Hello, this is my first time writing a fanfiction. If you notice any errors, please feel free to give me constructive feedback. English is not my first language, so if you notice any mistakes, please mention them in the comment section at the end of the chapter. Let's begin the story!
Word Count: 3280 Words
Note: Just a reminder that I've changed the Guild Auxiliary chapter. I've made some changes to it. I've removed a couple of NPCs and added a few.
Due to my college work, I was unable to upload the chapter sooner so I've made this chapter longer. Increased the word count.
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Completing the process and trusting in his devotion, he stabbed himself with the dagger and bit into the apple, eating it whole.
The circle lit up, taking it as a cue; Tower jumped back, taking shelter.
Pain assaulted his very soul, as he felt his body become unstable. He felt his heart explode and the pain was unbearable for him. As the fruit's mana collects in his chest, healing his heart. Stitching it back up.
Just when he thought of having succeeded in his first step, the ritual stopped. It left him wondering whether it was a failure. He only had one shot at this and he couldn't mess this up. Failure doomed his death.
Moreover, the magic circle channelling the mana and the ritual had also disappeared.
'This can't be happening with me.'
Yet he could feel the lingering mana on the ground surrounding him. He despaired, knowing that he failed to hang onto life.
Knowing his life would end with the last bits of mana burning to keep him alive. With it, would he find his end?
Just as the feeling of Death sunk in, he observed the space in front of him distort. A Dark Being, similar to those Eldritch Gods that he heard of from the Fool, appeared in front of him.
Scared for his fate, he saw Cath Palug come out of hiding. Despite it being scared for its life, it stood for its ground. Bowing to the Eldritch God standing in front of them.
The Eldritch God, standing still observed him with keen interest. It was then that Bruce observed the collection of mana in Yaru's heart. Even his gore body, especially his legs. They had been mangled up.
Sacred of his life, Yaru, despite his inner struggle, was only able to utter a single syllable. "Who?" leaving the sentence and his question incomplete.
Bruce, at the moment realising his mistake, looked down at himself. He was in his last avatar, the one he hadn't shown to anyone. Even Cath Palug was prostrating itself to him.
Not sure of his next action, he looked around. The whole region had been flattened, lost was its past picturesque view. The vegetation and wildlife, the mountains adorning the land, are gone.
His eyes moved along, taking the whole view in; he stopped in his tracks as he observed a dark portal open right behind him.
It didn't help him that the portal kept decreasing in size. It was currently large enough to allow Typhon to pass through. But at the pace, it shrunk, in a couple of minutes, at max eight or ten minutes. Even Tower or Cath Palug would have difficulty passing through.
He was not sure why or how. It was his Instincts, he had a gut feeling about this portal leading back to 21st-century Earth or back to Sakura.
He, with his all being wished, just jumped through it, but the apple or World Destroyer held him back. He couldn't let such a weapon sit idle in the past and that which could change the past and possibly destroy Earth.
'I have to calm down. I can't just jump into any portal like an idiot without making sure it is safe and finding its origin. This portal should take me back; I have this gut feeling, though I am not sure of the origin of my confidence.'
Bruce sighed as he calmly watched the portal and turned around the address Yaru. He had retrieved the World Item, Ravens of Knowledge to discern the portal's origin.
'Ahh! At least the portal does take me back to Sakura and the Holy Grail War. I know that my fate is tied to the Holy Grail War, seeing as I was summoned to fight in it. And even after travelling to the past, I still have the pact I made Sakura in effect.
The Holy Grail War should contain the secret or the way for me to go back to the Overlord Verse. I shouldn't have messed with the timeline very much.
So many floors and a large army of NPCs to boot has brought me to Fate Verse. I should have listened to ROB when he talked about those graphs.
Well, if I can return to Overlord verse with just this, then I think that it was all worth it. The huge army of NPCs and the floors were all worth it.'
He looked up at Yaru, as he realised.
'Wait! Wait! Wait! I didn't jinx myself, now did I? Never mind, I am sure that it only applies to those who believe in it. Let's be optimistic and hope for the best. My last death flag ended up getting me transmigrated to Overlord verse.
I should be positive.'
His gaze wandered towards Yaru's heart the origin of the exorbitant amount of mana, when he saw it. It was the apple, the World Destroyer that he had made.
He couldn't quite believe it.
'Yaru ate the apple. The fu*k is wrong with him. Leave the robbery; if this idiot can't control it, he will explode in a giant explosion, taking this whole planet with him, possibly.
There is only one possible explanation for this all, he is trying that ritual of his. It did look legitimate; I, for one, couldn't find any flaws in it.
Which doesn't automatically make it flawless. I am no Master of Magic, but I will have to trust my God of Runecraft Title. Even so, that magic will turn him into a Chimera-like being.
