Author's note: Chapter 3 has officially begun! It'll be interesting to see what I got right.
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With my recovery time well spent making friends as usual, I woke up refreshed a few days later, ready to save the world. I hopped out of bed, got dressed, and confidently strode to the dining hall to get breakfast. Breakfast and lunch were prepared by the automated staff. It was generally simple, but competent food. The castle denizens would have loved it if I'd prepared all the meals, but I was understandably occupied doing other important things. The world isn't going to save itself, after all.
If I sound jaunty here, it's because I was. No matter how stressful the situation, a few days of inactivity can do wonders for your mentality. Especially when you're spending that downtime with so many beautiful women. I knew the challenges ahead were going to be the most difficult I'd ever faced, but I knew that somehow we'd overcome them.
"Luka! I want to talk to you!"
That was Ilias. She'd been in a bit of a mood the last few days. I would have expected her to be happy, having her Seraphs at her side once again, but Morrigan joining our team(something that Ilias was as opposed to as I was) had soured her. Ilias' argument was that we already had Black Alice, for fuck's sake(her words of course not mine), so why would we buy even more trouble? But despite Ilias' mood, it was rare for her to snap at me out of the blue. That was more of an Alice thing.
"Did I do something, Ilias?" I asked innocently. Because I was actually innocent, I was sure of it.
"You come with me!" Ilias growled, grabbing my hand and dragging me through the castle.
"Ilias, what's wrong?"
"Oh, no! You're going to see this first! I had to endure it, so now you do as well!"
Realizing that there was no point in further debate, I let Ilias lead me on, wondering where we were going and why. The where and the why became obvious when we reached one of the gyms, where Micaela and Lucifina were laughing and flying around, engaged in mock battle with one another. Juska was coaching them. I saw immediately what Ilias was peeved about. Micaela and Lucifina had obeyed my directive to get clothes. The problem was that Juska had designed their clothes.
Lucifina's outfit looked remarkably like Super Girl's. It was blue, with a red cape and a big L on her chest. Micaela's outfit was more an angel's style, white with some black at the elbows and knees and of course, a giant black M on her chest. Unlike Lucifina, she wore no cape. While it was a bit cringe, the two young angels seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. Ilias folded her arms, glared at them, and tapped her finger.
"Was this your idea, Luka?!" the goddess asked me.
"Have I mentioned how lovely you are in your true form?" I asked, trying to distract her.
"This isn't my true form, but I guess for your purposes it's close enough," Ilias sighed. "And flattery will only get you so far. Explain yourself."
"I didn't actually do any of this," I said defensively. "I simply told Eden that everyone had to have a minimal level of clothing. I suggested that she go to Spider Princess. She made me a really cool shirt. I figured she could do the same for your very nude Seraphs."
Ilias sighed. "But Eden wouldn't go to a monster for help. I think I see what happened now. Juska is the only human who can sew, and it led to this."
"Where is Eden, anyway?" I asked.
"Oh, she's in the dressing room and won't come out," Juska said helpfully. "Oh, Edennnn!!! Luka and Ilias want to see you!"
"I really don't," Ilias replied.
"I do!" I said.
A voice echoed from the dressing room. "I'm not coming out!" Eden declared.
"Eden, I'm sure you look amazing," I said. "Tights like Juska makes will really accentuate your amazing body."
"Do you really think so?" Eden asked uncertainly.
"Eden, come on out!" Ilias ordered. "Luka's determined to see how ridiculous you look, so let's make him happy before we burn these ludicrous outfits!"
Eden reluctantly exited the dressing room. My jaw dropped. Yes, it was ridiculous. But Juska had obviously worked extra hard on Eden's outfit. Eden had very odd dimensions. It couldn't have been easy. Eden's superhero tights were green, probably because green was Eden's favorite color. Her billowing cape was orange. Eden had massive wings, so openings in the tights had been made to let them expand freely, whereas Micaela and Lucifina's smaller wings were tucked into the tights. Given that they were flying around happily without them, I had to assume they relied more on magic for flight than their physical wings. But two aspects of the costume were a bit much. First, Eden was wearing a mask over her eyes, Robin-style. Second, she had a backwards E on her chest. Why was it backwards? I don't know, because I didn't ask, and I didn't want to know.
"I will give you every kind of pleasure I know how to give if I don't have to ever wear this again," Eden pleaded.
"It looks good, big sis!" Lucifinia said, landing in front of her. "Please wear it! We'll look so cool on our adventures with these outfits!"
"Juska's the best!" Micaela agreed. "Did you know that we're the Alliance of Justice?"
"We are NOT the Alliance of Justice!" Ilias retorted.
"Alliance of Justice! Alliance of Justice!" Lucifinia chanted. Micaela joined in.
"Is it possible for me to kill myself?" Eden asked Ilias.
"Your sisters do like it, and you are their big sis now," Ilias pointed out.
Eden sighed in defeat. "For them, I will wear it. Ilias, is there any chance you have robes in my size? I've always admired them."
"You know, I just might be able to help you!" Ilias said, snapping her fingers. "I haven't tried it yet, but I think I can do a spell of enlargement now. Come with me to my room and I'll have you try one on."
"Thank the Goddess," Eden said, leaving with Ilias.
"Play with us, Luka!" Lucifina yelled joyfully.
"I'd love to, but we're supposed to leave this morning to awaken the Garuda Girl," I said.
"The who?"
"Garuda Girl. A monster that can get us to Hellgondo continent."
"I don't know where that is."
"It's our quest. We'll fill you two in on the details while we travel."
"I like quests," Micaela said. "Will there be more battle? That last battle was fun."
Ah, the joys of not being able to feel pain. Micaela and Lucifina had been taken out by Sonya fairly easily, but there was no trauma in it for the two young Seraphim. They were ready for the next challenge. And best yet, they were dressed for the next challenge. I wanted something a little more appropriate to angels, but if the two of them loved what Juska had made them, who was I to question it?
The Garuda Girl summoning went off without a hitch the second time around. I teleported those of us who were going to Hellgondo on the back of the legendary bird to the site, Alice and Alma Elma performed the ceremony, and off we went.
"Wheeee!!!!!" Lucifina cheered. "We're up so high!"
"I detest flying," Eden muttered. Now that she mentioned it, I hadn't seen my Eden fly all that much either.
"Is this really safe?" Sonya asked nervously.
"Don't worry, you can't fall off," I assured her. "It's a legendary bird."
"That makes no sense."
"It didn't to me, either," I said. "But look."
