Chapter 61 - Choice

Tanya was not particularly fond of the current situation.

Not that she had yet to be forewarned about her lover’s latest absurdity to some extent, but her less than glowing view on the matter had only redoubled on itself as of the past several minutes.

For the entirety of her life, she had always believed that it was wise to choose one’s battles. Asukan war philosophy always focussed on the importance of working in groups to ensure minimal losses. It was why every adventuring team always had multiple spiritists, each a specialist of a different element, a healer, and sometimes, if not always, a plain lifeforce warrior for when you needed physical might instead of elemental.

It was why she had been absolutely stunned at even considering an approach where they would be meeting her grandfather head on. That man was greater than her and Lukas combined in sheer power, potential, war experience and treachery. And out there in the open Desert, his power would be magnified, and no, Ezzeron’s own boost would simply not be enough to match him.

But Lukas had gone ahead with a most unconventional approach.

Using kinetomancy to match Mujin head on, and force him to unveil all his cards.

Using her own spiritual resonance with Empress Meynte’s memories to elevate her ability, enough to keep up with her warlord grandfather. Really, it both amazed and terrified her just how well he knew and understood her. There were times when she thought that even Frost, who was part of her, shared a level of intimacy and trust with Lukas than she did with herself.

Then, Lukas had created a nearly inexhaustible source of power to bombard the Warship and cut out Mujin’s source of Eternal Light.

He had used Blob to create a welcome distraction to help Olfric and the others.

And finally, forced Mujin to unleash his kami, and unless she was wrong, and tricked him into destabilizing the elemental and spiritual restraints of his kami, thus threatening his sanity and control in the process.

And all of that, while being a high-powered Level-3 at best, with no kami, unempowered by any goddess, and definitely lacking the support of a King-class being.

But none of that even remotely compared to the serial tectonic detonations on the ground, as thirty-two copies of a metallic Lukas Aguilar popped out into the open. It took her back to the memory of the anomaly’s final guardian, and how utterly invulnerable it had been to every single thing she had thrown at it.

And for once, everyone had the same reaction.

“What the,” began Maude, now out in the open, alongside Elena and a bound Ultaf hidden amidst the sands. “Since when can Aguilar do THAT?”

Tanya couldn’t really bring herself to look away from the impossibility before her. Not only were they all Lukas Aguilars, they were all demonstrating different abilities at the same time. Two of them held a large metallic axe, the one she had seen him forge and use to devastating effect inside the borderland. A third used a pair of blades, just like the ones he used against the dranzithl. One of them was constantly popping in and out of the ground, casually avoiding Mujin’s attacks, while throwing juvenile taunts at his face.

One was flying high in the sky, coated with flames from head to toe, his massive bulging, muscular arms belching fireballs at the protective core in the center of the manifested kami. Yet another was surrounded by massive watery tentacles, reminding her eerily of Olfric’s original kami. One of them was using those motion-negations he had used earlier, and yet three more were using the carquane missiles to devastating effect. Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, Ether, Lifeforce — there was nothing he wasn’t utilizing in his attempts to make openings in Mujin’s stance to exploit, only for the others to attack whatever strength or weaknesses the kami had that suited his preferences at a moment’s notice.

“I….” She said at last. “I have no idea.”

“Oh? So this display is new for you as well.” Despite the usual restrained response on her part, not even Solana could hide the genuine astonishment in her voice. “Truly, that man will never stop pulling miracles out of nowhere.”

“Hahahaha!” laughed Ryu. “That’s one nasty trick. Controlling so many puppets that look like himself all at once? And channeling his powers through them? That takes talent. And balls.”

“No,” said Solana, correcting the kasha. “Not puppets. They are real. Every single one of them is. Much like any of the bestial forms the accursed metal has taken before, all of them are real, and every single one of them is Lukas Aguilar. As is the real one.”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous,” scoffed the kasha. “The real one is right there.”

