Unchosen Champion-Chapter 300: The Underking

Somewhere in the Underlayer, in the company of an unweathered stone pillar, half a dozen arguments welled up from a group of despairing individuals. The column stood like a silent witness, roughly the width and length of a football stadium while they debated amongst themselves. The pillar, with its mana dense atmosphere and the sprawling landscape of unspoiled dirt was indistinguishable from a thousand others that occupied the underground layer. There was nothing special about this one in particular.

For the parties present, the conclusion of the event had come suddenly, accompanied by the earth trembling such that they braced themselves in the shadow of the stone monument. They were still acclimating to the scenario as a whole when it abruptly ended.

They hadn’t decided on a new goal after escaping their previous predicament, let alone a way to achieve it. The quakes at the end of the event reignited the debates that had been ongoing for several days while they assessed the situation.

A few among them saw the underground layer as an opportunity to try and return to homes they had been forced out of. They believed they hadn’t fought hard enough to stay within the safety of settlement territory, and now that they had experienced what the untamed world was like, they dreamed of returning.

Others believed they could utilize the tunnels to reach new places where they could integrate themselves without the challenge of negotiating with the same people who ostracized them in the first place. For them, a fresh start was far more appealing than begging for a second chance among those that had been responsible for their expulsion.

Both sides agreed that surviving without a civilization shard was not their best option and hoped to find a way to get themselves back into tamed territory. However, the largest bloc of exiles refrained from the debates, quietly following the lead of their mistress.

Ultimately, Hai Yun held the most authority to make such decisions on behalf of the group, her attendants somehow still completely loyal to her judgment, but the truth was that she had mentally checked out, completely smothered by the burdens of leadership and survival. Instead of acting as an arbiter for the troupe as she had in the past, she gazed off into the distance, only half listening to what went on around her, as taciturn as the stone column.

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She wasn’t sure if anything they did even mattered anymore. To her, it seemed clear that the assimilation was an exercise in misery. Every option was futile, with adversities designed to eventually overcome the will of all humans. The civilization shards were merely prolonging the experience.

The last leg of their journey had caused them to fall behind in levels, so it felt like the possibility of them affecting change had disappeared. At this point, they really would be seen as nothing but a burden to those they would have offered to help. In spite of their combat experience, thousands of others had easily surpassed them.

She was growing more and more convinced that humans didn’t even deserve to survive. At every turn, they had only made the already apocalyptic hardships more difficult, throwing their kin to the wolves based on arbitrary differences that were hardly relevant to their survival as a whole. There was too much baggage harbored within the souls of humanity.

She shut her eyes for a moment, somehow maintaining her mask of neutrality and wondered if all of their struggles had been a waste of effort. When she opened them again, she watched the hazy flow of mana far off on the horizon. It seemed like an invitation to surrender to the currents of destiny.

“Don’t be stupid!” A voice rose above the rest. “There’s no reason for us to go back unless you intend to stain your blade with their blood.” Akari Kitawa shouted at her older sister, who stoically gazed in the direction of Shinjuku Gardens. The middle sibling was always the noisiest. Her raised voice attracted plenty of attention.

“Calm down, Akari.” Seki Kitawa tried to mediate, having been the one to suggest utilizing the Underlayer to reach yet another settlement. Though he also thought they should leave Shinjuku Gardens behind for good and seek out a new base, he still understood both of their perspectives. “She’s just worried about the people we left behind.”

“Screw ‘em!” Akari responded. “The ones who matter can take care of themselves, the rest are the problem. You heard Miss Hai Yun’s scouts. They threatened to kill them! They drove them away without even listening to a word they had to say. If I go back, it’ll be to teach them a lesson about threats they won’t be able to forget.”

“I know, I know.” Seki agreed, trying to calm the fiery sister as much as he could. “I don’t think we should go back either. Our connection is completely gone at this point.”

“We should go back and at least see how they fared at the end. They might need our help.” Reina finally chimed in, voice not as firm as expected. It seemed like she knew that what she was saying would only invite more conflict.

“You were exiled.” Akari stated coldly. “Let go of some of those responsibilities already.” She proposed, gazing at her sister with an expression filled with pity.

Reina seemed a bit more downcast upon hearing the suggestion, as if she didn’t know what to do without such clear duties. She was someone that took her obligations seriously, diligently pursuing commitments, and always met expectations. With the collapse of civilized society, she had lost her primary lodestone and was sent adrift.

Hai Yun felt for her. She didn’t know what they should do either, but she was finding it harder and harder to bother opposing the flow of the assimilation. Humans would end up at each other's throats no matter where they went. At best, they could look out for each other, but that would only take them so far.

Her weary eyes found the rest of the Kitawa party. The paladin and the gangster shared identical expressions of forlorn indifference. Like her, their morale had seeped out of them. It seemed like among the caravan of ostracized people, only a few other than the three siblings had some hope left in them, and they were mostly the people who had decided on a simpler purpose, much smaller than saving their homelands or the world itself. Hai Yun’s personal retainers were among them, driven to keep her safe, and were the only reason she hadn’t surrendered to the apocalypse just yet.