From what I understand that magic, destroys the body and reconstructs it with Demon, Devil, Spirit or Ghost with a part of Dragon blood in them. They will be reborn anew into what I coined as Asura. With great strength stats and huge mana quantity. They will be quite strong, but to think he used The World Destroyer for it. He is definitely an idiot. There's no doubt in it but why would Tower even allow it?
Does he think he can pull it off? If so, this magic will be more valuable than World Destroyer.
Not only did I create a World Destroying Weapon, but I also got my hands on this fabulous magic. Robbing my Caloric Stone would easily get him on my kill list, but if he were to succeed, the rewards would easily outweigh the losses. I could get my hands on a new type of Magic that even Ainz wouldn't have thought of. Well, this is made using the magic of Overlord verse and Nasuverse. Still, I can use it to strengthen myself and break the limit of Overlord with Overlord magic.'
Despite many thoughts drifting in his head, he contemplated the situation. Not a lot of time had passed in the outside world. His Avatar, the final form made sure of it.
'So, now what? Do I roll with it? For him to succeed he has to give it all. But despair and resignation are written all over his face. He has already given up on the fight.
If you wish to give up, why did you even consume the fruit in the first place? You aren't alone in this, you would take the whole planet with you. I don't think any Super-tier spell can tank this attack. As for World Items, I don't have any shield World Item on me.'
Bruce tired and checked the status of the portal from the corner of his eyes. He had to hurry up. He can't miss this train or flight. He would be lucky if he could get a chance like this one again.
Tired of his situation, he noticed the subtle atmosphere around him. Something he ignored or missed till now.
Everyone was prostrating towards him. Even Tower was in on it. They were treating him as if he was a God. He thought back to all his interactions with them all this time.
'I guess I did leave everything unsaid. Hmm! I guess it makes sense that they would arrive at such a conclusion. I lived and talked as if I was some Supreme Being. I lived and behaved like I owned the Universe.
But it only applies if they can draw or are considering me, Vishanti, The Fool, Optimus and my Current Form to be all the same.'
His line sight extended to Tower,
'Tower or Cath Palug, hmm! He knows it's me. As for Yaru, I'm not sure. He seems to be lost, resigned to his fate, awaiting his death. Still, he at least is showing signs of being lost and is looking my way. Seeking directions. I can't waste too much time and neither can I extract the apple back without Wish Upon A Star.
For Wish Upon a Star to work, the amount of experience will be exorbitant and may leave me in a weakened state. I also can't allow him to destroy this planet. Also, can't take a ticking time bomb with me to the future. Well, Multiverse exists in Nasuverse. Let's just hope this is one as well, in case the explosion happens. It does not affect my only clue back home.
Let's become what they wish for me to be, A God and show these lost lambs direction. Not because I want to, it's just the situation calling for this act.'
Yaru was expectantly looking at the Dark Being, a being similar to those Eldritch Horrors that The Fool had told him all about. His gaze turned to Cath Palug, a Pet of The Fool.
He was shocked to find him prostrating towards the Dark Being. It was as if the very void had materialised in reality. Chaotic energy lines the outline of the being, caging him to appear in reality. He wasn't sure whether that cage of Chaos was a cage to him or a shield to mortals such as him from getting erased or disappearing into oblivion.
If it hadn't been enough he saw a portal appearing behind the Dark Being.
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Yaru earlier had lost words, seeing the portal. He hadn't been able to complete his sentence and ask what had been worrying him. He remained oblivious to the identity of the being. But seeing Cath Palug bow to the being, he had a clue to the identity of the being.
Just to make sure he spoke what was very obvious by now.
"Who are you?"
Taking in the question, the Being smirked. At least he thought the being did. He wasn't sure of the expression on the being.
"You can address me as The Fool."
He failed to gulp with his mouth parched up, he was taken aback by the revelation. Despite being ready and having an idea of their identity still did not help him. He expectantly looked up at the Fool. With hope reignited in him, he with the will to live, looked up at the Fool. Asking to be saved.
All of the things he said came back to him, everything he said. His nonchalant and indifferent attitude towards The Gods to powerhouse such as Eldritch Gods. Even to his condensing attitude towards The Root, the Creator and the End of everything he knows or will ever know.
Stifling his tears, he spoke with the liberation he had achieved in this frame of time, from being resigned to death to having hope to live.
"Argh! Hu. The Fool. Yo... ur. Servant asks of you. Please show me the way to live. To conquer this power. I beg of you."
Coughing up, he completed his sentence.
'It is all in your hands. Crave for it and subdue with your willpower.'
Bruce stood still watching Yaru, as he kept track of the Portal.
'Hmm! That doesn't sound right. Moreover, it is not something a being of the calibre of the Fool would say. Let's just roll with it.'
Bruce in his past life, though not interested in theatrics, was very much interested in lore. It was more apparent in his love for character-building in his games and the millions of stories he concocted in his head, with characters lore.