‘He is,” said Tanya, “and at the same time, he isn’t. Those metal versions — they are not puppets. They might not be the Lukas we know, but they are the closest version of the original. The only difference is that the original one looks and feels human to touch, while the others are metal.”

“But —” said Ryu, confused. “The real one’s —”

‘How do you know which is real, Ryu?” asked Solana. “Because he has bremetan skin? Have you not seen him battle? Even without his healing prowess, even if he were to lose one of his limbs again, that metal would form him one. It is as much a part of his body, as any other organ. All of them are Lukas Aguilar, and yet, they are not. Not because they are faulty, but because one of them considers himself more real than the others.”

“That makes no sense.”

“It isn’t supposed to,” said Solana. “Metal, sand, flesh, crystal — I doubt physical constrictions matter before his skill. The Outsider has a way with souls that make little sense, and yet he deals with them with the same facility as a potter with clay. Alive or dead, metal or flesh, rock, wind, water, or just pure energy, none of that possesses any limitation to the Outsider’s craft. I have seen him breathe life in a dead, frozen puddle of metal with the same ease with which he forged featherglass out of nothing. I do not know how he does it, or what titanic divine being blessed him with such wondrous power, but it is clear that he is clearly, not limited by mortal constraints.”

“Careful, Tanya,” laughed Maude. “You might just have some competition.”

Tanya couldn’t help but scowl at that image. She knew exactly how much Lukas despised Solana for her deeds, and her recent change in perspective towards him would definitely not alter that. But it could potentially make killing Solana in the future far more difficult and problematic, if she decided to throw under Lukas’s banner. Speaking of her, the skinwalker’s lips twisted, but she did not respond to that inane retort.

Keep your inane concerns to yourself, girl, whispered Frost from within. Open your eyes. Look at this spectacle. That soulcrafter, a mortal, and not a god, managed to properly replicate the mysteries of the soul to craft multiple forms of himself. He, quite literally, is a one-man-army.

And… Tanya wondered. That is a bad thing?

Frost snarled within her. He is breaking the rules. The soul reflects upon the body. But that metal form is no Body. It’s a conduit. Of the soulcrafter himself. Of his twisted world. Every single one of those is manifesting his twisted world within them, and wearing the skills, the memories, and the experience of the one you know as Lukas Aguilar, and even if they are killed, the metal will just reform into yet another vessel to express the same soul again.

You sound impressed, thought Tanya.

Impressed. Annoyed. Awed. Horrified. Astonished, and enraged, said Frost. He is spitting on the laws that rule the Universe, and is bypassing every single rule that governs Creation itself.

As her other-self spoke those portentous words, one Lukas extended his hands out and grabbed another from each side. And together, they began to raise tons and tons of sand into the air, fashioning them into blades, crafting a faux imitation of the Death By A Thousand Blades technique.

It simply wasn’t possible to magnify one’s skill like that, but no doubt someone forgot to send him the memo.

She could feel her alter’s frustration. Ever since the day the two of them had been inside Lukas’s inner-world, Frost had been absolutely cranky. It reminded her of Meynte’s own response to Lukas’s powers when she had first witnessed it. She still didn’t understand exactly what it was about his world that rubbed Frost and Meynte the wrong way, but she knew that it might have something to do with Everfrost, and that Lukas had some idea about it, though he hadn’t been too forthcoming about it either.

Focus, Tanya. She told herself. Lukas had blasted him away with kinetomancy. She herself had wounded him with Everfrost. Lukas had destroyed his ship, depleted his reserves of Eternal Light, eliminated his soldiers, and was now destabilizing his bond with his kami with every passing second.

And it was still not enough to stop the abomination that was Mujin Shimizu.

Tanya had been through dozens of mind-scarring and reality warping ordeals over the past decade, and yet even she had to admit that the disaster in front of her was rather impressive.

Truly, her grandfather was a monster of the highest order.

And the Outsider cannot keep him for long.

