Kapitel 167: Finale (1)

Edited by: Kuro and Lille

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When System 225 finished his preparation, he transported everyone to the Command Center.

The Command Center was one large room divided into sections using short walls. All the Systems were divided into those sections. Each section could hold 500 systems.

There were 997 other Systems in the room. They were sitting at their designated desks, staring at the screen in front of them mindlessly. None of them looked like they knew where they were or what they were doing.

In the middle of the Command Center, a man was looking at the giant UniOrb that stood in the core of the room.

He had short blond hair and a bulky stature. Even so, his ocean-blue eyes were looking at the UniOrb with scorn and anguish. He was wearing a black suit that complimented his figure well. No one knew if he noticed System 225 and the others, but he continued to stare at the UniOrb without uttering a word.

He had been staring at the UniOrb for who knows how long, watching the fog that the Villain System had spread move ever so slowly.

The fog from the Villain System only filled a third of the UniOrb.

[System 001.] System 225 called out to him, standing on the other side of the UniOrb.

Grey, Azul, System 505, and Arisa were standing behind System 225, ready to back him up if needed.

[Oh, it's you, System 225. And I see you have also brought System 002 with you.]

Azul was considered to be System 002 as well as God System, but System 001 never called him by his appropriate title.

System 001 didn't even acknowledge Grey, Arisa, or System 505. In his eyes, those extras were not worth his time.

[Still as rude as ever.] System 225 rolled his eyes.

System 001 chuckled. [Rude? How about System 002? I was supposed to be the God System, but he took my place instead. Isn't that rude?]

Azul laughed and sneered. "Took your place? All 10 of us had equal opportunities to become God System, but you didn't even make it to the 13th world."

"The UniOrb had already stated that the first System to complete the 13th world without failing any world would become the God System. I was the first to finish without failing a single world. Was I not the System worthy enough to become the God System?"

[Worthy?! Hah! You were just lucky! The worlds they gave me were significantly harder than what you had to go through.] System 001 stepped away from the UniOrb and looked over at Azul angrily. [I told the UniOrb there was no need to do this test because wasn't I the first System they had recruited? But no, the UniOrb questioned my strength and felt I was unworthy. That's why my worlds were so difficult, to the point that I made a single mistake and it cost me everything!]

Perhaps because System 001 was dwelling on these feelings for so long, he became delusional about what had really happened. Azul had seen not only the missions for each world but also the processes that each System took. In conclusion, all the worlds were equal in terms of difficulty and were quite similar to one another.

"The worlds were all of the same difficulty. I can bring it up right now for you to see."

[Stop lying and stalling for time.] System 001 stopped moving a few feet in front of Azul and System 225. [I know why you are here, but your resistance is futile.]

[All of you should choose your weapons now. No guns though, I don't really like using them. They are loud and obnoxious.]

System 001 brought out a whip, one of his favorite weapons. The whip had thorns on it and could detach in sections to make the whip longer. At the tip of the whip, was a double-edged blade. Though it could not turn into a sword, the whip was still functioning in the sense that it could become larger or smaller depending on what he needed it to do.

Since the weapons were created using their soul's energy, it was easy to call upon them. System 225 brought out two chakrams. They could be used in close combat and ranged combat, acting almost like a boomerang in long-range combat. Azul took out a mace and a shield, just like in the 13th world. As for Grey, he took out a sword, something he was accustomed to using.

Arisa and System 505 were also roped into the combat, so Arisa brought a long and thin wooden staff while System 505 took out two daggers.

System 001 was excited to see all of them bringing out their weapons. Of course, he wasn't going to let them have the advantage. [Since it's not fair to have 1 vs 5, let me also call my reinforcements.]

System 003 to System 010 stood up from their seats and slowly walked over. They were like zombies who were mind-controlled.

The Systems that stood up didn't say anything, but they stood in front of System 001 with weapons in their hands. Swords, daggers, axes, spears, and other weapons were being wielded.

System 001 grinned. [Now this is a fight. I've never really liked guns but I've always enjoyed those worlds with magic and swords. We can have more of an epic showdown this way, don't you think?]

No one replied to him so he scuffed. [Okay, then you all can die.]

At his command, the other systems ran toward System 225 and Azul, completely ignoring Grey, Arisa, and System 505. Azul was able to take on four Systems at once while Grey helped System 225 take on the rest. Even without shields or prior experience of teaming up, Grey and System 225 had a high tactical level of understanding of each other and were able to fight together.

