not break him out of his mood. To John, this was a ga. A play.

A [Story].

And at the end of the day, they were inconveniences.

A feeling of hopelessness washed over those present. It was clear John still wasn’t trying his best. The powers and weapons he had available to him were beyond their imagination. Beyond what they had thought was possible.

It was like seeing a god descend upon the mortal plane.

Prota clenched her fists. At this point, it was the only option left. To counter a god, one needed a god. To combat [Deus Ex Machina], one needed [Deus Ex Machina]. Then, all she had to do was—

“Prota! Stop!”

Anta’s warning ca just in ti. Prota stopped herself from activating the power, confused but obedient.

“[DEM] doesn’t carry over [Resets]. He’s trying to get you to waste it. Just like you made him use [Zero]... if he gets you to use this now, we’re done for. He for sure has more than we do. If we use everything we have… well, I don’t know, actually.”

“But… current life, [Resets]?”

“I don’t know! This whole ti travel business isn’t worth it. I don’t understand anything. It’s stupid. It’s so freaking stupid! All I know is that it’s not worth it. Because when it cos to [DEM], things are never logical. Just hold on. Wait, please. Believe. Just a little longer, just believe.

Prota nodded, the sound of blood rushing in her ears as her heart pounding in her chest.

Slowly everyone recovered. It seed John also needed ti to do sothing, as he hadn’t yet made a move.

And even when everyone had gathered themselves together, John still had yet to make a move.

“...what’s he doing?” Destiny said quietly.

Prota frowned, staring carefully. John wasn’t just floating.

He seed to be locked in place.

“...restriction,” Prota muttered. “Trying to conserve energy. Can’t move or attack, maybe.”

“Ugh,” John groaned.

He seed to have overheard the conversation.

“Seriously, you really know too much. I was an idiot in my last life, huh? Fine. Alright, fine! Oh, my god, I can’t believe this is taking so long. Great. Whatever. I’ll play your ga.”

Prota stepped forward. Everyone else was unwilling to move, which was fair, given the pressure John was emanating. Only Prota had the confidence to approach.

“You’re only saying that because you have no other options,” Prota shot back. “Liar.”

“...I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t want to waste [DEM]. No more [Zero]. So you’re bluffing. Like you always do.”

John didn’t react, but he didn’t say anything either.

“...[DEM]?” he suddenly realized. “Ah. Dee Ee Em… Deus Ex Machina. Ok, I see. Well, no.”

“Prove it.”

John shrugged. Prota’s eyes widened in fear. What if he wasn’t bluffing?

“Fine,” John called out. “Let’s see you guys get through this one. If you do… well, fuck . Guess this world’s just too strong.”

A wave of energy suddenly poured out. The earth that made up the pit began to burn. Not break. Burn. Reduced to ash, instantly and imdiately, and even that was practically disintegrated, reduced to particles. Leora gave a shout, putting up a barrier, but it was already beginning to crack.

The tide of the battle had suddenly turned. They’d gone from suppressing him, keeping him down, almost dominating him, to being completely dominated themselves. Leora was keeping the barrier intact, barely, but it was going to break soon.

And when that happened, they’d all be completely obliterated. Not a trace of them would remain.

“Prota!” Sofya yelled. “I hope you have a plan!”

“I… if I can reach him. If I can just reach him, maybe…”

“No can do!” Leora yelled. “It’s stronger when it’s closer to the source! Even here, the barrier will soon break!”

For a mont, there was a silence filled with despair.

No solution.

“...Prota,” Destiny suddenly said.

His voice was quiet. And yet, he seed to understand sothing.

“Is this what you’re choosing?”

Prota looked at the hero, suddenly very scared. She didn’t know. But that question made her nervous. Destiny was planning sothing, but the fact that he wasn’t saying what ant Prota might say no.

Then her own arm reached up and slapped her face, much to the confusion of the others. But Prota understood.

The other side of her knew what to do.

“Nn.”

“Fine. Then we’ll do it your way.”

“I…”

“It’s our world we need to save. Not yours. You were right. You never asked to save the world. But we did. So we shouldn’t dump the work onto you.”

The group began to huddle up. Instinctively, they understood that Destiny was about to make a final decision.

“Everyone,” he said quietly. “We’re going to push through.”

His statent was t with bewildernt, but one question sumd out how everyone felt.

“What?! How?!”

“...we all know the answer. It’s what we were prepared for when we ca here.”

Suddenly, the noise cut. Prota could see John watching in boredom. Already, he’d stopped caring.

She couldn’t let that happen.

