Chapter 35: Jack Vs Talas the Iron Knight

I opened my eyes and found myself adrift in a vast, empty void. Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction. Am I… floating? Don’t tell me that Takayuki killed me?

I couldn’t make sense of it. Then, without warning, a HUD flickered into view before my eyes.

[Do you wish to confirm: The Title Class of the God of Freedom and Creation?]

What is this?
[YES] Or [YES]
Two options appeared, but both of them were Yes.

With no choice, I confirmed it.

Another prompt followed:

[Are you ready to return to Ashalondaria?]
Wait—what? Already?

[YES] Or [YES]
Again, the same trick. Two options, both Yes.

With no other choice, I pressed yes.

A searing light swallowed me whole. Stars and constellations streaked past in a blur, galaxies spinning as if I were being hurled through the fabric of the cosmos. Faster, faster, until a single planet came into view.

Ashalondaria.

The next instant, I was standing inside the Floating Fortress.

Why here? Why am I back in Ashalondaria and in the Floating Fortress, of all places?

Then the HUD reappeared, a volume icon pulsing with a name: Takayuki.

And through it, his voice reached me. He was calling.

"Hello, Jack. Can you hear me?"

"Yes," I answered quickly, still disoriented. "Why did you suddenly send me here without a warning? And what was that all about—I felt like you were turning me into Frankenstein."

Takayuki’s voice corrected me at once. "Frankenstein wasn’t the monster, he was the scientist. And no, I wasn’t experimenting on you—I was coding your avatar."

"Coding… my avatar? What is that supposed to mean? I’m not an NPC," I repeated.

"I’m aware of that, but there’s reason why I did son. Remember, it’s all because of Niobeorth’s influence, I couldn’t just send you to Ashalondaria unprepared. He has absolute control there. He could wipe you out instantly if he wanted—but that would bore him. That’s why he twisted the world into a fantasy game, forcing people to live as NPCs. And he could do the same to you, like he did before, by limiting your capabilities, anything that could do in Onlife was limited in Ashalondaria but to a certain point."

I froze, his words hitting hard. “Well I guess it makes sense, all of our Magime was suddenly locked and some of my special techniques weren’t functioning well.”

"Didn’t you notice before?" Takayuki continued. "Some of your abilities wouldn’t work. That was Niobeorth’s spell—limiting you, locking away most of your potential. What I’ve done is recode your system. Think of it as… an upgrade."

"So you’re saying…"

"You can face Niobeorth."

"That’s great, but what about the others? You sent me here alone. And why at the Flying Fortress instead of Mondunion where Niobeorth is?"

"You’re the only one with the Everett Stone," Takayuki explained. "When I destroyed the cube, every other stone linked to it shattered. Only yours survived. That’s why I could only send you. But don’t worry—I coded you to be an unstoppable force."

“In what way you made me an unstoppable force?”

"Check your items."

I pulled up the HUD. My Dangatana was there, but different. Stronger. Its blade gleamed like it was forged from the hardest steel in existence, black roots twisting along its length like living veins.

"You modified my weapon?" My eyes widened. "This is… insane, in a good way."

"I had data from others to work with," Takayuki replied calmly. "It might not be exactly what you expect, but I assume you’re satisfied."

"More than that."

He didn’t hesitate. "Listen, Jack. I did say before you can face him, however you still cannot confront Niobeorth. Not yet. You have to defeat his five spawns first. That means Talas."

"Alright, fine. But—"

"Remember this," he cut me off. "I coded you so that you can do anything. Think of it like creative mode, or a sandbox without limits. You’ll be unstoppable. But only once you defeat Talas. However this special ability in installed in you isn’t finished yet. Right now, you’re at five percent."

"Five?!" I nearly shouted. "Don’t say it’s going to take—"

"Yes, maybe hours or worst case, even days. It needs energy and time. That’s the cost of rewriting you at this scale, but do not worry I’ll try to find a way to speed up the process."

I clenched my teeth. "Fine."

"Ok Gygaverne, defeat Talas," Takayuki pressed. "When the download reaches one hundred percent, you’ll unlock the power of the God of Freedom and Creation where you can finally face him. You can damage Niobeorth, but you need to wait for the download to be fully assessed."

“You know each time you tell me a good news, you always ruin everything by telling the bad news last. I don’t know if you trying to cheer me up or trying to make things worst.”
Before he could respond, a spear whistled through the air, missing me by inches and embedding itself into the stone. I snapped my head up.

Talas. Still controlling Adrian’s body, staring down at me.

I gripped the Dangatana and fired, but the strike fizzled out like air, useless.

"What the hell?!" I shouted. "You said you upgraded it!"