I stood up and began hopping around on the Garuda Girl's back. Most monsters had innate magic of some sort. The sexual magic was the most obvious, but most had other magical talents as well that just were. They didn't need to know how they worked, they just worked. The Garuda Girl's special magic was that she could perform any aerial maneuvers she wanted, and her passengers could be as careless as they wished, and could never fall off. I'd never asked Alice what to do if we actually wanted to jump off for some reason.
"How long before we get to the Monster Lord's Castle?" Sonya asked.
"Two hours," Alice answered.
Alice hadn't yet told most of the group that it would be only me and Alice going in. I wasn't sure what Alice was waiting for. There didn't seem much point in having ten people on the Garuda Girl if only two were going to actually do anything. Alice's reticence to share her plans made me uncomfortable. The last time Alice had clammed up on our way to a confrontation at the castle… but Alice couldn't be planning that. It was her mother I had to worry about. Alice's reasons were obvious. She wasn't comfortable sharing the fact that she didn't intend to fight her mother, but reason with her. Fighting would be a last resort, and it would primarily be up to me to knock some sense into her mother. I wondered how that would affect my relationship with my future mother-in-law should I get to stay.
None of our passengers looked to be sick, much to my relief. Sonya was scared, but calm. Eden was annoyed, but might have been more upset about her costume than the Garuda Girl. Micaela and Lucifina were having the times of their lives. Ilias seemed worried. Alicetroemeria was simply bored, although she had expressed great interest in seeing how the whole Monster Lord throne dispute worked out. She joked that she'd brought nothing to read for the flight. Alma Elma was in her usual good spirits, joking with the young Seraphim and occasionally messing with me by making lewd gestures that I was sure were promises if I did well on this critical mission.
Then there was Spider Princess. She was the odd one in the group. Alice had chosen her specifically for this mission, for reasons I didn't understand. Was she going in with us? She had certainly come loaded for bear. A long black katana was in its sheathe on Spider Princess' back, and she was wearing tough silk armor around her vulnerable human portion. Her long, flowing black hair was already tied back. I wondered if Spider Princess' positive answer to Alice's mothers' call to arms was a reason Alice was bringing her along. Perhaps some subterfuge was intended? That still meant that only three of the nine present were going in.
"Hellgondo doesn't look so good," Sonya noted. "It sure is barren."
"It's not for everyone," Alice said. "The castle is built on the most lush part of the continent. Pretty forests are there, a small river, some grasslands. But yes, most of Hellgondo is barren plains. It looks intimidating but it's not all bad. At least if you're a monster. Humans don't fare well here. The monsters here are very powerful and very hungry."
"What's that over there?" Sonya asked.
"What?" I asked in turn. "Oh, you mean those ruins there? That's the Sealed Sinner's Prison."
"Sounds scary. What is it?"
"We're over the Sealed Sinner's Prison?!" Ilias exclaimed. "Alice, can I ask a huge favor?"
"You can ask," Alice said.
"Can we land here and investigate the Sealed Sinner's Prison? There's something I need to know."
"Fine," Alice said grumpily. "I can't ignore the fact that there's a crazy armored version of Heinrich running around. I think I know what you want to know. Is Heinrich's soul still in the prison?"
"You guessed it," Ilias said.
"What's she talking about, Luka?" Sonya asked.
"I'll let her tell the story," I replied.
The Garuda Girl landed next to the Sealed Sinner's Prison and we debarked. I had a naughty idea. I nudged Sonya.
"You'll love this," I told her. "Hey, Alice! Aren't you afraid that there's a ghost here?"
"There are no ghosts here, idiot!" Alice replied back. "Only the soul of dead Heinrich."
"B-But….!" Sonya stammered. I smiled at her.
We approached the prison. Ilias looked concerned.
"I don't sense his soul here," the goddess reported. "I can't say I'm surprised. Someone pulled his soul out and transferred it into that suit of armor. I wonder why?"
"Is the shield down?" I asked.
"It's not a shield, it's a spiritual barrier," Ilias corrected me. "Don't worry about it, such technicalities don't matter to someone with your kind of magic."
I reached out and found that the barrier was indeed up. I also noticed that I couldn't penetrate it. I looked questioningly at Ilias.
"That's a god level barrier," Ilias explained. "If you concentrated your power I'm sure you'd get through it, but you're not just going to put your hand through it casually like that."
"Do you want me to try to take it down?" I asked
"There's no point. There's nothing interesting in there."
"Ilias, why was Heinrich's soul imprisoned here?" Sonya asked.
"Because I put him here. Well, technically I didn't, but on my world it was the same. Heinrich became disillusioned with me and waged war on Heaven. He eventually confronted me."
"Ooohhhh, I didn't know this story!" Alicetromeria chuckled. "Do go on!"
"The battle was very short and very violent," Ilias said. "Heinrich slew hundreds of angels. In order to avoid losing all of my angels, I confronted him myself. It was an uneven battle. I killed him, but I was so enraged that killing wasn't good enough. I wanted his soul to suffer. So I created this prison for him. His soul would know no peace. He'd be forever trapped here, a disembodied spirit with nobody to talk to, nothing to do, and no hope."
"Why would he turn on Heaven?" Sonya asked.
"Sonya, you and I need to talk when we get a chance. There's a lot about the Iilas faith that's… not quite true."
Alicetroemeria started cackling loudly. The Seraphim glared at her.
"Well, we might as well get back on the bird," I said. "There's nothing for us h-"
I jumped back as an armored form smashed itself against the spiritual barrier.
"Angel! AngelAngelAngelAngel!"
He hadn't been trying to get at me. He had been trying to get at Ilias. Seeing the Seraphim, he tried to lunge at them as well. The barrier held him back. Alicetroemeria thought that even more hilarious.
"What the hell are you guys doing here?!"
That was Nero. Nero and Neris warped in. Nero looked concerned. Neris looked amused.
"I found the right place to keep this guy and so you guys come here and upset him!?" Nero raged.
"We just needed to know if he was still here!" Ilias exclaimed.
"Well, now you know," Neris laughed.
"How come I still can't sense him?" Ilias wondered. "He's right here behind the barrier but I sense nothing."
"It's that armor," Nero answered. "It's impervious to almost everything. It looks like it's made of the same stuff Angel Halo is made out of. I wonder who could pull something like that off?"
"Angel Halo was originally forged by Lucifina," Ilias mused. "But she never shared how she constructed it. It was a very complicated mix of rare materials and Seraph-level spells. Even I didn't know how it was made. She knew exactly what the limits of my sight were."
"And Lucifina was dead in this timeline as well as yours," Nero added.
"I'm dead?!" Lucifina said in mock horror. "Oh, Micaela, will you mourn me?"
"Quit fooling around, sister," Micaela said gravely. "This is very serious."
"Angel!" Heinrich said helpfully, continuing to try to force himself through the barrier. Did he say anything else?
