Finale

“That–that shovel it can’t be?! STRIDER! WHY DO YOU HAVE IT!?”

I can feel them, their magic. I can feel it embracing with my own, bringing me to a higher level than before. The highest level any magician has ever gone.

The black electricity grows, engulfing my body again in that galvanized plate armor of pure power. Although this is the power I had against that titan, it feels different somehow. This pure magical power coursing through my very being, feels so loving, so warm.

The shovel changes in the same way as it did before… Growing longer and sharper, becoming more alike to a spear than a tool for digging holes. A spark of blue lightning coursing through the shovel and I, wrapping my arms in coils of high voltage electricity.

“STRIDER! GIVE IT UP, DO YOU REALLY THINK THIS LITTLE UPGRADE WILL SAVE YOU FROM THE WITHERING!?”

How strange, the Demon Lord seems scared. I think this might be the first time I’ve seen him act like this.

“What are you so afraid of? Think you’re going to lose?”

“Preposterous! Me, lose? Hah, forget it… You’re the only loser here. No, not just you, you and your little buddies.”

Off slumped behind me are Lala, Gil, and Dr. Creeks… they’re looking winded but not completely out of it.

“Hey guys… you going to be alright?”

Lala is the first to speak up.

“Us…phew yeah we’ll be just fine… Just worry about that big guy, you get me?”

“Yeah, thanks… again. I’ll beat him, for you guys.”

“Hmph, don’t take all day man…”

Lala, with little strength in his body, crawls towards Gil and props the two of them up against the wall, to watch everything go down.

“Hey Strider, you done over there? I’m finally ready to kill you, for real this time.”

“If I had to fathom a guess as to the reason you're so scared, it has something to do with the shovel, am I right?”

The Demon Lord shifts, slashing his shovel in the air.

“Huh– and so what if it does… that power isn’t one a dumb human like you should wield, it belongs to us Daystars! It belongs to me!”

“Well this dumb human just acquired your prized shovel, and he’s going to dig you a nice deep grave.”

“Haha, we shall see Strider, we shall see.”

As he raises the shovel, I mimic him–

CLASH–

In an instant the two of us have launched into one another, shovels clashing, and sparks flying.

“All this power?! From just three humans no less!”

“Not just humans, they are warriors, and not just that… They are my friends!”

“You humans and your friendship…”

“[Voltaic Arc]!”

With our shovels locked in between us a channel strength through my fist to charge up an ultra powerful punch!

“[Infernal Coating]!”

The Demon Lord matches my blows, with his own channeling of red electricity.

“What–thought you were the only one with more than one spell? My sparks burn–so how does it feel, ready to cry the pain away yet, Strider?”

“Like you’d ever make me cry!”

Channeling magic into my boot I kick his knee, using the shockwave to bounce away and free my shovel. While in mid air I prepare my signature skill, [Thunder Surge] … No my new spell–

“In my new world there will be no need for demons–no need for monsters like you! Fall before my smite as I bury the light! [Heaven Piercer]!

Thunder booms as a barrage of countless bolts of pure black magic form in the air just above my head. My shovel raised up like a guiding arrow–ready to rain down arrows of lightning on the storm’s command.

“Now–Fall!”

The evolved shovel cuts through the air before me, sending what feels like an endless barrage of black arrows zooming at the Demon Lord!

FZZZZZT–

KRAK–

WHOOOMPH–

BOOOOOM–

My body slowly lowers itself to the ground, but through the erupting smoke I can see his armor crackling.

A slash of his power cuts through the smokescreen, revealing the damage done… His armor in some places has been reduced to barely held together scraps, his lightning appears to be trying to mend itself back together but it thins out around the heavily damaged areas.

“Who’s the loser again? That was just one attack by the way.”

The Demon Lord brushes off the dust from his wounded side…

“Urgh–That’s just one attack? Damn it, why did I let it come to this–well here’s one of my attacks… You’ll be able to dodge it. But will they!?”

I knew immediately what the monster meant! He has an attack that can hit the entire battlefield!? Damn it, what is it??

“You humans are always acting so high and mighty–don’t forget where you belong, taste the dirt and enjoy its majesty… Now it's your turn to fall with [Extreme Gravity]!

The Demon Lord slams the bottom of his shovel into the ground creating a bubble of pulling force enveloping me, this room, and even extending outside–as the second tap cuts through the air the bubble of force squishes inward on itself causing everything not set and secure to plummet into the floor.

I’ve known a similar force as to this, when I became the bolt of lightning to strike down Almza… So just barely I can… push myself up…

My eyes shoot forward to see my allies failing to move however, the ceiling breaking down on itself–massive bars of metal falling and stone about to crush them.

…

I-I can’t do it… I can’t make it in time!

Even if I threw my shovel now, my snap would take too long.

This is it.

I failed.

…

As the walls collapse on them all I can do is watch in horror.

All around me the framing of this room is broken down revealing our battlefield to the harsh environment on the outside.

There’s nothing I could have done.

I could never save anyone.

Just myself.

“Hahahahahahahahahaha. HAHAHAHAHA– Look at you, down and defeated, all because a couple of humans were crushed. HAHAHA You’ve lost everything that you’ve loved… Why don’t you just give it up, the shovel I mean… You know the offer still stands, you could join me in my new world Strider?.”

They’re gone, because I couldn’t save them…

I couldn’t save them because I’m weak.

I’m weak because I couldn’t save them.

“Hey Strider? Earth to Strider. Hello–anyone alive in there, has your brain already withered away?”

I failed them.

I failed everyone I cared about.

I failed everyone that cared for me.

“Um hello? Are you alive?”

“YES!”

A response erupts from the spot they died!?

“I am alive! Despite your splittings!”

There’s only a voice, no body to house it. But I know that voice!

“Eryth!?”

“Yeah! That’s me! No need to sound so happy.”

“I thought you were dead!”

“Oh come on King–I’m a doll remember, cutting me in two would just be a mild inconvenience to me.”

“Haha right.”

“Your buddies are alright too, you’ll never guess what I did to save them.”

“You tell me Eryth.”

“Well if I have to, I of course used my [Arx, my unbreakable defense]!”

The yellow glow of her shield expands revealing it beneath the rubble, and as it pushes away the damaged terrain, they are revealed unharmed underneath.

Gil pulls himself to his feet–

“Sorry for worrying you bro! We’ll get out of your hair now! Beat the devil out of him!”

Gil picks up Lala (like a princess) and Dr. Creeks pulls herself up, and together they scramble out as fast as they can muster.

“So I failed to kill them–big whoop. I’ll just kill them as they try to escape!”

He winds up his shovel, but I’m quick to counter moving up close. I deliver a flurry of cuts and digs at his wounded armor.

ZAP–

CRACKLE–

POP–

My electricity jumps from me to his arm ripping away his armor like a plague of destructive energy, enough so to loosen his grip on his shovel sending it clattering to the ground.

“[THUNDER SURGE KICK]!”

Instead of channeling power into the shovel I put every bit of magic I have into a kick to blast him out here, a kick so hard he’ll never fight again!

BOOOOOMM–

Thunder erupts on top of him creating rippling booms echoing across the horizon; launching his electrified backwards on the edge of the world, between this place and the spire of darkness.

Balancing like his life depends on it he stares me down one last time.

And falls into it…

The dark spire consumes his very essence, his very being.

We won?

END CHAPTER 38