Even if they proved their worth by killing him, she had to prove that they were more than just puppets on strings.

“But- well, how’s that going to work?” Albert frowned. “Sure. We die here. That’s fine. If you’re right, then we die no matter what. I don’t mind sacrificing myself. But how does that help?”

“...we take the attack with our bodies. As much mana reinforcent as we can. As many shields as we can. We block the attack. And we give her a chance.”

Destiny looked at Prota.

“Is that enough?”

Prota didn’t know. But it would have to be enough.

Because at the mont, there were no other options.

She gave a single nod, and Destiny smiled. He turned to the crowd, beaten and battered, desperate for one final stand.

Taking a deep breath, he delivered one final speech.

“I’m not one for speeches. But it was an incredible experience, eting all of you. Even if it wasn’t for very long… well, I don’t regret it. This is it. For the fate of our world.”

For a second, Prota felt guilty. Destiny knew this wasn’t for the fate of the world.

Even if Prota succeeded, the fate of the world was up to soone who didn’t care for it.

But knowing that, Destiny chose to give Prota a chance.

“...thank you,” she whispered.

Without looking back, Destiny simply gave her a thumbs up.

“Alright! Let’s go!”

Imdiately, they lined up. There was no particular order. They simply went however things worked out. Lilith and Ryan were teleported out by Leora. They didn’t have the firepower to do anything anyway, and they were just children. It wouldn’t be right to ask them to willingly give up their lives.

The others stayed.

It looked like John was just thirty steps away. A stone’s throw at best.

They just had to make it that far.

Leora was first, since she was the one holding up the shield anyway. They’d taken so long that she couldn’t advance a single step. Her mana reserves were almost drained anyway, so she managed to focus the barrier in such a manner that it acted as a shield instead of a do.

“Prota,” she said, her voice weak. “It was an incredible experience. While I may not have learned everything… thank you for showing the world.”

The barrier shattered, and with that, the phoenix was disintegrated, burned to ash.

Imdiately, Lupin stepped forward, his sword piercing through the waves of energy pulsing. They were growing stronger. Still, he cut, over and over, doing his best to take just a single step forward. Then another. And another.

Five steps were taken.

But like his companion before him, he, too, could not hold on any longer.

“I’m sorry, child,” he gasped. “Consider this my atonent. You were right. To save the world, I should first take things into my own hands. And thank you. For saving the world for .”

Another one fell.

It was the adventurers who stepped up next. Strangely, they didn’t fall imdiately. They actually managed to push through. Sohow, even with their far lesser amounts of mana, they survived just long enough to take two steps.

“Hey, kid!” Albert yelled cheerfully. “It was an honour having you at the guild! And thanks. For everything you’ve done. Didn’t think this washed-up adventurer would save the world, but hey. Guess that’s how life is, huh?”

“Indeed. For all you’ve done for us,” Bren said, bowing deeply.

“...yeah. Thanks for the opportunity, kid,” Breaker coughed.

Elfin, too, offered a sad smile. “And for allowing to see one more day as well.”

A old man fighting for what he believed in. A friend who remained loyal. An old companion led astray. A traitor given a second chance.

They, too, faded.

The Windwalker family stepped up next. Like the mortals before, they couldn’t do much.

But the fact that they could do anything at all was incredible.

Two more steps.

It wasn’t a lot.

But it was a step closer to their goal.

“You’ve got it, Prota,” Allen grinned, giving a aty thumbs up.

Similarly, Hart flashed Prota a wide smile as she braced her hamr against the storm, slowly lting to slag.

“...I suppose your foresight was accurate,” Haze said, a smile drawn on her lips. “Save the world for us.”

Together, they braved the wave.

And then they fell.

Surprisingly, the next group to go was yet another group of mortals.

“I’m… I’m a little scared,” Danjo whispered, his voice shaking.

“...well, I’ve heard we’ll co back, brother,” Olivia said, holding his hand. “Prota saved us once. She can do it again. Right?”

“Damn right!” Briar grinned, although she, too, seed a little scared.

Arthur was shaking too badly to say anything, but for a brief mont, he locked eyes with Prota, acknowledging her presence one last ti. Aurora put her hand around his shoulder, nodding solemnly at Prota one last ti.

And they, too, vanished.

Prota almost cried out. She reached forward, but her hand was caught by soone else.

“You have to stay strong,” Destiny said in a low tone. “Don’t let their sacrifice be in vain.”

She wanted to give up. It was too much. Watching them throw away their lives, just to advance a little further, for her, who didn’t even know if she could save them.

Wasn’t she the protector? Wasn’t she the one who was supposed to bear this burden?

