Chapter 73: Back to the Present.
Wow, I can't believe just how much this actually hurts.
I felt like an overstuffed turkey ready to explode. And what I felt wasn't really far from the truth. Because now instead of the lines around my body being scars, now they were actively pulsing with blood, causing my armor to be perpetually wet.
There was also the feeling of razor-sharp knives running across those lines across my entire body but I have learned not to care about the pain at this point. Pain wasnt something that affected me much even if I felt it.
I mean, what was it going to do? Kill me?
Good fucking luck pal.
Even I couldn't kill me.
Ignoring the pain though there was a lot that happened it seems like. First of all, I wasn't in the chasm of the abyss anymore, it was just a normal cave now with an empty tomb in the middle. Although it was still dark as all fuck considering I was still inside a deep cavern.
By the way, the darkness literally didn't affect me in the slightest. I saw as clearly as I would in daytime.
Another thing was the pendant in my hand that was repaired. It was pitch black with orange engravings that resembled the darksign. It also gave off an aura of immense power. Just like Manus. Curious I used inspect on it.
'Inspect.'
...
*Cough* *Cough* I said: "I used inspect on it."
...
Where system.
Huh, I think I finally managed to break my system. But just as that thought crossed my mind I got a notification. And a searing soul tearing pain came with it.
<@&%#1&!?!#%@?!#*%#!?>
<ERROR>
<VESSEL INSUFFICIENT: FORCED ASCENSION FORCEFULLY DELYAED>
<ERROR>
<REBOOTING...>
<INITIANTING SYSTEM RESTORATION...>
<ERROR>
<FORCING SYSTEM UPDATE...>
<18.8℅>
<32.3%>
<47.0℅>
<59.2%>
<68.9%>
<ERROR: INSUFFICIENT, IMBALANCE UNABLE TO FINISH UPDATE>
<YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE EMERGENCY QUEST: COMPLETION>
###################################
<COMPLETION>
DESCRIPTION: YOUR VESSEL IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION DUE TO YOUR IMBALANCE CAUSED BY YOUR ATTEMPTED FORCED ASCENSION.
REQUIREMENTS :
-ACQUIRE THE SOUL OF LIGHT
-ACTIVATE THE SOUL OF LIFE
-ACTIVATE THE SOUL OF DEATH
REWARD: SYSTEM RESTORATION, COMPLETION OF THE ########
###################################
'Ah, it seems I have fucked up big time. Even the system is freaking out. I don't have much time left I guess. Whelp, time to tie up some loose ends I guess. Might as well call me the janitor of Lordran with how often I have to do that.'
And I also got a decent chunk of my feelings and ego back(somehow) so that's nice. It's thanks to the dark soul who runs in emotions that I recovered it. Unfortunately, that also means that the nightmare demons have resumed haunting my sleep again.
On the topic of the dark soul, I feel SIGNIFICANTLY stronger than before. Even without access to status, I could clearly feel the power inside of me. The problem was that I could feel it too much. To the point where I felt like a 100ml water bottle holding an entire liter.
I could feel the power of Manus inside me. Violent, powerful, and dark. To test out the power I pointed one of my hands to one of the large boulders in my view and used one of the simpler spells I had created. I could try out the spells Manus himself made but I couldn't really predict their outcomes.
"{Fall}"
*CRASHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
The boulder over 3 meters tall and wide nearly instantly got reduced to rubble along with an area around 10 meters around it, creating a 5-meter deep dent in the cave floor and cracks spreading over 20 meters. All I could formulate in response to that power was.
"Huh, cool."
It seems like my very own darkness spell got its power amplified by at least several dozen times. Then how would dark lance fair?
*BBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM*
Ok, it's around the power of a weak ballistic missile. My dark lord blade dance could extend up to 50 meters and so on and so forth. Since I fused with Manus it seems like I acquired his skill in dark magic as well and considering he was the one who created the concept in the first place all of my dark sorceries seem to be in the max level of advanced. Unfortunately just casting 3 in a row completely drained my reserves.
After waiting a few minutes or so for my meter to charge to full thanks to the passive mana generation from my soul I warped back to the hidden bonfire I made on top of Gwynevere's balcony. And maybe waiting for my arrival Gwynevere was waiting by the railings.
But seeing her just solemnly looking out onto the streets of Andor Honda I got a devious idea as I used muffle and hidden body to completely erase my presence as I skulked up to Gwynevere. And just as I reached her I dispelled my spells and scared her.
"BOO!!!"
"Kyah! John!? When did you get here?" Letting out a girly shriek unbefitting of her usual persona and motherly nature she turned around to face me with a surprised and a slightly bashful expression.
