The Final Desperation

"No, this can't be," Ij'gne muttered incoherently at the reflection. "It must be a lie. Yes, another illusion."

But try as he might, Ij'gne couldn't deny the reality before him. Everything pointed to that conclusion, and the truth was as obvious as the midday sun. He is Genji, and Genji is him.

'How is this possible? Is everything I know a lie? Have all my efforts been in vain?'

At this moment, the memories of what happened after the failed investigation came rushing back at him, worsening his headache and weary mind.

From when he first woke up, to Joten forcibly drilling martial arts into his body, to Zarasu manipulating his emotions, to the implanted desire for revenge and power, and finally destroying the barbarians with his own hands—all of that surged through him, overwhelming his thoughts.

He recalled the hellish training he endured, the devastation he left behind, and most importantly, the confiscation of his cloak. The lunatics feared his power after his first display and purposely weakened him, only giving it back when necessary in the form of the holy armament.

'Shit! Just how deep did the brainwashing go?' Ij'gne asked, clenching the side of his face as he endured the assaulting headache. His memories were still foggy, but he knew he needed to escape and regroup with Bruce. That was their only chance of stopping this insanity. Ij'gne's hectic breathing began to subside, and Astros poked at him, asking if he was okay.

"I don't know. My mind is still messed up from everything," he said, "but there's only one course of action now."

Once he fully calmed down, Ij'gne put the mask back on and returned to his previous appearance. Now was not the time to attempt an escape. He needed to lay low, recover his mental state, and plan to retrieve his cloak. He needed to do all this before his enemies caught on to his recovery.

'I don't have much time. My behavior over the past few days has already raised some suspicions. I need to escape fast.'

Fortunately, he still had his other equipment, albeit collecting dust in his storage. The enemies had only taken his cloak since it was the most threatening item in their view. They had overlooked his daggers because they never considered the possibility of him possessing two legacies. He had activated Deadly Severance around the same time, so they didn't notice the subtlety.

They had only dealt with champions, who believed each person had only one legacy. But he wasn't a normal champion; he was a Nightmare. Hence, he could pull off feats that champions couldn't and seize this opportunity for a comeback.

'But first, I need to rest. It's been a long week for me.'

Ij'gne collapsed on the bed and finally surrendered to his exhaustion, enjoying a session without any nightmares. Now that he had accepted his grim reality, his subconscious had no reason to continue tormenting him.

The following morning, Ij'gne continued his days like normal. Yet amidst this act, he searched for an opportune moment to act. After two days of this act, he devised a feasible plan and made his preparations.

Once everything was ready, Ij'gne asked Astros to leave first and made his way to the tree. He performed his duties as usual to avoid raising suspicions, before taking the intricate tunnels beneath the tree. However, Zarasu threw a wrench into his plans when he suddenly showed up at the crossroads.

"What are you doing here, Ij'gne?" Zarasu asked with a gentle smile. "Did you need the holy armament for something?"

Silence. Utter silence. Ij'gne's heart pounded against his chest, and his pores clenched shut, trying to stop any sweat from spilling. He mustn't show any reactions, or Zarasu would see right through him and end this for good.

Ij'gne steadied his emotions and, in his calmest voice, answered, "Oh Father, I was hoping to meet with Marlo for some advice. You know how I've been so out of it in the past few days. I wanted to see if she could give me something to help me sleep."

Ij'gne lied through his teeth, praying Zarasu wouldn't press the issue further. Fortunately, Zarasu accepted the explanation and stepped aside. "Is that so? Then let me accompany you."

Zarasu courteously gestured toward the left tunnel, indicating for Ij'gne to go first. Left with no choice, Ij'gne complied and began to reevaluate his actions.

'I can't go with him. Adding Marlo will only complicate the situation further. I need to act now.' Ij'gne had no intention of abandoning his cloak, as it was his only hope in the upcoming fight. Taking a deep breath, he steeled his mind and approached Zarasu. With each step, his breathing steadied, and his thoughts sharpened. All his focus was on this moment, ready to decide his fate once more.

Suddenly, he burst into action, manifesting his daggers and delivering a deadly slash with his liberation. Zarasu reacted quickly, but he still received a nasty wound on his side. Ij'gne kicked him aside and dashed into the other tunnel.

He charged up Lightning Inspiration and stabbed at the roots, drilling a path downward. The Dance of Death left some teleporting waypoints behind as the surrounding material collapsed. Ij'gne alternated his stabs, carving through the earth like a bullet through mud.