Alicetroemeria approached Heinrich. "Hey there, lover," she said sweetly.
Heinrich paused. He stared at Alicetoemeria, captivated and confused. Then he finally said something other than "angel".
"Aaaaalicceeee….." he hissed, before resuming his futile attempts to break through the barrier.
"Does that mean he likes me?" Alicetroemeria asked.
"You guys had best be going," Nero said. "You've done a good job of slowing chaosization so far, but what's coming is a critical juncture."
"Exactly," Neris agreed. "Succeed, and chaosization could be delayed years. Fail, and the world could end right then and there."
"What would constitute success or failure?" Alice asked.
"The true history, of course," Neris replied. "Luka knows."
"That's what I'm afraid of," I said.
"You can always seek comfort in my arms afterwards," Neris laughed.
"What is wrong with you?" Nero asked, exasperated.
"Nero, do you have any idea who did this to Heinrich's soul?" Alice asked.
"I don't know. The barrier was never breached. It still stands, as you can see. Of course, sufficiently powerful magic or a very creative spell could conceivably yank Heinrich's soul out of there without disturbing the barrier."
"That's very unlikely," Ilias pointed out.
"Right," Nero agreed. "And then there's the mystery of that armor. And that duplicate Angel Halo."
"How did you get him back into his prison?" Sonya asked.
"Oh, since he was supposed to be there, it was just a matter of pushing him through the barrier," Nero said nonchalantly.
"We're not going to learn anything else here," Alice said with finality. "We should go. Nero, Neris, I don't suppose I could talk you two into joining us? I know who you are. There's no need for secrets anymore."
"I guess we kinda gave away the game back in Grangold," Nero said ruefully. "I'm afraid we can't go with you. Our job is to set things up so that you guys have a chance to succeed. But we can't do too much for you."
"We're not exactly supposed to be here," Neris added. "The more we do, the more we promote chaosization."
"Unless it's to help along the true history," Nero corrected. "Then it cancels out somewhat."
"If you get to a point where things are stable enough for us to get more involved, we can be true allies," Neris said.
"But you're not there yet," Nero concluded. "Maybe after you deal with the Monster Lord."
"Then let's go deal with the Monster Lord," Alice said.
I'd started the day with confidence, but I felt genuine fear as we drew closer to the castle. If my theory was correct, I was about to relive one of the worst moments of my life. If it had the same ending, I'd endure it and move on. But I feared that it wouldn't end the same way. I'd never been to a world before where Alice's mother was alive. This was the first. If she was truly destined to die, I feared that some series of events would always take place to ensure her death. Alice would be inconsolable if it ended that way. I could think of much better ways to meet my significant other's mom for the first time.
Alice had the Garuda Girl set us down a few miles from the castle. I could see the spires in the distance. We were well hidden in a small forest that I knew well from the time I'd lived in the castle. I'd gotten to know the monsters that called this forest home very well over the years. It brought back some better memories.
"Okay, so I'm afraid I haven't been completely forthcoming about my plan," Alice began, addressing our group of ten.
"So what is the plan, exactly?" Ilias asked.
"Your part in it is to remain here," Alice instructed. "This is my show. It's my mother. Most importantly, this is a monster matter. I can't bring angels or humans into my castle. It would look very bad."
"I thought I was coming with you?!" I exclaimed.
"You are, of course. But we'll have to hide you."
"Oh, have you grown strong enough to do an invisibility spell?" I asked hopefully.
"Not one that would fool Granberia. No, I had to be a little more creative in my thinking. Only Luka, Spider Princess, and I will enter the castle."
"I'm coming too!" Alicetroemeria insisted. "It's not like you can stop me!"
"We can't stop you, that's true," Alice admitted. "But you promised Luka that you'd be a team player from now on. You're needed back here. In the event we don't return by tomorrow, you are to empty the Pocket Castle and assault the real castle."
"So it's to be the diplomatic approach," Ilias said. "You could have just said that. I'm still unclear on how you plan to smuggle Luka into the castle."
"That's where Spider Princess comes in," Alice said uncomfortably. "I did the measurements and we also got a volunteer from the men's wing to test our theory."
"It worked perfectly," Spider Princess said.
"At least under the very favorable conditions of our own Pocket Castle."
"How does Spider Princess hide me?" I asked uncertainly.
"By swallowing you, of course," Spider Princess explained matter of factly.
"Um… I have questions."
"A giant Spider is going to swallow you and you just have questions?!" Ilias exclaimed. "Have you all lost your fucking minds?!"
"What are your questions, Luka?" Alice asked patiently.
"First, I sorta get where you're going with this," I said. "The idea is that she swallows me and smuggles me into the castle by hiding me in her stomach. So my first question is, why her? You're a lamia. You could just swallow me."
"Oh, you'd like that, would you?" Alice said teasingly. "There's a few reasons that won't work. First, I'm too small in this form. Lamias don't swallow adult males until they reach adulthood."
"I could make you big."
"You wouldn't be able to maintain the spell from inside my stomach. One or both of us would be killed when it wore off. But the most important reasons why it wouldn't work are a) my digestive juices are very acidic. You'd be dissolved completely within an hour and beyond the point of saving in half that time. I can't control my internal bodily functions to a sufficient extent to prevent that. B), a lamia has an obvious bulge when she's eaten live prey. That would be suspicious, to say the least."
"My own stomach can store prey for days without dissolving it, if I so wish" Spider Princess explained. "Further, my abdomen is so large that there would be no bulge while you are inside it."
"Okay, that makes a little sense," I conceded.
"Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me!" Ilias objected. "This is insane! Okay, so let's say the spider eats you without killing you. Let's say she gets you past the castle guard and any Heavenly Knights inside the castle. Let's also assume that no magical wards detect your presence. When she ejects you from her stomach, you'll be in critical ecstasy! And not just a mild case! You'll be coming regularly the whole time you're in there! What good will you be?"
"That part I haven't figured out yet," Alice admitted. "My hope is that Luka isn't even needed, that I can reason with my mother. I recognize that the chances of that happening are not as great as I'd like. That means Luka will have to fight. He can use his power even while in critical ecstasy, and mother is very strong. Luka, if it comes to that, don't be afraid to hit her with a lot, okay?"
Given the tendency of Alice's mom to die more than Kenny from South Park, I wasn't willing to just start throwing power at her and I said so. Without the reference to South Park that Alice wouldn't understand, of course.
"In that case, the only alternative is for you to revive yourself with your power and fight her with your sword," Alice shrugged. "It's only critical ecstasy. You've demonstrated before that you can overcome that with your power."