But if she gave up now, their sacrifice would be for nothing.

This, too, was a form of strength.

Sofya stepped up, imdiately taking a whole four steps forward. Her skin was beginning to peel off, her flesh lting under the force of John’s powers, but still, she managed to look back and smile.

One of the mightiest beings on the continent, reduced to a shield.

And yet, she was perfectly happy to do so.

“Prota,” she called out. “I believe in you. I may not rember everything, but I am proud that you were my pupil. Go. Save the world for us.”

And she, too, perished.

Jinae was next to bat. Similarly, her powers with mana were incredible. Four more steps were taken.

Only twelve remained.

John looked like he was getting nervous. But still, he didn’t move. Perhaps a restriction in exchange for a lesser consumption of [Deus Ex Machina].

“I, too, am proud,” Jinae said, her old, wrinkled face half burnt off. “Even if I do not rember it. As long as you do, Prota. I am proud that you were my pupil. I am proud that you learned to live. Even if this is all for naught… we can say that we did our best.”

Prota almost cried out as Jinae was reduced to atoms.

But it wasn’t even over.

Kit stepped forward, snarling, her flas lashing through the waves of energy.

Yet another four steps.

Prota could feel the heat. The power. The energy. It was a wonder they hadn’t been completely obliterated, even with their defences up.

Sohow. They were holding on.

“Prota!” Kit yelled, looking back with a fierce grin. “Hey. It was a lot of fun. Don’t get wrong, I’m not a fan of giving up my life. But you saved my life, so this is just payback, right? You’d better not fail, all right? I’d better co back! You and I are gonna have a long chat after this, you hear?”

Holding back tears, Prota nodded.

Right.

If it all went well, she could just bring them back. She had to.

For a mont, the fox’s expression softened.

“And hey. Des.”

“...yeah?”

“Thanks. For sticking around. I’ll see you on the other side, alright?”

Destiny looked at his oldest companion. His ntor. His friend.

With difficulty, he nodded.

“Yeah. I’ll see you around.”

With that, Kit, too, was gone.

Eight steps were left.

Celestia, with a sad smile, put her hands on Destiny.

“I can’t do much, Prota,” she said. “But I trust Des. Thank you. What you did… was really brave.”

It wasn’t a lot. But coming from the girl who had sacrificed herself to save Destiny… she probably knew about sacrifice.

“See ya, Des. I love you. Whether it’s this life or the next.”

She planted a kiss on his lips, leaving him only after her body burned away.

And in the end, it was just two.

The [Protagonist].

And Prota.

“Hey.”

Sohow, Destiny was fine. His golden blade shone in front of him, cutting through the energy, creating a pocket just small enough for them to survive.

“Again. I’m sorry for putting this all on you.”

“...sorry. For making this situation.”

“Nah.” Destiny grinned, but tears were streaming down his face. “It’s not your fault. So don’t bla yourself, alright? What we did was our choice. You just make sure you make yours.”

For a mont, he paused.

“It was an incredible journey. Even if I don’t rember my last life… was it just as interesting?”

Prota nodded, tears also beginning to streak down her face.

“Yes. It was.”

“Then, in our third life, I hope we et again. Even if I don’t rember you, as long as you rember , then I think it’ll be ok. Go, Prota. Everyone’s hopes and dreams are on you, now. Maybe you’re not the hero. But you don’t need to be. As long as you’re you, as long as this is what you chose… then I’ll believe in you. Just like everyone else.”

With a guttural cry, he slashed forward, cutting the space between John and Prota.

Eight steps.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

And the golden aura around Destiny’s blade faded.

“Now,” he gasped weakly. “It’s all up to you.”

The power burned. It threatened to engulf Prota, to devour her alive.

But she hadn’t co all this way just to lose here.

A familiar grey scarf appeared in her hands.

Six long years.

All for this mont.

It would all end here.

She could feel the wills of her friends. Her companions. Her ntors. Each had their own lives. Their own goals. Their own strengths and flaws. Each of their lives was a story in its own right.

And the culmination of those stories had led here.

In the end, it was truly Prota’s story.

She didn’t know if she was this world’s [Protagonist]. But she did know that she was the focus of her own life. That was all she could do.

Live.

She wouldn’t let the death of those who’d sacrificed themselves be in vain.

Reach out. Reach for a being beyond this world.

Her fingers stretched, pulling, extending, almost praying to just make contact once.

And suddenly, the tips of her fingers could feel a familiar warmth she hadn’t felt in eleven years.

A bright flash of light engulfed the world.