"I did," Takayuki replied. "But the battle hasn’t started yet."

"What do you mean, hasn’t started? He is already trying to kill me,"

"Niobeorth manipulated the world after I brought everyone back. He knows that at some point you will return. So he forced you to be unable to fight back unless you are in the main room. You have to reach the main stage which is in The Chamber. Only there will Niobeorth allow you to damage Talas. He’s tampering with the rules, forcing the world to play by his design. So stop wasting time and get going!"
I didn’t hesitate. So I immediately bolted forward, weaving through every strike Talas hurled at me, while Takayuki fed me directions in real time.

At last, I burst through the massive chamber doors.

The place looked nothing like the last time I was here.

The chamber was drenched in crimson light, like the whole place had been dipped in Hell’s palette. It felt less like a fortress and more like the stage for a final boss in some Dracula game.

"Jack?"

I looked up. Above me, dozens of cages floated in the air, each holding prisoners. My chest tightened as I recognized their faces, Lady Merewyn, Galtor, Serana, Durgan, the knights Seressia and Caelren, even the hostages Jarrod had saved. All of them trapped, suspended like trophies.

"How did you escape Mondunion?" Serana asked from her cage.

I opened my mouth to answer, then the massive doors shattered inward, not opening but exploding into pieces.

Talas entered. He said nothing, but his face burned with pure bloodlust. Every step he took was deliberate, heavy, his gaze fixed on me with murder.

"What’s his problem?" I muttered, raising my Dangatana.

A shimmering blue barrier instantly sealed off the broken doors, and then, Talas’s health bar appeared before my eyes.

I slipped into a stance. "Good. That means you can take damage."

Talas advanced, head lowered, fists clenched, rage radiating off him. I charged my Magime into the Dangatana and slashed. The strike hit square in his chest, knocking him back. He staggered but stayed standing. His health bar dipped slightly.

"Alright, that was easy," I muttered, "time to go all in."

His body suddenly began to glow. Then came the scream, raw, furious, shaking the chamber. His health bar glitched, his name flickering between symbols. He cursed, thrashed, punched himself like a man losing his mind.

"What the hell is going on? I didn’t do anything yet"

From above, Lady Merewyn shouted, "It’s Adrian! He’s still fighting Talas inside!"

"What? Adrian is still alive?”

"Talas kept him alive to control his body," she explained. "But your presence is helping Adrian resist."

“My presence? So you are confirming that he is still alive?”
Durgan’s voice cut through. "Don’t fool yourself. Adrian’s doomed. The only way forward is to kill him."

"What? No," I snapped. "If Adrian’s still alive, there has to be a way to save him."

I turned to the HUD. "Takayuki! Is there a way I can get inside Talas’s mind? Something-anything?"

Silence for a beat. 
“TAKAYUKI?!”
Then Takayuki’s voice, "Hold your Dangatana. Switch it to gun mode. Aim for his chest."

"What?"

"Adrian’s skin has turned metallic. Fire now—you’ll blow open his chest and expose the core. Then switch back to blade form and drive it into his heart."

My grip tightened. "But that’ll kill Adrian, I asked if there’s another way to kill Talas and save Adrian."

"Listen to me," Takayuki said sharply. "Talas isn’t just a monster with metal parts—he is the core. He latched onto Adrian’s body as his host. If you sever them, Talas will not die. Because without a host, he is practically a ghost."

"So you’re telling me I have to sacrifice Adrian?"

"Either Adrian or someone else. The best option is to kill the host. It’s the only way."

I clenched my teeth. "You coded my body, right? Then maybe I can glitch him out—separate Talas and save Adrian."

"I told you before, only after you kill Talas that you can access your maximum power, and the downloading process is now at 10 percent," Takayuki said. "Niobeorth still has too much control. You’ve broken some of his spells, but you’re nowhere near your full power. Right now, it’s impossible. This is your one chance, kill him or lose everything."

I hated those words. Adrian wasn’t just some stranger, he mattered. To the others. To Katarina.

"Jack," Takayuki pressed urgently. "Do it now! He’s regaining control!"

Talas suddenly stopped clawing at himself. With a roar, he charged. Before I could react, he slammed into me, dragging me to the ground. My Dangatana clattered away. His hands locked around my throat, crushing.

I tried to glitch, but his grip held tight.

"Jack!" Takayuki shouted. "Use your glitching ability—phase through his chest and unleash your Magime directly into his core!"

I hesitated for a moment.
My vision darkened. With no time left, I let my hand distort, breaking into glitching fragments, and shoved it through Talas’s chest.

My fingers closed around something burning, alive, the core itself.

The instant I touched it, my sight went white.