"I can't just do it at will!" I objected. "Sure, if the situation is dire enough and I'm overwhelmed emotionally, I might react that way! But we can't count on that! Your mother isn't likely to try to murder you. More likely she'd laugh at how stupid we are and throw us all in the dungeon. That kind of thing isn't likely to get my power detonating like it does sometimes when I'm really angry or desperate."
"Wow, it's a rare day when Luka is making more sense than Alice!" Ilias said, giving me a nice backhanded compliment.
"If you have a better idea, let's hear it," Alice prompted.
"We'll attack the castle and murderalize everyone!" Lucifina suggested.
"The idea is to avoid bloodshed," Alice responded.
"I agree," I said. "I've been part of a total assault on the castle before. It was… horrible. So horrible that I made sure not to repeat the mistake when I was sent back in time and got another shot at it."
"That's…. really weird, but par for the course with you, I guess," Ilias said. "You know what, then? Fine. At least there's a contingency to assault the castle if your little gambit fails. I just hope Luka's still alive to be rescued when it does."
"I'm really not okay with this," Sonya said. "It's not just the Luka you know whose life is at stake here. The Luka I know is part of him as well!"
"I'm sorry, Sonya," Alice said sincerely. "But you can't enter the castle unless the Monster Lord invites you in, and right now I'm not the Monster Lord, at least not in practical terms. If I bring a human in, we'll be attacked."
"Then swallow me, too!"
"My stomach isn't big enough for two humans," Spider Princess said.
"Sonya," Ilias said gently. "As crazy as this plan is, it's the best we've got."
"No, the best plan is to assault the castle," Eden said impatiently. "Yes, it would be bloody, but I believe that with our force the chances of success are very high. If Luka is removed from the equation before we can mount an assault, our chances drop substantially."
"Luka, you're the leader," Alice said. "The ultimate decision is yours. I love my mother, but I recognize that precisely because I love my mother, I have a conflict of interest. You know things I don't. I'll support whatever decision you make. Will you let Spider Princess swallow you and infiltrate the castle? Or do you agree with Ilias and Eden that an assault, however bloody, is the best course?"
The decision wasn't actually difficult. Aside from my aversion to all the killing that would happen if we tried to assault the castle, I was dead certain that if a battle of that intensity happened, Alice's mother would be killed. If it was her intention to die, there would be no easier way than to fall in battle, leading her forces against the assault. Alice's plan was absolutely insane. But it was the only plan I could think of that had a chance of succeeding.
"We go with Alice's plan," I said. "I do know things. I've said before that I think her mother intends to die. The best way to prevent that is to reason with her, and failing that, subdue her."
"Or seal her, if necessary," Alice added.
"Yes, that."
No one had anything else to say. No further arguments, no further objections. Just sullen silence on the part of Eden, and oddly enough, Alma Elma.
"Alma Elma, are you okay with this?" I asked.
"I was smartened up on the plan two days ago," Alma Elma answered. "The first idea was to have me swallow you with my tail. It's not like I've never entered the castle with a man inside me. But since I'm now considered a traitor, Granberia would be sure to demand that I spit the man out, and once she saw Luka…."
Alice sliced her finger along her neck.
"Another advantage of Spider Princess is that she's not classified a traitor," Alma Elma continued. "They will know that she was defeated, and captured, which would mean that she'd be serving Alice as long as Alice had power over her. That's the monster way. It wouldn't be held against Spider Princess. If Alice and her go in, they'll probably be let through unless there are standing orders to arrest Alice as soon as she sets foot in there. Of course, if that's the case, this caper ends before it begins."
"Then we kill people!" Lucifina said joyously.
"How in the world did this woman produce a son like Luka?" Alice asked.
"She mellows as she ages," Ilias answered.
"Okay, so how do we do this?" I asked. "I know how lamias swallow prey, your jaw can detach and you have no gag reflex. But it doesn't look like you have the anatomy for that, Spider Princess."
"It's… a little more involved than it is for lamias," Alice said uncomfortably. "Spider Princess, would you please take Luka a little deeper into the woods so nobody has to watch and do the thing?"
"Let me remind you what will happen to you if you dissolve one skin cell on his body!" Ilias warned. "I'll incinerate you!"
"He will be perfectly safe," Spider Princess promised. "I assume. It worked with the Greg."
"How long did you hold Greg in your stomach?" Sonya asked.
"About thirty minutes," Spider Princess said uncomfortably.
"Thirty minutes!" Sonya exclaimed. "It'll take that long just to get to the castle!"
"I've kept men alive in my stomach for days. Luka won't die. I've just never expelled a man who was there for more than an hour before."
"How comforting," Ilias said sarcastically. "I'm so glad I can't watch this in my still relatively weak form. Spiders are disgusting eaters!"
"Luka will definitely need a shower after this," Eden said with a smirk. "Succeed in your mission and I shall wash you myself."
That was the second time this version of Eden had propositioned me. It seemed to be the only time she smiled a little.
Spider Princess took me by the hand and led me into the woods for a short distance. When she felt we were out of sight, she began looking around at the trees for some reason.
"Before we do this, can I ask you a question?" I asked.
"Of course, my love," she replied. "I confess I have to prepare myself. I have never eaten someone I loved before."
"Black Alice. Have you met her?"
"Only your version," Spider Princess answered. "She sent envoys, as did the Monster Lord. Both had the same message. Attack the humans at Grangold. I was aware that they were not allies. They each had their own reasons for wanting the spider tribe to participate in the attack. For the preservation of my race, as well as my own ambitions, I agreed to an immediate assault. But I never met this world's Black Alice. Is she really a god now?"
"I guess word does spread fast in the castle. She's not just a god. She's the ultimate god."
"Then why are we not already dead?" Spider Princess asked.
"Okay, well maybe not the ultimate ultimate god," I admitted. "But definitely more than Ilias or the Dark God. I have no idea what she can see, what she knows. Or what her plans are. It seems strange that a goddess would want to be the Monster Lord."
"The Dark God was the first Monster Lord," Spider Princess pointed out. "I don't find it strange at all. The part I find strange is that with her power she could wrest control of the castle from Alipheese the Fifteenth with little effort. She hardly needs spiders to assist her."
"I wonder if it has something to do with chaosization she's causing. What if she's not above all that? What if that same chaosization would end her as well? That might mean that she wants me to follow the true history as well. Black Alice loves chaos, but she also loves living."
"Perhaps she even brought you here," Spider Princess said. "Who better to follow the true history than one who has lived something close to it?"
That was an unsettling thought. But it made sense. Ilias had first brought me to a strange fantasy world to carry out her diabolical plans. Why wouldn't Black Alice do the same? Well, I'd beaten Ilias at her own game, I would just have to beat Black Alice too.