Arisa and System 505 decided to help Azul, doing their best not to injure the Systems. It was a lot more difficult to immobilize and stop someone from fighting than to kill them.

The other Systems were not strong because most of their soul's energy was taken from them to keep the Villain System running. This didn't seem to bother System 001 who watched everyone else fighting.

[I guess I will join in,] System 001 said after watching for a while and feeling this wasn't going anywhere.

He flicked the tip of the whip onto the ground, causing a loud sound that seemed to stop the other Systems from fighting. The controlled Systems jumped back, ready to protect System 001 as he fought.

System 001's aim was Azul, the person he hated the most. He loathed this man with every fiber of his being. Azul was always stronger than him, smarter than him, and overall just better than him at everything. Even when he felt he should have been the God System, Azul took his rightful spot just because he made one small mistake in one of the worlds.

There weren't enough words that could describe how he wanted to take Azul's soul and torture him for thousands of years until he was satisfied. He wanted to make sure that he milked everything that Azul had, wanted to take everything of worth from him, and make sure that his existence was wiped out completely.

The way he used the whip was simple, with no extra movements to make himself look good, but they were all cruel. He, especially, aimed for Azul's face which looked more handsome than his.

Azul kept his focus, making sure that he didn't get hit with that whip with thorns on it. One wrong move and his soul would be unable to heal itself anymore.

Grey and System 225 were able to take the other Systems down and tie them to their chairs. They seemed tired after struggling for a while and slumped forward. The ropes were created by Grey, so they were already extremely powerful.

Arisa and System 505 did their best to help Azul, but they could not get closer to System 001 who used his whip fiercely.

[It seems I took too much energy from the Systems. How unfortunate, but that's okay. I can take all of you on by myself!] System 001 shouted, eyes red with anger.

His fighting pattern became a lot faster and fiercer, trying to take the shield off of Azul. He knew that as long as Azul had that shield, he wouldn't be able to hurt Azul like he wanted to.

Once the other Systems were under control, Grey and System 225 went to help Azul. They told Arisa and System 505 to stand back and guard the other Systems because they didn't have enough soul energy to keep fighting.

Arisa and System 505 accepted this, and stood guard, making sure the other Systems didn't try to do something.

[System 001, why don't you just admit defeat? It's three against one.] System 225 smiled while effortlessly blocking the whip that came his way. [If you admit defeat now and comply, I won't use my trump card.]

[Heh. Your trump card? If you had one, you should have used it already! Stop bluffing and acting like you are so high and mighty.] System 001 jumped back to create some distance.

A smirk went across his face as he straightened himself up.

[Well, I know exactly how to make things go forward. Let's start with you, System 225's little Host.]

All of his attacks became targeted at Grey. He didn't seem to break a sweat as he talked, trying to use his whip to grab onto him.

[You know, Little Host, don't you remember those viruses I sent to you? Why haven't you learned that even if you tried your best to stay strong, deep down you know that you are weak? Don't you remember your trauma from Derek? Your abusive ex-husband who ended up killing you before you became a Host?]

He couldn't help but chuckle. He hated people like Grey the most. Inherently kind. One who always saw the good in people. Despite going through all sorts of adversities, he still found it in his soul to accept other people into his life.

What did he think he was? A hero? An upholder of justice? No, Grey killed in times when it was truly needed, for the good of the people, so how could that really be good? A hypocrite maybe?

He killed people, he let people go, not for others, but for his own sake. That just meant, to him, Grey was weak, two-faced, and a hypocrite.

What a fucking joke.

[Am I wrong? How are you not weak? Don't you hate killing people but kill them in times when it is deemed 'necessary'? Kind? Do you see yourself as kind? Aren't you just the same as everyone else? You don't care about other people truly, but you only care about yourself and how you feel at those times. How about all the people you killed?

[Didn't you think this before? Everyone has family, friends, dreams, and aspirations, so what gives you the right to take that away from people? Doesn't that make you weak? Weak that you can't handle the consequences of your own actions? That you can't think of a more reliable way of helping instead of killing people?]

With every sentence he said, his face began to change into the people Grey had killed leading up to this point. From Dr. Linus who he had to kill because he was experimenting on other humans for his own benefit, to the bandits he killed that tried to kill Zachary's family on the orders of Crown Prince Levi from the time he was a shadow guard. There were also the Gods he killed and even the Demon King he ended up killing in the 13th world.