Tanya narrowed her eyes. He’s —

Winning? Look carefully, girl. Look how every single version of him is fighting like a berserker. Look at the frustrations in their postures, the exhaustion, the lack of ability to outthink an opponent. In dividing himself among thirty-three, he has compromised himself, sacrificed his ability to out-think in exchange for strength and versatility. This isn’t a finishing move, it’s a bulwark.

She was right. The Lukas she knew would never have fought with such sloppiness as she was seeing before her. The metallic forms were being crushed, hacked, torn apart, only to reform into newer instances of themselves, instantly joining the fight like they hadn’t just been destroyed. It was like everytime one of them was destroyed, it passed on its memories, along with its entire existence to the next model that was instantly forged and loaded as part of some great system.

A frightening thing no doubt, but not one that would win against her grandfather. Skill didn’t matter, technique didn’t matter, numbers didn’t matter, not when you had that kind of power in your hands.

“He’s waiting for me…” murmured Tanya. “I — I have to do something. But what? Ezzeron cannot stand up to that beast. And we cannot proceed with Ultaf and the nightmare as long as that beast has Mujin safe within itself. I — what do I do?”

The right question is, whispered Frost. What will you do?

Anything, Tanya was quick to say. Anything to help him. Anything to kill that monster.

Even if it means going against everything you stand for?

Tanya hesitated. What — what do you mean?

There is a way to unleash the power within you, and the Outsider knows this. Meynte stole a fraction of it from the maelstrom of Hvergelmir, imbibing it within herself, becoming a Vessel of the End. From that very moment, it was her destiny to either crush or be crushed. As her descendant, that choice, that inescapable destiny, now rests in your hands. Should you take it, it will change you forever. You might never know a night’s sleep again.

What… kind of power are you talking about?

The world-killing kind, said Frost. The true heart of Everfrost. The essence of what forged me. I am but a reflection of yours, Tanya, one that slumbers within. But should you shatter the mirror, should you awaken the beast within, everything will change. Your life shall no longer remain what it was. Gods and Demons shall come for you. The world itself shall scream for your demise. But you shall have a power unlike any other.

Tanya clenched her fists. All she wanted was to spend the rest of her life in Lukas’s arms. All her wishes, all her vendettas, all her darkest, deepest desires for vengeance, none of that mattered if the alternative was losing Lukas. The Shimizu had lost their Sacred Eight status. Ultaf was as good as dead, and Mujin — Mujin was the last remaining rock that needed to be shattered. If she could just do that, then she could just put her past behind forever.

And then, she’d be free. Free to be with Lukas.

At least, that was the theory.

But can you? Asked Frost. You know what he’s up to. You know what demons haunt his mind. You know what maddening dirges call to him, what twisted abominations fester within that world of his. Your lover might look bremetan, look of flesh and blood, but the truth is, even the skinwalker is more natural than he is. And as time passes, he will lose himself further and further into his inner abyss. Look in front of you, and tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about.

Tanya didn’t. She already knew. She knew the tribulations and the sacrifices Lukas had made — for her, and for his goddess. He had sacrificed himself to keep his word, only to be resurrected using a miracle that he now intended to repeat. He had all but killed himself to do his duty to the svartalfars, and several times more, to save her from the wrath of the Ifrit King. He had suffered through multiple aneurysms, risked life and limb and mutated himself further and further to play against overwhelming odds to defeat the shadow of the Empress Meynte and her faithful lieutenant Solana. She had sensed the kind of danger he had taken upon himself to obliterate the entire Shimizu Peak in one go, and had just seen him perform one dangerous trick after another. Mujin might be the one losing his sanity because of mana-poisoning, but Lukas— he was losing his soul. His individuality. His life.

And instead, becoming more and more monstrous with every single fight.

As if on cue, seven Lukas Aguilars took a Level-4 attack at face-value, only to deflect it to another group of seven that sent it back at Mujin, blasting the massive form into the desert sands. She nearly missed the way five of Lukas’s forms instantly dissolved into metal, only to instantly reform.

