Chapter 225: Twilight
[Please, my Tyrant, I beg you. Save this universe and free my brother from his fate. And save us all from the Tyrant of the End.]
Elian looked at the ghost in the system. A shadow of a being who once endured forever. All for this one moment, she lived with a single-minded focus.
Dr. Magnolia spared nothing. Not her life, not her love, not even her very dignity. That just went to show how much she wanted this.
In life, everything was subjective. She was wrong to use this entire universe all for her own sake. Even if her gamble worked and life continued on, the dead and those who were wronged would never come back.
Yet Elian understood her.
"..."
As the one who was given the choice, Elian felt conflicted. All he ever wanted in life was to be like everyone else. Yet ever since that moment in the Red Ant Dungeon, his life had been nothing short of indescribable.
One had to wonder just how much of his own decisions were shaped by the woman before him. And yet, no matter how he felt about all this, one thing remained.
He needed power.
The power to change his fate.
The strength to protect what he deemed important.
"That’s right. This is all just a bad, bad dream. I will free you from all this..."
Origin’s whispers echoed through the hollow space. Elevated to Level 100, Elian knew everything happening around him. Intuitively, he felt every presence, heard every sound, and saw even the smallest speck of dust in this space. Frankly, he felt omnipotent.
He looked at his hand, which now glowed white. His body turned from ashen to blinding white. Elian wiggled his fingers to see if the hand was still his; the power surging through them felt like something that shouldn’t belong to one man.
The Tyrant of Earth closed his fist, and the very air shook. Elian knew it. As much as he wanted to ask if this was all real, he already knew the answer.
Which meant that what he had to do was just as clear.
"I accept," he said curtly.
[Quest Accepted.]
Immediately, Dr. Magnolia began to sob hysterically. Her body shivered as she kept her forehead on the ground. Through her unintelligible cries, only two words repeated endlessly.
[... Thank you... UWAHHHHHHH!!! Thank you!! Thank you!!!...]
Elian paused for a moment before adding.
"You prepared this while gazing into the future. So you knew that I would accept because of Bianca... I see. You chose this path to save your brother as well..."
Elevated beyond what mere people could understand, the Tyrant of Earth now had intellect bordering on omniscience. In a single second, he suddenly comprehended everything Dr. Magnolia foresaw and labored toward.
"I do not forgive you, but I understand. See to it that you explain to Bianca; I will do the rest."
Holding back her sniffles, Dr. Magnolia raised her head and nodded fervently.
[I already have my Tyrant.]
At that moment, a sudden surge of power was released into the space.
The origin?
Bianca.
Much like what happened to him, Elian felt mana surge from his wife’s body. It wasn’t as drastic as his, but her level also rose to the Twilight Tier.
"Then go in peace. I do not know if you or Origin will reincarnate back to this world, but I will at least ensure that you have a world to go back to."
Saying no more, Elian turned around. The video in his vision vanished, leaving only the present.
"W-What? What is going on? It can’t be? Where is all this power coming from?!!" Origin shouted in confusion.
Like the sun, Bianca’s soul body erupted in blinding light. In her presence, not even a shadow could remain. Origin, unable to comprehend what was going on, grew wary and raised his hand to cover his face.
While previously Origin was an enemy that terrified him, that notion had long disappeared. Despite his enemy being at his full power, to the current Elian he was no supreme being; he was a mere equal.
"And when it comes to killing you, I have over a hundred times the experience."
The short video Dr. Margaret used compressed centuries’ worth of content into a short microsecond. Though it only lasted ten minutes in real life, the current Elian had witnessed an tale spanning multiple millennia.
He watched every battle and felt every moment. It was not far-stretched to say that this Elian was no longer the Elian Reed, Tyrant of Earth. No, he was already something many times greater.
"System, I would like to choose my Jobs."
[Acknowledged. Would you like to see the available Jobs?]
Elian felt himself chuckling. Prior to today, he wondered about the various possibilities he could have achieved. But in the short time he saw his alternate realities fighting, he saw them all.
In some worlds, his first Job was Juggernaut; in others, it was Vanguard. Truly, out of the one hundred and twenty-five futures he saw himself in, less than ten used Living Metal as his first Job.
The same thing happened when he left the Dawn tier and entered Radiant. Metalweaver, which allowed changing a metal’s property, and the broken Juggernaut SS were the most often selected by the Elians. Dominator was often left behind.
"No need. I know exactly what I want."
After all, in those worlds, trying to remain human both in shape and function was the lowest priority. The highest?
Victory.
All other iterations of Elian Reed were a single-minded machine obsessed with ending the crucible. And now Elian needed to tap into that same energy. From his vast memories, he now understood and mastered each and every job he would eventually gain.
Elian couldn’t help but remember the question that drove his life in every vision.
[What must I do?]
[Destroy the Crucible. That is why I made you.]
For the first time in his life as a Weapon, no one would give the answer for him.
The near endless possibilities made him hesitant. As he was now, he could be the wisest king to rule the universe. Yet he could also succumb to these desires and become the vilest bastard to have ever lived.