Eventually, he broke into an empty room and spotted his long-lost partner. Ij'gne grabbed it and returned to the surface to confront Zarasu and Marlo. They had realized the severity of the situation and brought out all their strength. Ij'gne dared to say they might even be stronger than the last time they fought, as time had given them more combat experience.

"Why have you done this, Ij'gne? What has caused you to betray our lord like this?" Zarasu asked in a pained tone, trying to invoke guilt within Ij'gne.

However, Ij'gne only sneered in response. "Drop the act, old man. I know you've been manipulating me to do your bidding. You couldn't have annihilated the barbarians without my help."

"Oh, so you found out." Zarasu's face turned cold, his fatherly image replaced by cold indifference. "I don't know how you broke free, but it doesn't matter. You've outlived your usefulness, and it's time to clean the trash."

A part of Ij'gne felt a deep pang from this comment, but he suppressed the heartache. He had already made his choice and couldn't back out now.

Taking a deep breath, Ij'gne surged forward, clashing with his old opponents. Flames and powerful melee attacks tore through the air, unleashing devastation once more. Marlo's flames turned the roots to ash, provoking a pain-filled screech from the tree. Ij'gne immediately linked this sound to the tree's creepy face he'd seen in his dreams and intensified his attacks.

As the battle reached its peak, Ij'gne's shadowy silhouette suddenly replaced him, causing the incoming attacks to miss. Reacting instantly, Zarasu and Marlo turned to see Ij'gne bolting for escape. Despite the fierce fighting, Ij'gne hadn't forgotten his primary goal: to escape, not to engage in a losing battle.

"You think it's that easy?!" Zarasu sneered, grabbing Marlo by the collar and hurling her with all his strength, disregarding the damage from the acceleration. Marlo twisted her body and propelled herself with equal ferocity, catching up to Ij'gne like a rocket. It was a reckless, suicidal move, made without regard for the repercussions, even at the risk of their high priestess's life.

Ij'gne's eyes sharpened as he prepared to strike back when an excruciating pain erupted inside his head. Recognizing this familiar sensation, Ij'gne understood what had just hit him, and desperation swelled within him.

'No! Not like this! I refuse to be mind-controlled again!'

However, the pain subsided as quickly as it had come, allowing Ij'gne to shift his body and complete his attack. His dagger sliced through Marlo's chest just as her flaming shortsword pierced his shoulder, scorching it black.

'What?!? How is he unaffected?!?' Zarasu inwardly cried out in disbelief, his eyes wide with shock.

Ij'gne and Marlo both shared the same question, but only Ij'gne had an answer. At that moment, jumbled memories cleared in Ij'gne's mind as a conversation from the past resurfaced.

"How exactly does Soul Sanctuary determine if an attack is fatal? Like, how broad is the term 'fatal' here? By what standard is an attack considered fatal?"

[Soul Sanctuary activates on your standards, followed by a systematic list of conditions.]

It was the same question Genji had posed before the infiltration, but back then, the memory had cut off before Ij'gne could hear the answer. Now, under the simulation of the tree's attack, this conversation resurfaced.

"What about brainwashing and personality distortions? If I consider those to be lethal, will it still activate?"

[Yes.]

Genji paused for a moment and pondered the possibilities before asking, "Then is there a way to have Soul Sanctuary trigger, but not block the brainwashing? Something like preserving my sense of self in a dormant state while my affected version is in control?'

This question startled Ij'gne as he couldn't understand why his past self even considered this option in the first place. EverRealm also echoed this sentiment when it responded with ellipsis.

[...]

It was as if EverRealm was speechless at his absurd idea.

"Well? Is it possible?" Genji asked again. After a short while, EverRealm gave a warning instead.

[It's not recommended that you take this action. There is a high chance of split personality disorder.]

"I'll take that as a yes. But that's a risk I'm willing to take. By the way, can I adjust the trigger condition so this only happens the first time? If someone tries to influence me afterward, have Soul Sanctuary function normally?"

[Yes...]

"That's good. This gives me some confidence in case things go south."

Ij'gne was in shock when he heard this revelation. In the end, all of his emotions culminated in a single phrase. 'Crazy bastard! He prepared for the possibility of brainwashing and still allowed it to happen. What the fuck!?! What kind of mental patient was I?!?'

Yet despite Ij'gne sentiments, he was in for another round of astonishment, as the memory wasn't over.

