Leveling up the World

Chapter 927: Fire from the Sky

You think Im afraid of that addict? Jeremy snapped. Simon would prefer to stay on top of this piece of shit than dare change the status quo. And its not even about changing the world. Even back when we met, he had pumped himself with so many Moonstones that he couldnt think straight. Kept on going on and on that cleansing the world, yet was the first to form a pact with the void when things didnt go his way.

Clearly, there was a lot of bad blood between the archbishop and the real Tamin emperor. If there was one thing that the two of them had been honest about was their vision of the world. The archbishop really wanted to keep the world as it was, with some corrections here and there, while Taminor rather Jeremywanted to become a Moon for the sole purpose of changing it.

You really want to kill me. Jeremy changed the topic again, looking at Dallions harpsisword. And with my wifes weapon.

The comment sent shivers down Dallions spine.

Your wife?

You think youre the only one who got married? Jeremy shook his head. All of us go through the love bug. Well, maybe not Simon. The nine-thousand-year-old virgin. A lot of spite was put into the last words. The second empress was the love of my life. For a brief moment, I thought that having a family was possible, but in the end she refused to join me in eternity. And my ungrateful brats set off to destroy everything I had built. Having aether echoes is a lot more practical.

Its different.

No, it isnt. Theres no denying that youve become a pretender, but you remain a kid and a slow learner. You should have noticed that youre the only one who does things in person. Simon has his copyettes and fanatics, the nymph empress has her symbiont echoes, and I have the seven-foot epitome of brilliance that sits on my throne. In the meantime, you rush from place to place like a ping-pong ball, thinking that it actually makes a difference. You saw my echo get killed in that last attack. Did anyone notice?

Slowly, Dallion shook his head.

They can kill it off a thousand times and all I have to do is replace it. But what if I kill you here and now? Who will replace you?

Dallion instantly summoned his aura blade and slashed the air around him. Several layers of aether barriers emerged around him.

So much for trusting your own convictions, Jeremy said, calmer than was normal.

You tried to kill me, Dallion floated several feet up in the air. And Im not the first one.

Dal, until recently, you werent even significant enough to waste my time on. The whole reason you started me when you came here last was because you brought two more otherworlders with you. We attract each other. If Simon could have noticed, the war would have started sooner, and I still had a bit of cleaning to do until then.

Thats why you helped Jiroh leave this world.

Either that or get her killed. Katka failed dramatically in that, but she never was particularly skilled.

Jeremy cast a quick spell, creating a chair of marble to emerge from the ground next to him. In a casual, almost nonchalant fashion, he sat down, not in the least bit concerned with Dallions spells or weapons. After all, the difference in levels wasnt that great, and it remained in the emperors favor.

Say, do you know what caused all this? The man looked around. Its said that this used to be the capital of a rather strong kingdom before my time. Every memory of its existence is now banished, along with everyone that lived here. Thats what Sumon does when one of his saints does anything that doesnt fall within his so-called prophecies.

The emperor reached in the air, where a crystal cup full of bear emerged. It smelled slightly sour, as if someone had tried to recreate a brand from Earth, but never quite managed to do so.

One of my predecessors, he continued. I dont know his name or anything about him, just that he challenged Simon before he was ready for it. He took a sip. Or she, he added. At this point, nothing is certain. The addict made a note to let me know that there had been three saints so far, all of them swaying from their path. If you and your gorgon hadnt stepped in, the great imperial capital would have become something like this.

All the expeditions of the Order were just to find you.

Maybe youre not that slow, after all.

And the Shimmering Circle was meant to find him.

Wrong. I knew exactly where he was. Ive been to the Grand Citadel many times. Their task was to find his source of Moonstones. And partially thanks to you, its no longer an issue.

The Dragon hunt Dallion thought. Not the one that had happened a week ago, but the ones Shimmering Circle had been doing for decades. When Katka had killed the dragon in the eastern forests, leaving it to turn into a dragon shadow, Dallion thought that she wasnt interested in the particular skill gem it had dropped off. The truth was that she wasnt interested in any type of skill gem. Her task was to find Moonstones. The nest up north wasnt just a nest.

One of Simons farms. Hes aware that the Moons disapprove of the practice, but does it anyway. Now that hes cut off, hell start destroying awakening altars.

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No way.

Youre certain? A wicked grin formed on Jeremys face. Hes addicted. Youve used quite a bit of them lately as well, havent you? Tell me that anything can beat the sensationthe power and understanding that they bring. Its like jumping twenty levels. Take enough of them and for a brief moment you almost feel like a Moon.

While the emperor was talking, Dallion played out combat scenarios in his mind. Jeremy was a far greater mage, which meant that hed have to exclusively rely on spark attacks. The greatest issue wasnt the difference in skill or levels, however. It was the complete lack of information regarding the mans true form. The little he had gathered so far was only valid of the aether echo, and while it could be argued that echoes retain some of the qualities of their original, the difference in appearance put that to doubt.