"It is but a simple request. What you wish to do is certainly interesting. A mortal trying to break free from the restraints of the Root. What you wish to achieve is something that does not originate from the Root.
Are you sure, you wish to turn your back on the Root? Your actions now, are the same as betraying the Root."
Using all his psyche to it, he went on playing with words. Putting on a display of the Fool.
"I will follow you, The Fool. I am ready to pledge my life to you. Everything I have and will ever have will all belong to you. My very existence belongs to you.
Use me as you wish and discard me if you feel the need to or don't require my services. Kill me at your behest. I will follow you, even if I have to destroy this very world."
There were many words left unsaid, but Bruce felt his determination. And the weight his every word carried.
---
Yaru looked up at the Fool with determination.
'I am what I am all thanks to you. You have even slain my target for Vengeance. The being that I had hoped to kill all my life. You have also saved my life. If not for you, I wouldn't have survived and lived to this day.
You also made a path for me to attain magic, even if it was for a fraction of a second. I got to experience magic. You gave me the power to achieve for myself rather than granting me it.
It would have been a simple task for a being like yourself. You allowed me to try and fail. Giving me a sense of accomplishment for myself.'
He looked at the Fool.
'I have at least accomplished something. I made this magic circle. I made something praiseworthy from a being like you.'
Yaru asked the question that had been bugging him for a while now. It was something that would decide his fate.
'After all, I can't ask The Fool to fight The Root for someone as insignificant as me. It is a waste of their time. I have asked for something very shameful. How could I have asked for it?
I have to accept that I have failed. I have to live up to my mistakes and life. I am reverting back to my past self. I stood there watching my mother, I might have myself condemned her to death.
This is my punishment for it.'
"The Fool, I wish to ask you a question if I am allowed to do so?"
Bruce, intrigued, signalled him to ask away.
"Am I powerful enough now to defeat the Wolf God?"
The question piqued his curiosity but there was something else he observed. Unlike the start, Yaru was now truly ready to embrace death. Given up on his life. Racking his brain, he tried thinking of the answer to this situation. Something or anything that had led the situation to here.
'Was it Revenge, Vengeance or his pride as a genius?'
All the guesses were aligned to what anyone would assume had they been unaware of his past. Yaru had been very secretive about his family, leaving Bruce to assume him to be an orphan.
As he thought of every other situation, he went back to basics. Something significant for him to ask such a question waiting for his end.
'Getting sacrificed to him has led him to hate and wish for Vengeance but I have already killed him when I saved him. So, his animosity against that Wolf shouldn't be so deep. Unless.
Unless someone close to him was also sacrificed to the Wolf. Someone like his family would result with growing up wishing for Vengeance. He was an orphan if I am not wrong. Anyway, why was he even being sacrificed to the Wolf? The timing was also uncanny, it was after he had acquainted with me.
Anyway, let's answer him truthfully. The chances of him surviving are 50/50 if I am optimistic. In reality, it's 0.1%.'
Looking down at Yaru, Bruce spoke.
"You are more than powerful enough. You should have been powerful enough to defeat him even in your current state."
"That's good. I wasn't a total failure."
Yaru sighed, but as he relaxed, ready to welcome death. He wished to know it. Something that would make his life worthwhile. Something that would add meaning to it. Gathering his courage he spoke,
"The Fool, who are you? Allow this lowly mortal to gaze at your truth. I pledge my life to you."
Bruce having heard it, was happy. His acting had worked to fool Yaru and even Tower, who remained prostrating towards him.
'The fu*k is on about. I got lost there but I can't have him dying on me and destroying this planet. I am still not sure if this is the same verse as the one I got transferred to. If it is the same planet as in the past or some other verse like FGO in the multiverse.'
"Hmm! A failure you say."
Yaru was confused by the words of the Fool.
It was then he heard a single syllable uttered by the Fool.
"Nirvana."
The effect of it shocked him. Yaru looked around himself as the magic circle once again lit up.
"You haven't failed yet. Rather, the apple hadn't digested. Now, you should be able to make your dream come True.", Yaru was left without words.
'The guy surely hadn't thought much when he ate the apple. It was during my talk with him that I noticed the blockage. The Mana was gathering in his heart but was stuck there. Nirvana is the activation spell or code for the World Destroyer. It was a gamble but it worked.
The mana flow has been reestablished.
He should be able to do it now. If this is the same world as the one I was summoned to. Then, for my insurance if I were to meet him in the future.
That is if he manages to make it and the world is saved.
It is all about what-ifs.
But I will need a strong dose of devotion if he does become a powerhouse.
Hmm! This is going to change a lot of things now. But I can't be worried about them.
Now what's done is done. I don't have the power to travel back in time and I definitely wouldn't.
Reality Marble is too sweet of a deal to mess up.'
"I am The Fool."
Bruce stating his name, transformed.
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**The End**
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