Chapter 26: Double Cross

"Mizuki...your power isn't physical. Your gift is something even the mighty Slain can't do. You can awaken a SOUL inside of a person just by interacting with them. Every person you've come across now has a SOUL. They might not realize it but they can do so much more now." 

"Like what?" I stood curious but cautious.

"Number one, they have more drive. Haven't you noticed your cat-human girlfriend there? Wasn't she slightly different when you first met her versus now?" I turned to Alna and she just smiled.

"He's not wrong Mizuki...I felt different after I met you. I felt...alive. I never wanted to leave my city before or explore the  world. When I met you, something sparked inside of me...I wanted to see the world and then stop Slain when I saw what he was doing to it." Alna had small tears begin to form but I knew they weren't out of sadness. 

"She isn't wrong...when you came to my hidden mountain home...I was going to just throw you both out. Yet, I felt...a drive form inside of me. The cowardly hero vanished and I felt like I could do something." Mateo said now standing behind me, I felt him slap my back as if saying thanks.

"When I awoke your power...I was filled with joy. I didn't know what it was but I had never felt so much happiness before. I knew it was a power that could save the world." Thalia stood near us all. 

"Guys..." I smiled and felt so happy knowing my power had done that all for them. It was the first time in my life that I felt I really had accomplished something. Not just submitting a data sheet on time or surviving one of my bosses' rants. This felt fulfilling. 

"Your power makes you a threat to us Mizuki...to this world. We can't have you walk around and undo what Slain has done." Slain Two said. He suddenly pulled out a gigantic scythe from no where. 

"You two are really trying to be literal clichés at this point." we all stood ready for an attack.

"End them my friend...I'll give you the honors." Slain said laughing.

"I will my friend...after I do what needs to be done." Suddenly Slain Two threw his scythe towards the true Slain! 

"What!?" Slain created a shield and blocked it but none of us saw it was just a decoy. Slain Two had thrown one at Slain but another one was right behind it and he appeared with it...

"I need them to witness the end of Slain!" Slain Two said and with one fluid motion, hacked off Slain's head...

"Impossible..." those were the last words uttered from the now headless Slain. His body stood for a moment until it landed on the ground loudly. Blood began to pool where his headless corpse lay. 

"What the hell! That was your friend! He created you!" Mateo said angrily. Slain Two just began to laugh...

"None of this makes sense...you could have done that to him ages ago!" I looked at the remaining Slain who just shook his head in disbelief.

"You aren't as smart as I thought Mizuki...did I not just say what power you had? What it does when you interact with someone?" I stood in disbelief...my power...

"I gave him a SOUL..." I stood shocked.

"Yes...yes you did and that made him weaker."

"You planned all of this...literally all of this from day one." 

"Correct. None of you are good listeners. I have never lied to all of you. Maybe to Mateo that one time...nice try by the way thinking I'd fall for that." He must have meant our attempt to see if he was lying.

"Had to try." Mateo shrugged casually. 

"I told you from the beginning. I had everything planned out. Slain was a fool. His world is...flawed. Even I know that but he has been alive for so long thinking all he needed to do was make more and flood this world with new creations to keep it advancing. Slain wasn't a god. Mizuki, you could have felled him yourself honestly. A few strikes from that blade of yours and he would have been left bleeding out." 

"Yet no one has done it before..." Alna said.

"He wasn't lying either...if a person came here without a SOUL, he could implant in them ways to blow them up or vanish into another world. He had that power. A SOUL however, it doesn't let him use his powers correctly. I don't know why but that's the short answer. I lured you all here as a distraction. I needed you to interact with Slain but I knew one of you alone wouldn't be enough. His SOUL was activated just a few minutes ago. I felt it...he probably did too but given his foolish ego, he probably didn't think anything of it. For me though...it was the opening I needed!" 

"Wow...some friend you are." Mateo laughed and we saw Slain Two...I guess now just Slain get extremely angry.

"Friend!? I was made to be a doll! He never treated me as a friend! I was just a means to end his suffering. When he discovered I had that power to move about worlds effortlessly, he didn't thank me or ask me for help. He ordered me to go to world after world after world! I was tired of exploring places." This Slain was not calm and collected like his creator...he was acting like a child.

"We end you and the reign of Slain comes to an end right?" Mateo smacked his club into his hand. 

