“Grr! What’s taking so long?! Why is Babel still standing?!”
Valletta was furious. She’d watched the aged adventurers carry out their suicide attack and chalked it up as a petty hindrance at most. However, in spite of that, the monsters still hadn’t succeeded in bringing down the barrier, and it was starting to get on her nerves.
“It doesn’t matter how many idiots they send to their deaths! We have numbers on our side! Now break that shield already!”
Indeed, even if all Orario’s venerable adventurers gave their lives, they couldn’t eliminate more than a small fraction of the monster population.
Even Valletta’s subordinate understood this. Thus, he could only report to his mistress the facts.
“M-ma’am… We’ve spotted a strange ring of light surrounding Central Park. It’s tearing apart any monster that tries to approach!”
“A ring of light? What the hell are you talking about?!” she snapped, before looking to the center of town, whereupon her eyes went wide.
For she witnessed the truth of the scout’s words for herself. There, around Central Park, and amid the surging crimson sprays of monster blood, was a halo of silver and black.
“It’s the Chariot!” the Evils cultist wailed. “Nothing can stop him!”
✦ ✦ ✦
Around and around and around he raced, pulverizing any monster that stood in his way. His legs were wheels. His blood was fire. His vision tunneled to a single point, trapping Allen in a world of absolute speed.
Faster. Faster. Faster.
Tear ’em to shreds when they step too close. Even if you’re movin’ so fast it hurts like hell when you strike.
My fingers are broken. My head is poundin’. My heart won’t stop racin’.
But who cares?
I’m a chariot. Breakin’ rules is what I do.
Those old bastards are out there buyin’ time. I gotta make the most of every last second.
Maybe I’m too worthless to save ya, but I’ll make your sacrifices worth somethin’.
“So give your lives to me, you old dogs!!”
Allen yelled, even as the extreme speed caused his eyeballs to bleed.
“Give ’em to me! Give ’em to him!”
He yelled his heart out, making his purpose known to the old veterans who even now continued to lay down their lives.
“You listenin’ to me, Ottar?! You better beat that asshole!!”
✦ ✦ ✦
The roar of the Chariot, the light of the veterans—all of it protected the battleground at the center of town. It was there that Ottar locked eyes with the conqueror and roared.
“Roaaaaaaaahh!!”
I unleashed my strongest attack. A sword slash that could fell a dragon. But like a conductor waving his baton, the man parried my blow with no effort at all.
He was a monster. Nothing less than a demon whose sole purpose was to fight. He had eaten many things, made their blood and flesh his own, and now he had come for me.
His fiendish fangs could tear out my throat in an instant.
I had given everything I had, and it wasn’t enough. I had surpassed my limits, and it still wasn’t enough.
I howled and heard a cry of war in return. Blood dribbled from the man’s lips. His greedy eyes fell on me, and for the first time, I felt fear.
“Nrrggghhhhhh!!”
I blocked the man’s heavy sword with my own. The steel of my blade cracked, as did the bones in my wrist.
Every one of my techniques had been in vain. As for outwitting the man, I had abandoned that hope long ago. He was my better in every way that mattered.
Defeat drew near. Only one weapon of mine remained.
My willpower. The humiliation that accompanied my constant failure. The fires of rage that burned within me and demanded I bring glory to my goddess’s name. I allowed those emotions to become my strength and poured them into my blade.
““Graaaaaaaaahhh!!””
I was always alone.
I fought for my goddess alone. Sought strength for my goddess alone.
Never once did I seek to learn from others or cooperate with them; instead I fought my battles with only my blade by my side.
I am not proud of that, but nor am I ashamed. I only did what I needed to do.
Because the peak I saw, the one that always lay so far out of reach, it was one I could only climb by myself.
But now…
“You listenin’ to me, Ottar?! You better beat that asshole!!”
For the first time in all these years, my arena of solitude played host to the voice of another.
“Nothin’ but trouble, every last one, yet I wouldn’t change a thing about ’em!!”
For the first time in all these years, I felt touched by the sacrifice of another.
For the first time, I desired victory not for my goddess, or for myself, but for others.
At some point, the power of the one had become the power of the many.
All around me, I heard the clashing of blades. I heard the cries of brave men and women risking their lives. I heard the song sung only here, in the city of heroes.
I heard the voices of all of you here on this earth, and all of you in heaven above. Become a hero. My whole being demanded I answer the call. So long as those voices echo, my bones will never break.
The mantle of hero means nothing to me. I have never cared for fame or glory.
But then, what is this flame that burns in my heart? What is this fire that runs through my veins? Why do your voices stir my very soul?
I do not know.
But I do not need to know.
All I need is for this feeling to empower me—to strike down he who stands before me!!
“Ottar!!” Shakti yelled as the waves of sound from Central Park washed over her.
“Warlord!!” cried Asfi.
“We’re counting on you!” said Falgar as the pair sliced their way through hordes of monsters.
“You can do it!!” screamed Raul, his face still wet from watching the veterans sacrifice themselves.
Hearing the sounds of battle unfold, Ganesha filled his lungs and bellowed. “Never give up!!”
Hermes prayed. “May you reach what you seek.”
Loki watched. “Do it for us.”
Every last god and mortal in the city turned to face that sound and entrusted their prayers to the wind.
And finally, Ottar himself. As he watched the blood drip down Zald’s chin, he turned his thoughts inward and prayed to the one and only object of his unbreakable loyalty.
My lady, please forgive my foolish ways. Today, I fight not just for you—I fight for them!!
I began to chant.
“Silver moon’s mercy and the golden plains. I offer this body to the lord of battle!”
I sang the one song allowed to me.
“Charge bearing the goddess’s will!”
I prepared the most destructive blow available to me.
“Hildis Vini!”
A golden light enveloped my body. It enveloped my sword, my final weapon, transforming it into a blade of radiant light.
The spell did nothing but raise my weapon’s power. Simple, but devastating, and the product of my strength crossed with my magic, was a force that no one could stand against.
Across from me, Zald roared, his eyes wide with fury.
“O Father, forgive me, for I thieve from the plate of the gods! Let my flaming tongue devour! Let my burning fangs consume! Rea Ambrosia!!”
The flames that technique brought forth were surely not of this world. Zald’s weapon was clad in the fires of calamity, and with one swing, those fires spread to every part of our arena.
But none of it mattered. Every fiber of my being had but one purpose—to obliterate the man who stood before me!
The wall of ice had begun to melt and crack from the flames that roiled within it. What crystalline structures remained reflected firelight across the city. Finn stood with one foot planted atop the balustrade of Guild HQ, shouting his message back.
“Don’t stop now, Ottar! Keep going! Surpass him and leave us all behind!!”
From far above, Freya watched as heroic fire fought with golden light. She raised her voice and bequeathed her message below.
“Go forth, Ottar. Bring me victory!!”
This fight would begin and end in a single blow. It would come down to a single instant. Both men flexed their fabled strength and raised their slabs of ungainly steel, their swords of light and fire. Each prepared his mightiest technique and aimed it at the other unstoppable force that stood across from him.
“Roooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!”
His foe was the conqueror and he the untamed beast.
Blades of gold and fire collided.