"We should get started," Spider Princess said. "Just be still. I will take care of everything."
"I'm used to that," I chuckled. "I must be the worst lover ever. I've spent nearly all my sexual encounters lying on my back and doing nothing."
"When we are married, I will train you," Spider Princess said. "But for now…"
She gestured and webbing shot from seemingly nowhere to snare my right arm. Another strand of webbing grabbed my left. She gestured two more times and two more strands came out of the ground to restrain my legs. With a fifth motion of her hand she had the webs raise me up and then tilt me so that I was in a semi-prone position.
"You don't have to restrain me," I said. "I'm not going to run away. Just eat me."
"A lady does not simply dive into the main course," Spider Princess said seductively. "you must be prepared for what is to come."
"Prepared?" I asked. "Oh my…."
Spider Princess was starting things off by demonstrating that her mouth was indeed even softer than Mizuki's. The addition of the silk mixed in with her saliva made me sigh in pleasure. She added a twist. Her hair wrapped around my lower shaft and stroked it as she sucked. That was an Alice special. Apparently it was among Spider Princess' talents as well. She took great joy in drawing the blowjob out as long as possible. I began to wonder if this was an audition, a way to convince me that she would be the best partner for me. I couldn't see how this was necessary as preparation for swallowing me. It made sense if she was trying to subdue me, but I required no subduing. I'd already consented to go into her belly.
The blowjob abruptly ended due to my brain being focused on swallowing. My semen was swallowed eagerly as I came into her ultra soft mouth. I would have never guessed that something like that would be a spider attribute. They seemed so… hard everywhere else.
I barely had time to catch my breath before she reared up and more silk shot from her reproductive organ and began wrapping my penis up. She lowered that organ onto me, swallowing my whole shaft inside it. In contrast to the slurping technique of Mizuki, Spider Princess chose a more controlled method. Her vagina moved and undulated, assaulting me with the sensation of the silk being moved up and down my shaft while her soft insides focused on the head of my penis.
"Maybe I'll get pregnant from this," she taunted. "Then you'd be honor bound to marry me."
I knew that was pretty unlikely. But it didn't stop her from trying. Another breast went into my mouth and more aphrodisiac milk flowed into me. That provoked three quick orgasms in less than five minutes. I was on the verge of unconsciousness.
"While I know you consented to this, you had to be rendered immobile for this," Spider Princess said apologetically. "The experience can be frightening and intense. It will feel amazing, though."
She moved her abdomen into a different position, placing it under her so that it faced upwards. Her webbing lifted me up positioning me over it. I recoiled as a second mouth opened. I did not like lower mouths one bit! And I was actually starting to get into a little light vore! But I preferred the mouths on womens' faces, not weird orifices in their lower bodies!
"Calm yourself," she said gently. "This won't hurt and you are in no danger. Just relax and enjoy."
She was as good as her word when it came to the digestive juices. I'd felt that sort of thing a few times before and the sensations were very intense as soon as any part of my body was attacked by digestive fluid. As my feet were lowered into her mouth, it wasn't intense pleasure, just…. Squishy. It still felt nice though, and so I began to wonder how it would feel when my penis went inside. I found out soon enough and reveled in the feeling of my dick rubbing against the walls of her mouth as she continued to lower me inside. I felt a curve as I went from a standing position to lying on my stomach to better fit all the way in. Spider Princess gave me what she probably thought was a reassuring smile as my head went in, but her smiles always looked sinister for some reason.
Surprisingly, I could breathe as her lower mouth closed around my entire body, cutting me off from the outside world. It was awfully hot and stuff in there, though, and I wasn't sure at all about the smell. Those thoughts evaporated quickly, however, as more silk began wrapping around my body, securing me in place. When she was finished with that, she began to contract her stomach. Again, there were no digestive juices, but the feeling all over my body was still quite nice, and my penis was being squeezed as well. That led to another orgasm, which finished me off. I went out like a light being turned off. My fate was now in an former enemy's hands.
I initially panicked when I awakened, still in the belly of the beast. I understood why she'd wrapped me up so tightly. If I moved around too much it might be noticeable from the outside. I calmed myself. I'm not the claustrophobic type, but the air was stale and stuffy and it was hot. Not to mention there was still some ambient stimulation going on around my penis area. I could see that I'd come some more in my sleep. Perhaps in order to keep me from soiling myself, my penis protruded from the silk cocoon. But her stomach would occasionally contract reflexively, trying to facilitate the digestion of what was inside, it namely yours truly. Her stomach walls kept rubbing against my penis and it was driving me nuts.
I froze when I heard muffled voices. Not that I was moving all that much to begin with, as tied up as I was, but I still didn't want to give away that Spider Princess was carrying me around inside her as if she was the Trojan Horse. I wondered if this world had a similar legend.
"Did you see the size of that army outside?"
That was obviously Spider Princess. The inside of her stomach rumbled slightly as she spoke. Her stomach contracted again while slightly vibrating. I shut my mouth tightly and whimpered softly as I came.
"I had my doubts, but mother really does seem to intend a war of annihilation," Alice responded, her voice hard to make out from inside Spider Princess. "or at least she's sure making it look like she's about to start one. I'm beginning to have doubts about Luka's theory. I think she might be under the influence of powerful magic. I sure hope we don't encounter that other Tamamo here."
"No sense in worrying about it," Spider Princess replied, causing the walls of her stomach to rumble a little more. I wished she'd stop talking. It was going to make me…. AHHHH!!!! "If an Ancestor is here, our lives are forfeit."
"I'm glad I didn't run this plan by Tamamo first," Alice said. "She would never have allowed me to come here without her."
Given that I couldn't see, I had no idea where we were. Since they were speaking of the outside as if they were inside, I had to assume we were in the Monster Lord's Castle. I winced as Spider Princess' stomach contracted hard around me. Was she stressed or something? I guess that would be understandable. At least I could feel all of my extremities. I didn't seem to be digesting.
"Halt!" a voice I knew well shouted. Granberia.
"I'm here to see my mother, Granberia," Alice said authoritatively, although her tiny little voice made it sound less authoritative than it should have. "Let me pass. You know I would never hurt my own mother."
"I know you are not capable of hurting the Monster Lord in your current form," Granberia retorted. "Why are you accompanied by the Spider Princess?"
"I couldn't very well travel like this without a bodyguard."
"Mmmm…" Granberia grunted. "Why her? Was she not your enemy recently? Why not Luka? I would have expected you to bring Luka."
"Do I look like an idiot?" Alice retorted. "Bring a human, uninvited, into the Monster Lord's castle? The only reason I even got in here through that army was because no one wanted to be responsible for preventing the Monster Lord's daughter from seeing her. Do you want to be responsible for that?"