"Hey, future me. I don't know how useful this message will be, but I'll leave it anyway. It's important because it's why I'm doing all of this. Make sure you don't kill those two champions. I know it'll be difficult, but I trust you. You're me after all."

With a light chuckle, Genji walked off-screen, and Ij'gne returned to reality, where not even a second had passed.

'I need to keep her alive!' Ij'gne thought, feeling the shortsword buried in his body. 'But he never said anything about crippling her.'

Realizing this, Ij'gne swung his other dagger and severed Marlo's outstretched arm. He then elbowed her aside and ran past her, pulling out the sword in the process. He shot one last look at Zarasu before swapping positions to escape their sight. Afterward, he beelined for a hidden passage through the mountains.

As he ran, Ij'gne took out some potions and tended to his wounds. Once he lost his pursuers, he made his way to the agreed-upon location, picking up the pre-escaped Astros on the way.

"Bruce, where are you?" he yelled as he arrived, undoing his disguise.

A few seconds of silence followed before a certain red horse poked his head out from behind a cliff. Seeing Ij'gne, Bruce released a happy neigh and galloped over. He nuzzled his head against Ij'gne's chest, welcoming him back. Then Bruce suddenly realized that Ij'gne seemed different from how he remembered.

"It's a long story, but I don't have all my memories," Ij'gne explained. "It'll take some time for me to recover them."

Bruce turned to Astros for an explanation, but the ferret simply shrugged and waved his paws, complaining about how Ij'gne had dunked him in cold water for no reason. Bruce nodded in response and accepted Ij'gne's story because he knew Genji would never have done such a thing.

Ij'gne checked the cooldown on his cloak and saw 4 days and 12 hours. That was the amount of time he had before the final clash. He couldn't afford any delays since the world was dying.

The scenes of destruction he'd witnessed along the way only confirmed this truth. If he didn’t stop the tree soon, he would perish along with its inhabitants. To give a numerical representation, these are the current values of the world restrictions:

- Futuristic technologies are weakened by 4% (-34).
- All undead-related abilities are weakened by 12% (-64).
- All curse-related abilities are weakened by 2% (-42).

The world doesn’t have much time left. During this period, Ij'gne tried to recover as many memories as possible. He prioritized his combat techniques since that was the most useful for his current situation.

This wasn't hard to do since Bruce knew all his techniques and could simulate the corresponding memories. Once those were triggered, everything else followed like a waterfall. By the end of the third day, Ij'gne had recovered most of his combat experiences, with only a few insignificant details missing, and he entered a state of enlightenment.

'Life is full of changes. Whether I choose a path of adventure or peace, I will never repeat a day. I've experienced two different lives and their affiliated difficulties, but the destination remains the same. It's time I merge the two and make my last stand. Using Lightning Inspiration as the base, Shadow Flames as the modifier, and Cutting Intent as the amplifier, I shall create a new art that embodies my existence.'

Ij'gne stood up, and his daggers oozed a dangerously oppressive aura. Swirls of wind wrapped around his body to form a cone, and wisps of black flames compressed into a singularity. The waning energy of nature gathered with his physical strength, merging into this four-way agglomeration.

'No, I can incorporate one more technique into it. One for movement and traversal: Flashstep!'

Ij'gne stepped forward and appeared on a distant hill. His arm arced back before launching forward, crashing into the soil like a deadly torpedo. A loud explosion ensued, and the wind blew away the dust, revealing a massive cylindrical hole tearing through the hill.

In comparison, Ij'gne looked tiny, and no rubble remained. Everything had turned to sand and vanished with the wind, creating a mini sandstorm. Ij'gne breathed out heavily and shook his sore arm with a light smile.

'This isn't its max potential. A lot of energy was wasted in the explosion. It will be several times stronger if I can concentrate everything into one point.'

At that moment, Ij'gne gave the newly created technique a fitting name. "Since I used Lightning Mastery as the base, let's call it High Mastery of Lightning. Following this classification, perfection will be the optimal state I previously mentioned."

Thus, Lightning Inspiration: All to Dust was born.

With this addition to his arsenal, Ij'gne felt more confident about the upcoming battle and went back to rest. The next day, as the countdown for Terror Unleashed reached one hour, Ij'gne gave some potions to Bruce, and they set off.

"Remember, keep the single-armed lady alive. Just leave the rest to me," he emphasized for the fifth time, causing Bruce to roll his eyes in exasperation. Ij'gne wanted to repeat the message a few more times but decided against it. Bruce was his former self's companion, so he wouldn't mess up such a task, right?