Yes.
In this life, he alone holds that power.
He alone could define what Elian Reed should be.
Not fate. Not Origin, not even the coming end of the world.
As if it were an itch at the back of his mind, Elian knew he had to say it out loud.
The primary directive which his life would revolve around.
"My purpose... is to make Bianca happy."
Click.
A sharp sound echoed deep in his being. As if a trigger locking into place. Voicing his goal, everything became clear. His goals and objectives had to align; that was what it meant to become victorious.
"System, I chose Bio-Synthetic Architect for my 3rd job."
[Adamant-Pathway Bio-Synthetic Architect chosen for the third Ascension. You are also eligible for a fourth Job and a hidden Fifth Job. Do you wish to choose now before proceeding with the Job Ascensions?]
The third Job was the one Breakers gained at Dusk tier at Level 55. The fourth came at Twilight tier at Level 82. While most do not have a fifth job, Elian already knew what his would be.
"Yes, for the fourth I chose Juggernaut EX. No need for the fifth."
[Forged-Pathway Juggernaut EX chosen for fourth Ascension. Third and Fourth Job Ascensions will be combined; please note that this situation is unprecedented. Survival is not guaranteed; do you still wish to proceed with your final Job Ascension?]
"I do."
Even now, the system was very careful and courteous. Knowing full well what kind of person the system was patterned after, Elian felt a bit nostalgic.
[Combined Third and Fourth Job Ascension beginning. Entering the Twilight Tier.]
Immediately, Elian felt his body shift at an atomic level. As if his body were set on fire, his entire body burned hot. If, prior to today, he had always been left to the whims of the system, now it was he who directed it according to his will.
The tiers were separated not by chance but by design; they marked the division of power that a typical system user could handle.
Dawn tier was just above human; Radiant went beyond humans; Dusk entered the realm of superheroes, while Twilight touched the domain of immortals.
As each inch of Elian’s body formed and broke apart, he called the descriptions for his two new jobs. In all the other realities he witnessed, there was never an Elian quite like him. While Living Metal and Dominator made Elian adaptable, unfortunately, they lacked staying power.
"That ends today..."
____
[Adamant Pathway – Bio-Synthetic Architect]
[Description]
Dominator forces metal and flesh together, yet the two never truly become one. If you truly wish to rule over this reality, you must command not what goes beyond, but within.
[Effects]
– Allows command of metal at an atomic level.
– Unlocks: Synthesize.
Passive: Bio-Synthetic Regeneration
grants the ability to rapidly heal any and all damage encountered.Active: Use your metals to bind and sever bonds between atoms, creating and remaking anything and everything to your will.
– Large INT boost; moderate Agility; minimal Strength.
– Warning: the effects of Synthesize are permanent.
___
Bio-Synthetic Architect was a job he gained only in this reality. But it fulfilled the same role as Metal Weaver in his other lives, which was the skill that would give him the ability to change a metal’s makeup.
In every reality, Origin’s body was impervious to both mana and physics. Thus, Elian needed to create a unique material to kill him. That was the sole reason each battle with the divine being took so long.
And in every iteration, the god-killing material was different. So, Elian would run through every element, using every permutation and every combination to find something that could hurt Origin.
"Hmm. I wonder how long it would take to find the answer in this life?"
Elians’ body continued to sizzle as if it were cooking. His body was literally being destroyed yet his mind was clear. That was probably because of his last job. Seeing the details for the first time, he now understood why the Tyrant of End was nearly impossible to kill.
___
[Forged Pathway – Juggernaut EX]
[Description]
Your path has been long and hard. This is your final chance, your final choice. The last and strongest iteration of Juggernaut. You are both the ultimate spear and the ultimate shield. If the world denies your will, then shatter it with your fist.
[Effects]
– Unlocks: Steel (EX).
Passive: Grants immunity to physical and mental trauma.
Active: Absorbs kinetic energy and mana to generate stacks of Divine Invulnerability.
Divine Invulnerability: Active, deny one attack, regardless of strength, type, and difference in strength.
– Unlocks: Guillotine (EX).
Passive: Legendary, gains a percentage of strength for every foe personally terminated. Legendary is retroactive and scales with enemy level.
Active: Exchange all Divine Invulnerability for a single use of Spear of Extinction. Cooldown: 100 years.
Spear of Extinction: Kill one entity. Strength depends on stacks of Divine Invulnerability.
– Gigantic Strength boost; large Agility; moderate Intelligence.
– Warning: Each stack of Divine Invulnerability costs 1% of the user’s HP to maintain.
___
"Are all Twilight jobs like this? How in the world would you even stop someone like me?"
Despite his body still remaking itself, Elian raced forward. Whatever doubts his mind might have had, they all paled in comparison to the reality before him.
He had both a mission to complete and a person to protect.
The time for words was over; it was now time to act.
And so he charged toward Origin.
Toward the divine being, he was both the start and would be the end of everything.