Remember your own words, girl, whispered Frost. This is just the beginning. The Outsider will only grow dangerous and terrible. And the things that oppose him will try harder, and he will only be more dangerous and more terrible for it. Do you really believe you, or your desire for normalcy, can hold him back?

For once, Tanya had no answer.

You know why he obliterated the castle. The fools out there believe he did it for you. Or for the terramancer. Or because he was ruthless. Or because it was the right thing to do. But you and I know differently. He did it for one and one purpose only.

To bring his goddess back.

His goddess… said Frost. You cannot tell me you are afraid of her. You know the truth. She forged him from a weakling to this monster within months. Back then, he held back because of his self-righteous beliefs. What principles will hold him back now, when he has slaughtered countless thousands in the name of his goddess?

Tanya bit her lip. What are you asking me to do?

I’m asking… What are you willing to do?

I…. I don’t understand.

You call him a hero. But he is anything but that. He is a true abomination, and he will walk that path, whether by himself, or joined hand in hand with that equally twisted goddess of his. Where will you be, girl? Waiting afar for your hero to return, while you howl in misery, alone until you perish?

No. Tanya thought. I’ll not. I’ll be right with him.

Frost let out a cruel laugh. Such disgusting innocence. He is an abomination, girl. A blight to the world. As is his goddess. Why do you think he rejected you? He knows you cannot walk with him. You do not have the heart to face what he must. You will cry, you will break, you will shatter from within, but never have the heart to become the thing that is your Destiny. And even that fool of a skinwalker tries to unleash it within you, you will become a demon that dies on the edge of the blade of the man she loves.

No, thought Tanya, her eyes now glistening with tears. Her entire body was shaking. I… I refuse. Losing to that goddess is unacceptable, but losing myself is also equally unacceptable. And seeing him walk away from me just to give me a normal life is the most unacceptable of all. No, if I need to embrace the power I’ve despised all my life, the power that is my birthright, the power that will make the world itself despise me, then I will do it.

You will?

I will, thought Tanya without the slightest hesitation. You said Lukas is an abomination. That the Universe rejects me. Well, the world rejected me as well. My family, the Empire, even my father to an extent. Even the yokai, who call me Queen, they just want to use me. And like you said, because of this power within me, even the world itself will grow to hate me. But not Lukas. He… He’s different. I don’t think he even noticed it, but I think Lukas hates this world. He tries to hide it, but I can tell. And maybe… that’s why, maybe that’s why he loves me? The world hates me, so it’s obvious that someone that hates the world will love me. Right?

Maybe she was employing circular logic. Maybe she was just a love-struck fool. Or maybe, she just didn’t want to face the truth. But so what?

So yes, I’ll join him. No matter what it takes. Maybe I’ll succeed where Meynte didn’t. In that case, I’ll become this Anathema. The Vessel of Fimbulwinter upon this world. Someone that can destroy worlds. I don’t care who it is that comes for him — Warlords, Demons, Gods — it doesn’t matter. He is all I have, and all I care for, and I cannot bear the existence of a world that has the audacity to steal him from me.

Even if it makes you into a true demon among demons?

Yes.

Frost stayed silent for a moment, calculating, observing. What happens when you finally strip yourself of your false shell, discard the facade of being bremetan, and reveal what you really are? You are the End. He’s Creation. You are the Predator and he is your Prey. On that day, when you stand in your truest form before him, and profess your love for him… do you think he will accept it? Will he be able to say those words back?

Tanya actually smiled at that, even if it was only a small grin. She had made up her mind.

Yes. In fact, I’m willing to rest everything on that one belief that he will always accept me. Because that is what Lukas is. And even if he doesn’t, my life shall end in his hands. And what does it matter if he is the one that kills me in the end? If anything, I welcome it.

….Truly, you are hopeless beyond reason.

Tanya snorted. It’s alright. You can just call me an idiot. Now if you’re done playing both sides of the argument, mind telling me what this power is?

She could feel the amusement ringing in Frost’s voice. In that case, let me show you what you truly are, Tanya Shimizu. Together, let us bring an end to the Shimizu’s long, sad story.