"Mmh, did you miss me?" I said with a hint of teasing in my voice but I was still decently uncomfortable with actual emotions, so expressing them properly was a bit difficult, making me either come off as either cold or hyper with no in-between. But before I could mull further she wrapped her arms around my head and hugged me tight to her bosom(not crushing, just suffocating).
"Of course I did you dummy! Do you know how much you worried me by disappearing like that!?"
And that right there probably describes why I returned for Gwynevere the best. She genuinely cares for me. And on top of that, she helped drag me off of the point of no return by stopping myself from challenging Manus to a suicide battle.
Besides I quite... enjoyed her presence and personality.
It feels weird to say this but I just want her? After fusing with Manus as well as the unification of my human dragon and whatever the fuck was added to the goddam messed hotpot of my body I have gained some weird instincts.
Normally I wouldn't do stuff like this but I have made a decision.
I will be selfish. I have decided to not ignore my own desires and wants. And I have decided that I want Gwynevere to come with me. So to speak(I don't need to breathe I produce more energy than a human will by breathing just by existing) I pulled myself out of her bosom and spoke.
"Now, for what I'm actually here for." I coughed into my hand and tidied up my clothes(armor, I was just going through the motions) under the curious eyes of Gwynevere that said go on.
"So... I am going back to the future today." The moment the words fell out of my mouth she looked like her soul froze over and broke into a million pieces. Before she said anything or in the slight chance, burst into tears I held my hand out in the motion that I would explain further.
"Hmm, uhh how do I say this... Gwynevere."
The seriousness of my words caused her to look me in the eyes.
"I want you-" to come with me, is what I was going to end my sentence with before I was interupted.
*Slap!*
Before I could fully finish my words, and the moment the words I want you left my mouth Gwynevere's hands cusped my cheeks so fast it almost broke the speed barrier and when her hands cusped my cheeks she lifted my face up to face hers, her eyes were dyed in an emotion I didn't quite recognize. But I can only describe it as a mix between affection and LUST.
'I need an adult.'
Then I realized.
'Fuck, I AM an adult.' But my incredibly developed instincts that bordered magic told me that elaborating on my words right now would be an emotional death sentence so I refrained as Gwynevere spoke.
"I have been waiting for this you know, you know it's rude to keep a lady waiting."
!?!?!??!?!?!??!?!??!?!??!?!??!??!?!??!?!??!?! Elaborate, I beg of you.
Before my short-circuited brain could recover Gwynevere pulled me in for a kiss. But unlike Priscilla's short peck, hers was more passionate and deep. But no tongue. I cleverly avoided tongue by kissing back as while I did not disprove of the notion it would be hard to explain the deeper-than-an-inch gashes all over the inside of my mouth that gushed copious amounts of blood to her. After a bit our mouths separated.
And holy fuck Gwynevere was basically glowing. Was I teasing her too much? I genuinely took my teasing as a sort of revenge against the gods that made me endure endless insanity but it seems like she took them as flirting. Regardless I wasn't angry or displeased by the result which made me chuckle hollowly inside.
/How horrible of a piece of shit am I? Accepting the love of another girl before even giving a proper response to the first girl who declared her love for me?/
At least after that Gwynevere seemed a tiny, minuscule bit more reasonable.
"Anyway, as I was saying do you want to go back to the future with me Gwynevere?"
"Yes, I would LOVE to go with you, John." She answered that faster than I expected but it made sense, nobody really needed her here, her family was distant with her and she was treated as more of an idol than a person. Regardless of what she was told, she knew deep down that she was replaceable with her brother's illusions.
"Then buckle up." Grinning I wrapped an arm around her waist.
"{Soul Release: Manus}" "Soul what-"
*BOOOOOOOOM!!!* My right arm extended to a grotesque size as scale-like protrusions covered it along with black tentacles. Although soul release opened all of my wounds with a vengeance it also allowed me full access to Manus' powers which meant I could theoretically rip myself back through time.
I channeled all of my power through my arm as I punched forward with all my might as the floor beneath my feet shattered and the space around me bent like rubber, it felt like my fist was pushing up against flexible glass so I put more power into it, driving it further and further until.
*CRACK!* "EEK!"
My fist ripped a hole in spacetime with the firelink shrine as the anchor unlike the anchor Manus designated which was the pendant. Taking the chance I launched us both through the hole as it closed behind us, Gwynevere shrieking the whole time.
*Thud! 2x*
After a bit of wormhole space travel both of us landed in the darkroot garden once more. Ignoring the disorientated Gwynevere for a bit I stood up and took it all in.
I did it.
I was back in the present and I was alive. The end was finally near.
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