Too Stubborn to Die

Aaron was surprised by just how industrious the goblins were, as he returned to the lot of them working hard. Or perhaps they just felt bad about what had happened, not that he blamed them for struggling to defend against the undead.

They were busy removing the crude goblin defenses and returning the area to its old rustic charm.

Passing them by, he found Zero outside of Zach and Marko’s workshop testing out a rather elegant-looking rapier. Unusually for a rapier, it matched Zero’s massive size, and was about as long as a zweihänder.

Aaron supposed the weapon was a good match for the evolved wolf. Zero had been a speed-based combatant already, and the light weapon suited him as he darted around, zipping back and forth as he turned to silver light and lunged into stabbing attacks.

“Not bad. The sword suits you.”

Noticing his master, Zero halted and turned to him.

“I’m glad you like my new weapon, master. It should make exterminating our enemies that much easier.”

“Interesting choice of words,” Aaron shook his head. “Alright, well, anyway, I’m heading to the temple. Once I’m done with that, we’ll check in with Julius quickly, and then head out. I plan to take over the remaining obelisks in the area, and then return to get some work in with my Profession.”

“As you wish. I’ll be ready,” Zero said.

Stepping up to the doors of the temple, Aaron took a deep breath. For the most part, he was looking forward to catching up with his patron god, but there was always a little apprehension.

And when he entered the temple's inner chambers, a figure strolled out of an adjoining room.

“Yendal?”

“Yes. Well, my avatar at least,” she said. “My avatar can’t leave this temple, but within its walls, this divine shard provides quite a bit of power,” she added as her hands bundled up into fists.

“Oh, shit. I should have seen this coming.”

Yendal smiled and launched into a blinding, but perfectly precise combination of attacks. But Aaron hadn’t just been sitting about fiddling himself. He had been throwing himself against impossible odds, and constantly improving. And when they met, he phased and dodged through her initial barrage with the skill of a master.

For a moment, it seemed that he had nullified her ability to hit him. Up until a burst of celestial power infused with her fists, allowing them to strike his wraith form.

Aaron staggered back against the attack, but he wasn’t done.

“Not bad,” Aaron grinned and shot into his own offensive.

A barrage of attacks followed, each utilizing fate reading, his accuracy overlay, [ Gorgon’s Soul Vortex ], and even his new ghost wings to push an edge, all of which was powered through vigorous energy pulsing out of his C-grade core.

At that moment, he could see everything. Details invisible to even the keenest of eyes. He spotted reactions well before they happened. And thus, by pushing himself against Yendal, the short duel helped him realize a synergy between his Skills he didn’t even know existed.

Through fate reading, he could see the threads of fate, but there were many. It had always been a drawback of the Trait. But using it alongside all of his Skills at once, he could parse the information, using it all to accurately figure out which one thread was the correct one.

It required calculating dozens of moves and outcomes every second, which was extraordinarily hard, and perhaps a telling shortcoming he still had.

I think I might need more Intelligence.

Nonetheless, it was impressive, and he pushed the avatar back. That said, he doubted Yendal was pushing her avatar to maximum power, and yet she was still faster and stronger than him. Her movements were perfect—never an ounce of wasted energy or movement. She dodged just enough, at just the right moment, taking advantage of momentum, and throwing it back against him.

As strong as he had become, the reality was, Yendal’s style was still absolutely absurd. It was peak tier perfection beyond what she had shown him, even in the trials. But even so, his layered Skills worked perfectly with one another, helping to close the gap between them. And after a lengthy back and forth, and a mind-numbingly long combination—one that resulted in quite a few slaps and trips—he landed clean, throwing her avatar across the room.

Yendal slammed a fist into her palm and bowed. “Impressive. You hit me sooner than I had expected. However, that doesn’t mean I have forgotten anything. I’m disappointed you haven’t been using the ring more, but I do admit, you have done reasonably well in your training.”

“Damn, a compliment already? You’re losing your touch, Yendie.”

“Don’t test me. I can still punish you severely if I choose.”

Aaron raised his hands defensively. “Just kidding. Anyway, it’s good seeing you. It’s been too long.”

“You too,” Yendal said, her thinned lips tugging ever so slightly at their edges.

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“Before anything else, I have to ask. What’s up with the Death God? I assume you know that he invaded my dungeon?”

“I do. And we saw to it that his meddling would be limited.”

“We?” Aaron raised a brow. “Don’t tell me—”

“Yes,” Yendal sighed. “I've regrettably had some contact with that glutton. Together, we were able to persuade them to restrict that god’s power. So I guess he isn’t entirely bad, as much as I hate to admit it. As for the Death God, he is a pest. But a powerful one. I can’t guarantee that he won’t show up again somewhere else using different means. Unlike most of us gods who respect the rules, he is constantly trying to bend them.”

“I see. That tracks. But what about Lenriel? How is he involved with all of this?”

“Lenriel is always involved. In everything. Nothing important happens without his input, unfortunately. But he is undoubtedly the better option between those two.”

“Okay, but what do they want with us? I’m just a mortal. What interest could a god have with me?”