"I have no orders to stop you in the event you made it this far," Granberia replied. "But the Spider Princess is another matter entirely. Unlike you, she is capable of harming the Monster Lord."
"Your estimation of my strength flatters me," Spider Princess said diplomatically. "But I wasn't chosen for my strength. I was chosen because the Monster Lord trusts me. Did I not heed her call to arms?"
"You did," Granberia said reluctantly. "And you are serving Alipheese now because you were defeated. You have demonstrated honor at every stage. To be blunt, I would not have expected that of you or your people. Nevertheless, there is no need for you to protect Alipheese here. There are no opponents waiting for you down that hall. You will wait here. Alipheese will go in alone."
That wasn't part of the plan. There was a long pause. Alice began talking quickly, too quickly for me to make out. Granberia responded gutturally. I sighed. If Granberia said Alice would have to go in alone, then that's what she'd have to do. Alice wanted to reason with her mother. Being able to see her at all should be acceptable to her, I thought. Except I also knew how monsters reasoned. It was unlikely that a few words from her daughter would change the Monster Lord's course. If experience was any guide, Alice's mother would only listen if she was beaten. Something Alice alone was incapable of doing. Not that I was in any better position, as I came yet again due to Spider Princess's stomach continuously squeezing me. She had to be extremely nervous.
"Granberia, allow them to pass!" a booming voice echoed. "They are no threat to me, especially with you right down the hall ready to come to my rescue."
"Very well, your majesty," Granberia responded. "You may enter the throne room. But I know you are up to something, Alipheese."
"Aren't I always?" Alice snarked back.
I felt Spider Princess begin moving again. The hallway from the main hall to the throne room was long, almost the length of a football field, and curved slightly. Alice and Spider Princess walked in silence. After a couple of minutes, I heard Alice whisper something inaudible.
Spider Princess' stomach began to turn somersaults. My head burst out into fresh air. I gulped the clean air eagerly, but quietly. With another heave, I was deposited on the hard floor. Alice looked down the hall furtively as Spider Princess deftly cut apart my cocoon with sharp blades on her front legs.
"Hurry up!" Alice whispered, craning her neck to see If she could spot any sign of Granberia.
I was free of the cocoon but not moving, for obvious reasons. I was also naked, which didn't seem like the best way to be introduced to Alice's mother unless I was being served on a platter. Alice reached into her magic bag and pulled out a change of clothes for me. Spider Princess began quickly dressing me. Her limbs were unbelievably precise and quick.
"Luka! Get up!" Alice whispered.
"I'm gonna need a minute," I said weakly.
"Spider Princess, would you please carry him until he figures out how to revive himself?"
Wordlessly, Spider Princess lifted my prone form off the ground. Before she took a step, I was abruptly dropped. Spider Princess drew her long black katana.
"I knew it!" Granberia shouted triumphantly. "You are entirely too attached to that boy to ever leave him out of any plot you contrive! Very clever, hiding him within a companion."
"Go!" Spider Princess urged us. "I will buy you time!"
"Luka, we have to go!" Alice said, yanking on my arm. Frustrated, she coiled around me and began dragging me to the throne room. In her adult form, she could have easily lifted me and slithered the distance to the throne room in seconds. Perhaps I should have changed her, but it didn't occur to me at that moment. I was too focused on Granberia and Spider Princess circling each other, blades drawn. Alice turned another corner and burst into the throne room as the two combatants' blades clashed.
With a great effort I rose to me feet to stand before the Monster Lord. I'd always thought Alice was one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. It was easy to see where she got it from. If anything, Alice paled beside her mother. Not just in the beauty sense, but in terms of sheer size. I knew that lamias had a great deal of disparity in size among their people, with the smallest being six to seven feet long and the largest being up to thirty feet. The human portion of usually proportional to the body. Alipheese the Fifteenth was enormous, easily near the thirty foot mark in length, and her human portion alone was larger than me. Her breasts were ridiculously, impractically huge, and the smile she greeted us with would have made my legs weak even had I not been in severe critical ecstasy. But I'm proud to say that I managed to stand tall. With an assist from Alice's tail steadying me gently from the back.
"Would it be too cliché to say that I've been expecting you?" the Monster Lord asked. "But let me turn that question around. Am I what you expected, hero Luka?"
"If I'm being honest, you're a lot…. More than I expected," I answered truthfully.
"Yes, I am large for my species," Alice the Fifteenth chuckled.
"Also, you're stunning," I added, hoping that would get me on her good side.
"It has been said that I am the most beautiful Monster Lord in history," the Monster Lord replied. "I'd rather be the greatest, the wisest, or the strongest. But we take what we can get in this world. Beauty has its benefits. It enabled me to find a man worthy to give me a daughter such as Alice. He was handsome, intelligent, and strong. Not strong enough to marry me, alas. He was only human, after all. But more than strong enough to earn the privilege of siring my offspring. And I am oh so proud of my daughter. I was hoping that you wouldn't reach me until all that is to come was fulfilled. But a part of me is filled with pride that you did, Alice."
"Why are you doing this?!" Alice demanded to know. "This is not who you are! Is someone controlling you?"
"Controlling me?" the Monster Lord laughed. "Who would be powerful enough to control the likes of me? Not even an Ancestor has that kind of power. I am carrying out the Dark God's plan of my own free will. All the Lilith Sisters had to do was explain it to me and I understood the wisdom of it."
"The wisdom of genocide?!" Alice exploded. "Who are you? You can't be my mother! My mother was for coexistence! You must be a variant! Born on the Monster World, would be my guess! My mother is obviously dead! Lost forever in that Tartarus pit!"
"First," Alice's mother said sternly. "We call that world Makai. It is a utopia where monsters and humans coexist and love each other freely. It's not exactly how I envisioned it, but it is far better than this world before the Great Disaster. You have no idea of the lengths I was willing to go to to insure good relations between humans and monsters."
"And so where does this plan to annihilate the human race come from?! Is there a plan for monsters to survive without humans?!"
"You understand so little, my dear. I don't suppose I could simply ask you to trust me under the circumstances. You aren't even convinced I am who I say I am. That's fair, if I'm looking at the situation rationally."
"How could I trust you, mother?!" Alice demanded, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "You didn't trust me enough to share your plans. In fact, you had me deposed and sealed in this stupid form!"
"That, my dear, was the White Rabbit's idea."
"So you're working with the White Rabbit?" I asked.
"No," her mother answered. "The White Rabbit has her own agenda which is unknown to me. But she came to me to inform me of her intent. Given Alice's condition when I returned from Makai, I agreed to it readily."
"My condition?" Alice asked. "I don't remember having any kind of 'condition.'"
