Chapter 40: One life for Two Worlds

Niobeorth visibly looked beaten, broken… but not finished. My time as the God of Creation was about to run out, so I seized him and teleported us back to the Grand Hall.

This time, no gods. No powers. Just us two.

Niobeorth staggered upright. His body was blackened, skin charred like cracked charcoal, yet his eyes still burned with fury.

My divine glow flickered out. But before the power faded, I wove one last command into the fabric of this world.

Niobeorth’s lips curled in rage. "I helped this kingdom defeat my father. I carried them to victory. All I wanted was to be treated as one of them, as an equal. Instead, they spat on me, called me monster. And you know what? They weren’t wrong."

He raised a hand, summoning his dark magic
Nothing happened.

Confusion struck him as his palm sparked uselessly. Then the sky itself lit up with a colossal notification.

A new rule has been added.
[The Final Battle: Melee Duel to the Death.
Magic and powers are sealed. Both combatants reduced to 1 HP. One strike decides the victor]

Niobeorth’s eyes widened. He knew who had done this.

I met his glare. "Before, you had power to twisted this world to your will. Now it’s my turn. If you want your power back, you’ll have to kill me… in a fair fight."

His lips curled into a vicious smile.

"Two fighters. Two swords. One hit. One will live and one will fall. No suffering after death."

"Are you insane?" he spat. "You’ve crippled yourself along with me."

"I know," I said, raising my Dangatana in blade form. "But that’s who I am, someone who does the stupidest thing in the most stupidest way… because it’s right."

He began to grin, that evolved into laughter.
He drew his long blade, steel gleaming despite his burnt hand. "So be it. Time to meet your end, Glitchwalker."

"Not today." My grip tightened on the hilt. "Today, I will save everyone—including you."

We stood across from each other, the hall echoing with silence, the world itself holding its breath.

One strike. One decision. The fate of Ashalondaria and Omnikuro balanced on the edge of our swords.

The game began its countdown, ten seconds to decide the fate of everything.

As the numbers fell, my mind drifted back to Mereweyn’s Dream Mind Space, the spell that let her draw me into her thoughts.

She had told me "I’ve known Niobeorth for as long as I can remember. He was once kind, gentle. But no matter what, he cannot be freed by his own magic and his birthright. His father’s blood runs too deep. To strip it away would kill him. I knew, someday, he would give in to that legacy. I tried again and again to stop it—to save him, to save everyone—but I couldn’t. So I beg you, hero… if you must kill him, make it as quick as possible. Spare him from needless pain."

Back then, all I wanted was vengeance. To make Niobeorth suffer for what he’d done. For taking my best friend.

Her plea still echoed inside me. But even now, I wasn’t sure if her words had truly reached me.
Three… two… one.

The world snapped back.

Niobeorth charged, and I met him head-on. Despite being stripped of magic and being weakened by my Magime, he was still fast, skilled, relentless. I dodged, but my counterattack missed, I was off balance. One misstep, and he would end me in a single strike.

I may have underestimated him.
We circled each other, blades raised, searching for the opening that meant victory… or death.

"Even without my magic, you’ll never keep up with me," Niobeorth said, arrogance dripping from every syllable.

The problem was… he was right. Without glitching. Without Magime. Without my rules bent in my favor. He had the advantage.

Everyone watching would think I was a fool. I could have cheated. Debuffed him. Buffed myself. Tilted the scales in my favor as I always had.

But not this time.

I’ve carried the power to bend reality itself, once, I abused it without thought. A scumbag in Onlife, twisting the law of the game to my will. Back then, I never cared. Now… I did.

The rule I set was absolute.

And yet… my glitch still bled through the cracks. Each time our blades met, Niobeorth’s eyes flickered, red, then green, then red again.

There was still someone trapped inside him.

Each clash revealed it, a mixture of rage and bloodlust in one heartbeat, then silent pleading in the next. Kill me… end this…

He is still in there,

With every strike, I saw not only him, but Jarrod, who I failed to save. Ysanthe, who I couldn’t protect. Adrian, who slipped through my hands.

I tightened my grip. My heart sank.

"I’m sorry, Niobeorth…" I have made my decision.

And in that moment, I knew there was a solution.

We stood once more in silence, facing each other across the hall.

I closed my eyes, breathing slowly, letting everything else fade away.

Niobeorth charged. To him, it was a final rush. To me, it was as though time itself had slowed. I remained still, unmoving, unshaken, deep within my thoughts.

I said the following words.
"If someone dares to make the first move… then let it be known—I will make the last."

I opened my eyes.

His blade came for me. With a single step I slipped past it, moving in harmony with the steel, gliding along its edge toward him. Niobeorth regained his stance in an instant and thrust again, aiming to pierce me through.

But then, he stopped. For a heartbeat, I didn’t understand. He had the chance to end me… yet his blade froze.

That was all I needed.

My sword flashed, behind him, down, then rising upward in a single, fluid arc.

And then… stillness.

We stood there, locked in silence.

Until Niobeorth’s body faltered. He collapsed into my shoulder.

I caught him and lowered him gently to the ground, kneeling beside him. His eyes searched mine, his chest rising faintly. The HUD appeared before me: "Winner — Jack Knockout."

"Jack…"
I looked at him.
Niobeorth exhaled one last time. "Thank you," he whispered. His eyes dulled, his soul leaving him with a faint smile.

I looked up. The sky was breaking open, the rain fading, the storm dissolving into sunlight. Through the shattered roof, a golden beam pierced the hall, bathing us both in its warmth.

I closed my eyes, letting the light embrace me.

I was happy, because it was finally over.
I was angry, because there was no other way.
And I was sad, because it began as a game… and ended like a game. But unlike a game, there was no reset. No new save file. No second chance. This was real life.

The decision have been made, I can only walk this path.

I ended Niobeorth’s life.

Through my hand, I felt my powers return, the glitch surging back, making my body going static, the Magime igniting with sparks of data burning my body, without harming myself, a union of fantasy and technology burning across my skin. Mixing together as one.

I raised my hand into the sunlight, its warmth brushing against my skin like a reminder that I was still here. Still alive.

Suddenly, Takayuki’s voice chimed through the HUD.
“Congratulations, Jack. You defeated Niobeorth. You didn’t just save Ashalondaria… you saved Omnikuro too.”

I said nothing.

"Are you alright?" he asked, the edge of concern breaking through. He could hear it—the silence I couldn’t hide.

"Yes… I’m fine."
The words slipped out. A simple answer. A lie to him. A lie to myself.

"I apologize," Takayuki said.

"For what?" I asked, though a part of me already knew.

"The Everett Stone was embedded within Niobeorth. By killing him, you severed the last bridge between our worlds. You will never return."

The truth landed like a blade. But I steadied myself.
"Like I said… I made my choice. Even if you had found a way, how long would it have taken? By then, Niobeorth would’ve been two steps ahead. That’s why I did it."

Takayuki’s voice dropped low.
"You sacrificed yourself for two worlds."

I closed my eyes. That was it. The answer I’d given, the weight I would carry.

And in the silence that followed, a question rose inside me, quiet, unrelenting.

Now that it’s over… what comes next?

What comes after the ending?