There were so many things Dallion had yet to learn. Ironically, that was also his greatest advantage. As the youngest pretender for the world, he still had plenty of memories from Earth. Simon, Jeremy, Tiallia, even Pan had been in this world so long that they had started acting like the locals. As powerful as their spells, actions, and even technology was, it was just more of the same. At some point in the distant past, it probably had been mind-shattering. Now, all but echoes of that greatness and imagination remained stuck in scrolls within the grand citadel.

Ill make you a deal, Jeremy said. Help me reach the sixth gate and Ill make you my second.

You made a deal with my grandfather, Dallion hissed.

Young Krai?

Dallion felt a mental push. Could it be that the emperor remembered?

He showed so much promise. Jeremy sighed, unsummoning his glass. And threw it all away to chase skirts.

You made him kill your Order.

For once, youre right. Yes, I made him do that, and he agreed. It wouldnt have mattered either way. Sometimes the fastest way to reach the top is to eliminate the competition.

Ill take you down.

Still cant say kill? Jeremy laughed. Thats the problem with you empathsyou go out of your way to handicap yourselves. There isnt a person in this world that can take me down. Least of all you.

Its not about you, its about your domains. The only way for Dallion to succeed would be to go all out from the start, combining spiral spark attacks, magic music attacks, and use every aether echo he had in store. At the very least, that would force the emperor to react and reveal some of his skills.

Ah, one of the Moon fables. Jeremy stood up, the crystal throne sinking into the ground as it did. Does that mean youre breaking our alliance?

Yes. Dallion replied without doubt or hesitation.

So, you really came to kill me?

Several miles away, the ground cracked. Streams of vaporized glass shot up through the cracks before the whole area shattered, allowing for a dragon to rise up. Covered in scales of gold, it resembled a mix between a wyvern and an ancient dragon with an extremely thin neck and prolonged neck. Enormous wings made up for it, glistening with magic. As the creature let out a shrieking roar, seemingly causing the entire mountain to vibrate, thousands of eyes appeared on its wings and body.

Great Dragon Aurum, Dallion thought. He remembered seeing pictures of it while studying at the Academys Learning Hall. It was said to have belonged to emperor Tamin the first. Dallion should have made a note that nowhere was it mentioned what had happened to the creature.

Go right ahead. Jeremy crossed his arms. Youre not the only one with companion familiars.

Before the emperor had finished talking, Dallion burst into two hundred instances and summoned all his clay cylinders. All of his aether echoes emerged, while three rays of destruction simultaneously were unleashed, targeting Jeremy and the dragon.

A bubble of liquid aether surrounded the emperor, having the ray to bounce off and melt a large crater beneath. Jeremy, of course, didnt move, staying in the air as if the ground remained beneath his feet.

The remaining two rays hit the golden dragon, thrusting it back. The lack of rectangles quickly told Dallion that no actual damage had been dealt.

A minuscule window of opportunity was presented. With the dragon gone, Dallion had an opportunity to attack the emperor directly. Mages were, in general, weak when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Jeremys stats were high, but there was a good chance hed become dull throughout the years. Was it worth the risk, though?

Half of Dallions instances swooped down, darting straight at their target. The rest cast spark infused spiral attacks.

Aether swords emerged from the emperors bubble, shooting out in all directions. It was a classic spell, lethal, perfectly executed, though incredibly dated. Adzorg probably had read about it back when he was a novice. That didnt make it any less dangerous, but it confirmed Dallions suspicionthe emperor had lost his imagination.

Hey! Dallion shouted in his realm. I know youre listening! Jeremy is at the Glass Mounts.

All of his instances faded, just for long enough for him to cast a purple ray of light aimed up. Once done, he combat split again.

If you want to get him, hit my beacon! Dall flew away as fast as he could.

Mentally he had readied himself for a forced splitting, but neither the emperor nor the archbishop resorted to that. Instead, one of Dallions instances spotted a series of twinkles in the sky.

Rockets, he thought.

Whatever method the archbishop was using to launch them, it was vastly superior to anything Dallion knew. It wasnt instant teleportation, but it was damned close.

Jeremys dragon reacted. Flying faster than an arrow, it positioned itself between the emperor and the descending rockets, then let out a breath of fire towards the sky.

The higher the flame got, the larger its area became, like a reverse cone.

Rockets hit the fire, busting into majestic balls of light. Unlike the display over the capital, these were considerably closer to the point that the dragon was violently pushed back down. Dallion himself felt the strength of the blast as it pushed him further away.

MODERATE WOUND

GREAT DRAGON AURUMs health has been reduced by 20%

A single purple rectangle flashed in the distance.

More blasts followed, covering the landscape like falling suns as they reduced the Glass Mounts to a crater capable of swallowing cities. The battle of conquest had officially begun. From this moment onwards all four powers were on their own.