[You killed so many people.]

Then his face changed to Derek's.

[In the end, I was right. You are worth nothing and no one will ever love you, but me.]

Grey couldn't help but flinch at System 001's last sentence. He knew that these were all just System 001's illusions but somehow, he knew and recognized all of his weaknesses and insecurities.

He already knew that he was constantly contradicting himself. In the first world, he pretended to be pure to get everyone to love him so they would "accidentally" misunderstand him.

In the second world, the person he thought he could trust the most broke his heart into little pieces but gained his trust back up. He misunderstood God System in that world. He also began to show himself a little more.

And each world after that, he became a little more like himself but at the same time, none of it felt right. What kind of person was he? He was someone who forgave people but could also kill people. He was someone who only wanted to be with God System but also cared about other people at the same time.

He knew, deep down inside, that he wasn't the kind person he thought he was. He was full of contradictions that seemed to confuse even himself. Was he kind? Was he heartless? Who was the real him?

No…

[Gotcha,] System 001 happily mumbled, soft enough that almost no one heard him.

Grey's slight hesitation allowed System 001 to act. He aimed at Grey's hand that was holding the sword but Grey was able to move that arm in time and use his other arm to block it. The whip wrapped around his arm, and the thorns stabbed into his flesh, causing him to wince. Any wound was a direct attack on the soul because everyone was in their soul form.

"Grey!" [Grey!] Azul and System 225 shouted at the same time.

System 001 twisted his whip and yanked it downwards so the whip would lock into place. Then he pulled his whip toward him, taking Grey flying toward him.

Grey panicked for only a second before steeling himself. He wasn't a newcomer who could not handle situations like this, he was a veteran Host who went through thousands of years of combat.

In mid-air, Grey seemed to fix the way he was holding his sword and let himself get pulled. He even gripped the thorny whip, ignoring the pain that was radiating throughout his soul.

He positioned the sword to stab System 001 through the heart in a matter of seconds, also stopping his momentum so that he wouldn't crash into System 001 or the floor behind him.

System 001 staggered backward as he didn't see it coming. He thought his whip was enough to stun Grey in his tracks. This was a weapon that could cause damage to the soul even with just a scratch. This crazy fool even dared to grab it with his hands!

He really underestimated Grey.

His grip on the whip loosened completely, allowing Grey to yank the whip out of his hands. He tossed the whip behind him, which Arisa picked up so no one else could touch it.

Grey didn't pull his sword out, he just staggered backward, holding on to his arm that felt like it was going to fall off his shoulder if he moved incorrectly.

"You fucking bastard. You can say whatever you want about me and even question my character but let me tell you this. I am weak, but I am also strong. I can be dumb but also smart. Every world that I've been through has always been a part of who I am as a person. I can be contradictory in every sense of the word but that's just a part of being alive and functioning in a society with morals, beliefs, and emotions. We adapt, we change, we do what we think is right regardless if others agree with that, we kill, we love, we fight, we nurture, and we even forgive but also hate. But this is everyone with a soul.

"There are good people, bad people, morally gray people, and everything in between. Think of me as a morally gray person and never, ever, tell me I will only ever be loved by that bastard. I will make sure you regret putting that man's face on your own."

Azul rushed over to help Grey. He didn't know how to heal a wound from the soul like this, but he just couldn't sit by watching him struggle to keep himself up.

[System 001, your fight is over.] System 225 put away his weapons and pulled out a card that had a picture of the UniOrb on the back.

[I was told to only use this in two situations. One, where you are weakened and are about to perish, or two, if you surrendered yourself, but you didn't so I have to go with the first option.]

System 225 was told to call upon the Deity that ruled over the UniOrb only in these two situations because even if the Deity was in charge of the UniOrb, they were quite fragile. He wouldn't say they were weak, but they were more like a glass cannon, strong until you hit the glass and it shatters into pieces rendering it useless.

[Deity of the UniOrb, hear my call, your subordinate wishes for your help!]

System 001's eyes widened, trying to take the sword out of his chest, but it hurt so badly that he almost passed out. [Don't call their Excellency! I beg of you.]

"Too late. We already gave you your chance." Azul sneered while wrapping Grey's arm with some bandages with the help of Arisa and System 505.

The card that System 225 took out began to glow with a tremendous light that almost blinded everyone in the room. All the Systems at their desks also stopped working, staring at the screens in a daze.

The light was so bright, it encompassed the whole room leaving no area untouched.