"You were becoming increasingly irrational. I had already decided not to involve you in our plan, for the simple reason that I did not want the world to perceive you as evil. But seeing that you had become unfit to rule, I resolved to remove you entirely from the equation. The White Rabbit wanted you for her own reasons and I knew enough about her to know that she meant you no harm. So I agreed to let her seal you, not that I could have prevented it anyway."
"What do you mean, unfit to rule?" I asked. "Alice is a fine Monster Lord!"
"Thank you, Luka," Alice said gratefully.
"One of the side benefits of you being reduced so was that it also reduced your mind," the Monster Lord explained. "A child's mind cannot possibly hold everything an adult mind can hold. Cerebral development in our species takes up to forty years. Reducing your mind back to a child like state cured your delusions."
"Delusions? I don't remember any delusions!" Alice protested.
"That is a mercy. You wonder why the Heavenly Knights didn't rush to your side. That is why. I did not just come in, depose you, and demand their loyalty. It was earned by my already established right to the throne and your unfitness. They were as worried as I was about your irrationality, your schizophrenia."
"I remember none of this! And my memory is fine! I remember clearly the White Rabbit sneaking into the castle and sealing me! There is nothing wrong with my memory!"
"Your mind retained the memories it most needed, and discarded what it did not. In effect, your sealing cured your mental illness."
"You're obviously lying," Alice said flatly. "But leaving that aside, let's focus on the most important thing: what do you gain from genocide? What does Makai gain from it?"
"And don't give us that nonsense about how we have to be shown to understand!" I added. "We're not stupid! Speak clearly, and I'm sure we'll figure it out!"
"This is not something one can be shown," the Monster Lord replied. "For one cannot see a soul migrating."
"What kind of babble is that?!" Alice exclaimed.
"The angels are physically removing people in order to evacuate them to their world," Alice the Fifteenth explained. "We monsters, on the other hand, wish to save everyone."
"By killing everyone?!" I asked. "Do you also save food by eating it!?"
"I am getting to that. I have been led to understand by the Lilith Sisters that you, Luka, have in fact died. Yet here you stand. Do you understand why?"
"No, I don't. I saw a light. I thought I was going to the afterlife to be with my loved ones who passed a long time before I did. But instead I woke up here. With a body and everything."
"And that is what happens to those who die here," the Monster Lord said. "I am not as familiar with the fate of souls as the angels are. But we believe that a person's soul can only go to its final resting place if the owner of the soul is dead. As in, dead everywhere. When the original universe was the only one that existed, this was an uncomplicated process. People died, and their souls passed on. But since the paradox, everyone's soul is split between different worlds. Your mind can only perceive one universe at a time, but you exist in many. When your consciousness dies here, your soul inhabits the body of one of your variants and your consciousness begins to perceive that world instead. That is what happened to you. That is what happens to all those we kill here."
"So… you're saving everyone by getting them off of this world… through death?" Alice asked. "Okay, so you've explained to me how you're not REALLY killing people, but how does that help?"
"That would depend on how you define the word 'help'," the Monster Lord replied. "It does nothing to prevent the decay of this world. But it does prevent the eternal destruction of the part of their souls that would occur should they be destroyed by chaosization. Devolution into chaos is total destruction. Even the soul is destroyed forever when claimed by chaos. Giving them a normal death allows that portion of their souls to migrate to another world. Namely, ours. We have set up a bridge that allows any souls released here to automatically migrate to Makai. Assuming they have a counterpart on Makai that is."
"And what happens if they don't?" I asked.
"If they exist on another of the many parallel worlds, their soul will find that body and merge with it. If they only exist her, their soul passes on to the afterlife."
"In other words, they die," Alice said. "Their lives cut short by your war."
"Their lives will be cut short anyway by chaosization," the Monster Lord countered. "And they will be denied an afterlife."
"The idea is to save all the worlds!" I argued, feeling stronger. Was it time passing, or was my power beginning to give me more strength? "THIS place, right here, THIS is where the fight is! If we save this world, we save Makai, we save the Angel World, we save all the worlds! That's what you should be helping us do, not give up this world for lost and do this… this…. Evacuation!"
"An evacuation in which many have no place to evacuate to except the grace," Alice added. "Mother, your explanation has convinced me that you are who you say you are, and further that you're not under anyone's compulsion. But I still can't agree with any of this. Luka is right. This world can be saved. All your plan does is delay the inevitable. If this world falls, Makai falls."
"We have ideas to prevent that," Alice's mother said. "Or should I say, the Dark God does. Luka can be part of that plan. Luka, join us! You have always had more of an affinity for monsters than angels, or even other humans! We can help you to use your power to save Makai! You would be an even greater hero than you've ever been on other worlds! Nothing would be denied to you! No monster would say no to any request you made!"
"I'm not interested in just saving one world," I said firmly.
"What if I told you that if you came to Makai, that you'd see friends whom you've lost in battle?" the Monster Lord, asked, trying another tack. "I received reports that you lost two of your friends in Grangold. An older minotaur woman and a devil fighter. If you go to Makai, you can see them again. Not simply variants of them, but the very ones who were your friends, merged with their counterparts that already lived on Makai."
"Odette and Regina?" I asked, near tears. "They're alive and well?"
"And happy, although they miss their friends. Everyone currently in your castle has a counterpart on Makai except for yourself and Sonya. We could migrate them all through pleasure techniques, while you could bring Sonya through alive yourself, since you alone seem to have such an ability."
"So the part I'm hearing is that you are killing all the humans only as the first step," Alice pointed out. "After that, you intend to kill all the monsters too."
"Not kill, migrate," her mother corrected her.
"And the monsters that only exist her just die? No. I won't be a party to that."
"Tamamo has raised you well, my child," Alice the Fifteenth said with both pride and regret in her voice. "But I tell you, there is no way to save this world, only slow its destruction. Our best hope is to retreat to more defensible ground. Makai is that defensible ground. It is basic military tactics. You must see that."
"I must admit, mother, had you explained all of this to me from the beginning, rather than sending me away, I might have been persuaded. But I've been traveling with Luka these past months, and if there's one thing he's taught me it's that anyone can be saved. Everyone can be saved. And it looks like he's going to have to save you by kicking your ass! Luka, kick my mother's ass!"
"Alice!" I exclaimed. "I thought we were trying to avoid a physical confrontation that could result in her death!"
"My death?" the Monster Lord laughed. "Don't be absurd. Your plan to smuggle the hero in was too clever by half. He is clearly afflicted with severe critical ecstasy. He has power, granted, but he doesn't have the control to use it without risking killing me, and I know he doesn't want to do that."