When they arrived at the mountain range, Ij'gne noticed that the defense line was abandoned. The usual guards had disappeared, allowing them to waltz right in. As they moved past the summit, Ij'gne realized that it wasn't just this area; most of the settlement was deserted.

It was as if everyone had suddenly vanished, leaving an eerie emptiness behind. Ij'gne also noticed that the world tree had recovered from most of its wounds, with only shallow scars remaining from its previous state.

'Did they sacrifice all the villagers to heal the tree? Dammit. They're intent on destroying this world!'

Ij'gne picked up his pace and soon faced a standoff with the remaining fighters of the settlement. Zarasu stood at the forefront with crossed arms, as if awaiting Ij'gne's return. Marlo was nowhere in sight, likely because she was a hindrance without her liberation and missing an arm.

Ij'gne took this opportunity to scan the world tree, finally seeing its stats after so many confrontations.

[Chosen Stat: Dexterity]

[Dexterity surpasses the target's by a decent amount. Detected that the target has a higher rank. Obtaining 68% of the target's information.]

 

[Soul Fraying Demonic Tree]

Health: 76,398/92,625

Nature's Vitality: 1,786/3,000

Con: 57

Str: 48

Dex: 43

Int: 60

Spc: 61

Skills:

- High Lord (Evolving passive): +35,000 health.

- Titanic (Passive): +12,500 health.

- Plant's Rigor (Passive): +50% health, decreased number of fatal points.

- Hardened Bark (Passive): +16 defense.

- World Parasite (Passive): Allows you to burrow into the world's core and drain its energy to grow.

- World Reinforcement (Passive): The world you reside in will be strengthened over time.

- Extraterrestrial (Passive): Can survive in space for a long time.

- Seed Pod (Active): Discard your body and concentrate all your essence into one seed. This seed will be sent out into space until it lands on a habitable planet to sprout.

- Nature's Blessing (Active): Consumes health and energy to provide buffs to a friendly target. The more resources consumed, the stronger the effect.

- Total Hypnosis (Active): Consumes a large amount of energy to forcibly hypnotize a target. The stronger the target's willpower, the more resources will be consumed.

- Soul Flay (Active): Launches an indetectable attack on a target's soul. Ignores physical defenses and bypasses damage resistance skills.

- [Ultimate] Flowering the World Fruit (Active): When you completely devour a world, spend all your excess energy to grow one fruit. This fruit contains half of your peak strength and can grow into a clone. When the clone matures, it can provide power back to the main body and grow another World Fruit. If the main body dies, your consciousness will transfer to the closest clone. The further the distance, the more memories will be lost.

Description: A world calamity on the verge of maturing.

 

[A world calamity has been detected. A bonus mission has been issued.]

[Bonus Mission: Stop the World Calamity]

Description: World Calamities are capable of destroying multiple worlds if left unchecked. The Realms have a strong distaste for them and demand they be killed on sight.

Requirements: Kill the demonic world tree and collect its essence.

Note: Since this mission is linked to your main mission, you cannot avoid it. There are no punishments for failure, but the rewards will drastically decrease if you let its embryo escape.

 

'There's no punishment, but I can't leave if I don't kill it. So either way, I'm stuck in this world unless I solve this issue,' Ij'gne thought.

Redirecting his gaze back to the army, Ij'gne inwardly lamented his situation. 'And to make matters worse, I'm against the last humans in this world. How the frick will civilization recover after this?' But he quickly shelved those thoughts and focused on his adversaries, activating his cloak's liberation.

"Attack!" At this moment, Zarasu unleashed a mighty battle cry, spurring everyone into action.

Suddenly, Ij'gne appeared before Zarasu and unleashed a normal Lightning Inspiration, sending Zarasu flying. Ij'gne's absurd speed startled the surrounding fighters, but they quickly snapped out of their daze and launched a storm of punches. The world tree also supported the barrage with its usual green field, augmenting the power behind the strikes.

However, Ij'gne weaved between them like a snake and rapidly cut them down. Once he created some room, he burst toward the world tree with a fully charged Lightning Inspiration.

Zarasu attempted to intercept him, but Ij'gne bypassed him with Dance of Death. Ij'gne's only target was the tree and nothing else since it was the most threatening being on the battlefield.

Sensing the incoming danger, the tree pulled up its roots and lashed out at Ij'gne. The earth shook like a turning tsunami and the nearby trees collapsed like dominoes. A hail of dirt and roots covered his vision, but Ij'gne easily danced between them and preserved his strike. He leaped onto these earthy tendrils and dashed toward the trunk.