"End me? Hahaha. You think you have the power to beat me?! Unlike Slain...I know how to fight." Suddenly Slain rushed us with his scythe, his movement was alarmingly quick. Mateo rolled out of the way and Thalia backed up. 

"Thalia...the most useless hero here. I should eliminate you first." Slain said as he went after her. 

"Useless? You should know by now. I have my own tricks." Thalia summoned her wand. 

"Illusion magic won't work on me." Slain continued his assault. 

"Who said I'm using illusion magic. I'm just good at creating distractions." 

"She's not the only one here!" I slashed across the area Slain was about to land at, the slice hit his arm and a large fountain of liquid spewed out. Not blood but dark and unnatural fluid. Maybe due to his creation. 

"Argh...what the hell!?" Slain backed up and I continued my assault. Despite his injury, he blocked my next onslaught of attacks. He wasn't lying. Despite his look and age, this created Slain wasn't without fighting capabilities.

 "You're not just fighting one person, you're fighting us all!" Mateo threw and object at Slain and I jumped back. The device made a beeping noise and then exploded. 

"Dude I was standing right there!!!" I yelled at my friend. 

"I figured you'd jump back relax hero." Mateo and me laughed. 

"Aren't you afraid of me! I'm not a nobody I'm Slain now!"

"No you aren't. You are just a wanna be who really didn't think his plan through. Your first plan was sound. It let you kill Slain and stop him easily enough. Yet, you didn't remember we aren't going to just let you continue on!" Mateo walked towards the injured Slain. 

"I don't usually agree with Mateo but he is correct this time. We are all heroes not just Mizuki."

"Yeah you are. Even that cat girl. Did you know I took your father and your mother from your world?" Alna stopped moving. We all did. 

"What?"

"Hehe yeah. Your father and mother were heroes in your world. I summoned them here too. Your mom, she died her first few years here. A little after having you." Slain was trying to buy time with this revelation and it was working a bit, we were all too stunned to move. Alna wasn't from this world either? She might have been born here but her parents were like us...summoned. 

"That...doesn't matter. I know my parents suffered and now I know who caused our suffering...it was you!!!" Alna began to lunge at Slain and while it looked like her beast form was forming, it was...controlled. Slain was hit by her force and was sliced up rather quickly. 

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Slain screamed as Alna unleashed attack after attack but he wasn't quite finished yet. He kicked Alna off sending her flying back. Thalia rushed over to her side. 

"Bastard..." I rushed forward to keep the momentum up and Mateo I could see creating more of his explosive devices. 

"I won't die here...I won't!!!" Slain suddenly disappeared and left us standing in a now empty room. 

"No! Did he jump to another world!?" Thalia asked as she helped Alna up. 

"We failed." I cursed under my breath. 

"No, no we didn't. We won." Mateo said. 

"How do you figure? Slain escaped." 

"You think I was just standing around listening to that long winded story? I was making something. Hold on." Mateo suddenly materialized yet another strange device. 

"What does that do?" Alna who was back on her feet looked at it with the same curiosity we all had. 

"Since I heard about worlds traveling, I have been trying to find a means to go back to my world one day. I cant do it just yet but I can do this!" Suddenly Mateo clicked a button on his new device and we heard a scream. Slain was back...right where he tried to escape from. 

"HOW!?" Slain was in bad shape and once more was around us. 

"I threw that explosive at you but also threw a tracker of sorts. Part of me assumed you'd try to run given the chance. I summoned you back. I don't know where you went but there's a small device embedded in you now that will let me bring you back over and over again." Mateo smiled wickedly. Slain did indeed try to vanish again but Mateo hit the button and he appeared again. 

"How! Your stupid device is following me through worlds and dimensions!?" Slain cursed as he looked up at us.

"Mizuki...end this!" Mateo screamed. I didn't hesitate, with my sword, a sword bound in mystery, I sliced through the air in a crescent motion. Slain's entire upper torso was cleaved perfectly in half...his mouth agape and lost in confusion.

"Goodbye..." I said as I swung the sword one more time and then sent it away. Slain's body began to crumble and then turned into dust, unlike the movies and anime I've seen, the dust laid there in one spot...like a mound of dirt.

"Did we win?" Alna looked at all of us.

"We won...but we aren't done just yet." I said.

"What do we have left? We just beat the evil guy and his clone, what's left." Mateo asked.

"Come on...we need to save the world next!"