"But it's what you want," I said accusingly. "Isn't that what this is all about? Why you ordered Granberia to let me in when she could have stopped us? Isn't this your twisted idea of following the true history?!"
"True history?" the Monster Lord asked. "Have Alice's delusions merely transferred to you? Why would I want to die? And what is this true history?"
It wasn't the first time I'd been wrong, as the realization hit me. I'd accounted in mind, at least initially, for the possibility that she was not seeking martyrdom. But I realized, standing there in critical ecstasy, that if her mother was actually bent on war and not just trying to provoke us into killing her, that we were in a very bad position. Alice was no match for her mother in her current state, and I could only defeat her using my power in very crude and dangerous ways. Alice would not want that. I didn't want that.
"It sounds like your 'friends' on Makai didn't tell you everything," Alice said. "You may not be under compulsion, mother, but you have been manipulated. In the true history, you die. Do you have a counterpart on Makai to merge with?"
"No… My counterpart…. Oh no…." her mother stammered. "My counterpart died long before I arrived there."
"I've never been on a world where you didn't die," I said. "And I've been around. I've seen over one hundred worlds, and this is the first time I've ever met you. You've been hung out to dry."
"We don't have to go along with their plans, mom," Alice pleaded. "Join with us, and let's save everyone. I know in your heart that's what you want. I'm the person I am today because of you. You don't know how much it means to me to see you again. I want nothing more than to join with you to save this world. And save Makai, and even those stupid angels!"
Alipheese the Fifteenth sighed heavily, then her eyes grew cold.
"It appears that I have been deceived," the Monster Lord said, danger in her voice. "Very well, then. You shall have the full force of the Four Heavenly Knights and my army at your back. Now, let us discuss where we go from here."
I sighed with relief. We had a trump card and we'd played it to perfection. Not only would Alice's mother live, but she would fight at our sides. Things were looking up.
"Mother!" Alice cried out in warning. Alice's senses were more attuned to magic than mine, so she had reacted a split second earlier than me. Alice's mother had felt the disturbance as well. She was in the process of turning her attention to the portal that had just opened up mere feet from where she was standing.
Stepping out of that portal, sword at the ready, was Marcellus. He said nothing, his sword coming across in an arc to behead the Monster Lord. I had seen what that sword could do. It cut the far more powerful Adramelech cleanly in half. Alice's mother had no chance to avoid the sneak attack. Alice was about to see her mother's dead body yet again.
No.
My power surged through me. All of my spirits activated without me having to call them. And a sword that could match the power of Marcellus' blade appeared in my hand: my shadow Angel Halo. I hadn't managed to summon it yet, and honestly hadn't really tried in a long time. I had the real thing. But in the split second I had to react, there was no way I could draw it. It already had to be in my hand.
As Marcellus' blade swished towards its fatal destination, my shadow blade intercepted it. Marcellus was stronger than me, yet the blade was stopped dead, inches from the Monster Lord's neck. Marcellus stared at me in disbelief, then still not speaking withdrew his sword and attacked again. This time, his target was me.
Marcellus' weapon and armor were centuries ahead of mine technologically. But as we fought, I realized that he wasn't in my class as a swordsman. He was good. He was very good. He was a veteran adventurer who had survived many encounters with powerful monsters and interdimensional beings. His counterparts had fought, and won, against the Monster Lord herself. But alone, the technology was a crutch for him.
He was stronger, however, so the ferocity of his attack drove me back. Alice and her mother pelted him with various magical attacks, although in Alice's case it wasn't helping since she hit me as often as she hit Marcellus. Her mother, on the other hand, was unerring.
A Thunder Thrust, guided by the flow, penetrated his armor at a weak point. For all his enhancements, technology, and experience, he was human just like me. That was all it took to bring him to his knees.
"Son…" Marcellus said weakly, removing his helmet. "You're as good as I imagined you'd be. But if you win, you doom us all. I can't let that happen."
He extended his hand and fired what resembled a repulsor beam at me. A quickly summoned shield dissipated it. Despite the failure of his gambit, he gamely got to his feet and swung his mighty sword downward at me. I didn't even need to parry. Alice's mother's tail wrapped around him and flung him back into the portal from which he came. Casting a quick spell, the portal closed behind him.
Alice was hyperventilating. "Is it really over? Is Mom going to live this time? Luka, did we do it?"
"I… I think so," I said uncertainly.
"It seems that I owe you my life, young… or should I say, old Luka," Alice's mother said gravely. "But the words of that man haunt me. Is this world really doomed if I live?"
"I've been hearing a lot about this true history," I responded. "And not to mince words, I think it's a bunch of bullshit. Granted, doing a few things as they happened in the true history does seem to reduce chaosization, but this world has already diverted so much. And what's the point of reliving history if you can't do things better the second time around? Alice has told me a lot about you. The world will be a better place with you in it."
"I hope I can live up to your expectations of me," the Monster Lord said. "Now, let us call a meeting of the Four Heavenly Knights and your most high ranking companions. We must plan. Obviously, the war is now off. I shall give the appropriatae orders at once."
All of a sudden, the castle began shaking violently. Large pieces of stone fell from the ceiling. Alice's mother quickly put a shield over all three of us, which was good, since I still hadn't figure out how to stop solid objects with a shield.
"Are we under attack?!" Alice wondered.
The answer came as we all briefly blinked out of existence, as if a TV channel had been changed, and the channel it had been changed to was all snow. We returned as quickly as we disappeared.
"That's not good!" Alice exclaimed.
"It appears my attacker was correct," the Monster Lord said with dread. "My continued presence here deviates too much from this true history you spoke of!"
We blinked out again, this time for longer, although it was hard to tell because time has little meaning in the context of chaos. I had no idea what to do. There was no enemy to fight. How does one beat chaosization? I shared a look with Alice's mother. The look in her eyes spoke volumes. She hadn't intended to die, but she was increasingly accepting that it was her destiny. And she wanted me to do it before it was too late. All of existence was about to end, because I'd made the choice to save her.
No.
I had power. My power was in theory almost limitless. I was chosen for a reason, and it wasn't to kill good people. My power always worked best when I was extremely motivated. Well, facing the end of all that is, I summoned up my power. If chaos threatened the world, then I would be order. I commanded my power to drive back the chaos. I'd been told that I was equivalent to a god. Well, as a god, I wanted a world in which Alice's mother got to live, and contribute. My power continued to swell, to flow out of me. It surrounded the three of us in white light and began to spread through the castle. I commanded it to keep spreading, to encompass the world, the universe if necessary. I am a god! I thought. And I want this universe to exist!
With a sudden surge, the chaos overwhelmed my power as if it was a sand castle built to stop a tidal wave.
And then there was nothingness.