There were times when the tree used its soul attacks, but Ij'gne's enhanced instincts allowed him to dodge these seemingly undetectable assaults. Other times, walls of roots obstructed his path, but he forced his way through with corresponding shots from [Curse Bearer]. Black explosions and the shattering of air sounded behind him as he leaped upward.

Ij'gne pulled his arm back and condensed the energies as much as possible before unleashing everything in a forceful stab. A violent eruption suddenly sounded, blasting fierce air currents in all directions. Amidst this flow, the light scent of wood shavings and sawdust permeated the air, choking the lungs of anyone who breathed it in.

Ij'gne readjusted and dove against the current, sticking close to the tree. Upon contact, he dug his fingers into the bark and scaled upward. After a few kick-offs, he transitioned into a spiral run and cut through the dust cloud.

Seconds later, he stepped into the gaping hole caused by his attack and brought his daggers close to his body. Then he spun on his leg and slashed out a cyclone, severing the connecting point between the two halves.

A harsh creak echoed as the top half began tilting, destroying the fibers that attempted to repair the damage. Ignoring this, Ij'gne pulled his left elbow above his head, pointing his dagger downward. Then he stabbed down, unleashing another All to Dust.

The air boomed like thunder and the wood groaned under his fury. Ij'gne bounced upward from the recoil and sensed a large portion of the trunk falling outward. He somersaulted and ripped apart the surrounding air to descend faster. His daggers gleamed with bright cutting intent as he slashed the writhing roots like falling lightning.

As he neared the ground, Ij'gne spread his cloak and rapidly decelerated. As his feet touched the ground, Zarasu and Marlo charged at him, desperately trying to buy time for their lord. Ij'gne gave Marlo a hard kick, shattering her ribs before slashing out twice, severing her remaining arm and left leg.

Zarasu tried to attack during this period, but a sudden barrier disrupted his momentum. As the barrier shards scattered around him, Ij'gne twirled around and slammed the bottom of his dagger into the side of Zarasu's face. Zarasu stumbled backward from the impact, giving Ij'gne room to stab out a ray of cutting intent.

Zarasu crossed his arms and blocked the stab, but he was sent flying again. At this moment, Bruce zoomed over in liquid form and wrapped around Marlo, regulating her vitality and preventing her from rejoining the fight.

Ij'gne burst toward the remaining stump of the world tree and charged up another Lightning Inspiration. The world tree, now desperate, gathered its tendrils to barricade the way, intending to sacrifice these roots for a momentary delay. However, Ij'gne thwarted this plan by detonating his attack on the blockade, blasting a tunnel forward.

The aftermath of this attack dug into the tree's trunk, carving out a deep crater that exposed a pulsating red core. The tree gathered its strength to eject its core, intending to abandon its body for survival. But Ij'gne had been warned of this outcome and was prepared for it.

The cutting intent suppressing his shadow flames disappeared, causing an inferno to spew across the area. A net had been created and trapped the core inside its body. Ij'gne pulled back his arm for a familiar strike and accelerated beside the core.

"No, don't!" Zarasu's roar sounded from behind, near where Ij'gne had detonated the previous strike.

However, Ij'gne paid no heed to him and stabbed out, shattering the core and killing the tree instantly.

"Bastard!" Zarasu lost his composure and cursed at him. "Ingrate! You learn our arts, and this is how you repay us?!"

Ij'gne turned around and stared into Zarasu's eyes before asking, "Do you really think that accursed tree taught you your martial arts? You should know better than that."

"What are you implying? That I learned it from those filthy barbarians?"

"Did you not? Don't you remember who you were?"

"Stop with the mind games. You have killed my god, and now you desecrate my past? Who do you think you are!?!"

Hearing this response, Ij'gne shook his head and inwardly sighed. "I see. You've completely lost yourself and are beyond saving."

"Who the fuck needs your saving? I'd rather you cut me down as well!" Zarasu roared and charged at him, gathering his strength for a suicidal exchange.

Ij'gne let out a heavy sigh and followed Zarasu's wish, slashing down and delivering a fatal wound across the chest.

“Goodbye, Father. You gave me some of the happiest memories in my life, even if it was all a lie. But it's time we end this ill-fated relationship. From now on, Ij’gne is no more. Only Enigma remains,” Ij'gne murmured his final words and dragged his hand across his face, manifesting his pitch-black mask. With this, Ij'gne relinquished his past and became Genji once more.