“I do not know the precise details. What I can tell you is that they’ve been locked in a war of control for thousands of years. A war that Lenriel has almost always come out on top of. Obviously, the Death God isn’t happy about that. He wants to change the balance of power, and has some plan to use his corruption to make this happen. As for you, I believe it is related to that disciple of his. Whatever he wants his disciple to do, he doesn’t want it interrupted.”

“Right, I more or less know that part.”

“Sorry, Aaron. I’m not involved in such disputes. What little I do know is because of you. I can also tell you that there have been some troubling escalations recently. I won’t bother you with all of the details. They would likely go over your head. But know that there is quite a bit of turbulence within the divine realms. And somehow, your universe and several others are involved.”

“Oookay. Cryptic. What about Darius? Should I stop him, or kill him for that matter?”

“Oh, yes. Definitely,” Yendal said. “I believe it will delay whatever he has planned. He will try to stop you. But even he is restricted by how he can interact with your universe while the barrier remains intact. Be cautious, but don’t pull your punches. Even if he does find a way to get around restrictions, he won’t show up in his own flesh, and will be restrained.”

“Good to know.”

“And keep that ring on until you have to face Darius. You’re very powerful now, and most normal threats on your world shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for you. But beyond your world? Understand that you are still an ant, Aaron. Take this opportunity and use it wisely. Get stronger. Push yourself. And then, when you do leave your world, you will be in a much better position to deal with what you find beyond it.”

“Thanks for the pep talk. I’ll do that. Keeping the ring on,” Aaron said with a wink.

“Good. Now, I won’t hold you any longer. I know you’ve got plenty to do. But one last thing. When you are ready to upgrade those mana anchors you’ve been working on, come and see me. I have a few things to show you, and I think you’ll want to see.”

“Oh?” Aaron probed.

“That’s it for now. If you want to find out, get out there and work and impress me.”

“Okay. Keep your secrets then. I’ll be back with mana anchors before you know it.”

Leaving the temple, Aaron collected Zero and headed over to the casino.

The courtyard and surrounding streets were as alive with activity as he had ever seen them. The defeat of the undead horde had lifted spirits, and everyone was pitching in to get things running properly again. There were also a decent number of newcomers he didn’t recognize wandering about.

“This place grows every day,” Aaron said as they passed into the lobby.

The moment he stepped inside, guards dressed in suits approached.

“Hey, Aaron!” One of Julius’ men said. “Come, right this way. Julius has been wanting to speak with you.”

They led him straight up to his office on the top floor, where they found Julius and several others in a busy room going over maps and all kinds of other plans.

“What’s all this then?” Aaron said as he stepped inside.

“Oh, there you are, Aaron,” Julius looked up from a map and waved a couple of his people away. “Come, join me.”

“So, what’s all this?” Aaron said, eyeing the map as he stepped up to his side.

“Preparations of all kinds. We have lots to do since you fought back the undead.”

“And Talia? Where is she?”

“On patrol. She said she was happy to have us go over these details without her, and wanted to give some of the others a break.”

“I see. Okay, so what’s happening?”

“I thought you’d be able to tell us that. My scouts haven’t returned, and we apparently have five new settlements. One of which has already built a few turrets from what I can see on my settlement System display.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, I put Yuki in charge of one of them. You should probably go send reinforcements. And to the other obelisks as well. It would be a pain if somebody else decided to settle in. I’d rather not have to go breaking random people’s bones unless I absolutely have to.”

“Understood,” Julius said, and snapped his fingers. “Did you hear that?”

Carlos stepped up to Julius’ side. “Yeah, I did. How can we help?”

“Form squads. Take supplies, crafters, and whatever men you need, and go secure the obelisks Aaron has cleared. Once you get there, fortify them, and set up patrols. I want daily updates on your progress.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good. Once I’ve figured out who should manage them, I’ll send people out to assist you. For now, we just need to make sure they are secured.”

“Will do!” Carlos saluted and hurried off.

“Wow, so much action and you've barely returned,” Julius said, turning his gaze back to Aaron. “You really have been busy, haven’t you, Aaron? I knew who’d find a way to push those bastard undead off our backs when you returned. But all of this? Honestly, I can barely believe it. One moment, I thought we’d lose Dober, and now it looks like we’re going to have to figure out how to administer an entire country.”

“Glad to be of assistance. But I’m not done yet. I’m about to head out and clear the rest of the obelisks in the area. You should see a bunch more pop up on your management map soon.”

“More? Aaron, please. We’re stretched thin as it is. I’m already scratching my head trying to figure out how to manage what we have. It’s going to be hard to send manpower out to all these bases.”

“Well, I guess you better get recruiting then,” Araon said. “I can’t exactly just leave the obelisks. That corrupted aether is making people sick.”

“Shit, you’re right,” Julius muttered under his breath. “Fine, I’ll do what we can.”

“Cool. Welp, I’m off then,” Aaron waved. “I’ll check in once I’m done.”

Julius started shouting. “Everyone, double time! We need to organize groups to visit all of the settlements that have reached out to us. And anybody else, for that matter! Hermits, wandering F-grades, it doesn’t matter! We just need manpower! Send out our squads, and tell them to recruit whoever they can. Tell them that our world’s number one ranker needs people!”

“On it, sir!” Shouted a few of Julius’ men as they rushed around, busy at work.

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