“Look, the event ended. That means the invaders beneath Shinjuku Gardens have been dealt with, so the people aren’t in any immediate danger.” Seki continued trying to get his sisters on the same page by addressing the eldest.

Reina’s face subtly shifted, like she was unsatisfied with trusting the notifications and wanted to see it for herself. Considering the information that the scouts had brought back, Hai Yun couldn’t blame her. It seemed impossible for the vast armies of invaders to have been defeated in a matter of days unless a natural disaster had occurred, and besides, the humans were equally a threat.

Maybe, before they continued on their journey, Hai Yun could send her scouts back out for their peace of mind. It would only delay them a few more days. It wasn’t like they had any pending appointments.

Reina looked like she would suggest something else, but before the main argument could continue, Irina surprised everyone by snarling like a rabid animal. Everyone quieted, suddenly turning toward the easily forgotten companion of Hai Yun.

Irina was always restrained until it was time for a fight, when she became something else. At the moment, she was facing away from the group, crouched as if she was about to pounce. Dark claws grew from her hands as she prepared to go into a frenzy. Her actions put everyone on high alert.

In the next moment, a pole implanted itself in the dirt, some 20 yards away from the now silenced caravan. Hai Yun’s eyes narrowed, mostly confused by the sudden appearance of a mysterious object.

Whispers of black smoke and ghostly green ether seemed to leak from its surface, and Hai Yun immediately understood Irina’s distaste. There was nothing that girl hated more than the Undead.

Hai Yun squinted in the distance in an effort to trace its trajectory, but her eyes had to keep going farther and farther. At the edge of the horizon, numerous figures had barely appeared. It was enough to form an army, and it was expanding across the entirety of her vision. She found herself moving automatically, mana flowing through her limbs as she stood and faced the next impossible challenge. Whether it would be their last mattered little.

“Prepare yourselves.” Hai Yun directed, impossible to avoid the responsibilities of her position, despite how she had become a shell of herself. It seemed like a decision had been made for them.

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Mists engulfed the pole, demanding her attention away from the horizon before a man appeared. A cloud of thick fog spilled down his form, bouncing on the ground like a liquid before evaporating into the dirt. He was grinning happily, dressed like he had just arrived at the beach rather than a battle. “Hi!” He started, a single hand raised. “If you need- Whoa!”

The unarmored man barely avoided being caught by surprise when Irina sprung into action, viciously counterattacking the potential assault. She had already transformed into the demonic creature that slept inside of her, baring fangs in an oversized jaw, with wicked claws that sought to gut her target.

Hai Yun winced as she prepared herself for the blood and gore that would follow Irina’s attacks, but to her amazement, the girl’s wrist was snatched mid swipe, then she was caught by the throat and lifted off the ground. Her jaws gnashed, audibly snapping in the air, and her free hand’s claws raked the man’s forearm, seeking to break bones. Instead of dismembering him, the vicious nails only left long scrapes that didn’t even bleed. Mists leaked from the wounds instead.

The man’s eyes swept across the caravan while he held the enraged girl like she was a wild animal, as if he was assessing them all, and despite the attack, it was only after he had taken a good look did his expression sour.

“Banshee.” He spoke quietly, while Irina flailed in an effort to free herself from his firm grip, his eyes darkening dangerously. The puppy dog-like excitement he had started with disappeared, and as his words were vocalized, magical armor sprung into existence, formed from more mists. The beach goer suddenly became a warrior with an overwhelmingly bloody presence to match. This man was a conqueror.

“Wait! We can’t!” Seki cried out, the first to properly detect the man’s aura, but it was too late. Mana was flowing throughout the caravan and his sisters were the first to take action.

Akari appeared from the man’s shadow and attempted a series of assassination strikes. The stranger calmly avoided each slash, despite them all coming from behind while he focused on the girl in his grasp. His movements were so subtle, it made it seem like Akari was simply missing, slicing the air centimeters from the man’s skin. A slight lean, a shifting step, a small dip of the shoulder, and he dodged everything while Irina did her best to tear through his armor and eviscerate him with her feet, quickly discovering that it would be impossible.

The sky was darkening when Akari first took action, and everyone except for Hai Yun was already moving. The attendants took defensive positions as Hai Yun delved into her own powers while others sought to support the Kitawa party. The man was severely outnumbered, but he showed absolutely no hesitation in the face of unified opposition.

“I won’t let you Undead have any piece of Earth.” The man ominously declared to Irina, grip tightening enough that her attacks transformed into a desperate effort to escape.

Midnight snuck into the Underlayer, painting the landscape with a deep blue veil. It wasn’t exactly darkness, but only dim ambient light lingered within the imitation of nightfall. Irina’s resistance had already grown feeble.

The domain settled upon the stranger while Akari attempted to distract, though it was Irina’s mere existence that had successfully consumed his attention. A sliver of light cut through the gloom, forming the last lunar phase of the moon, arcing with a shallow curve that sliced through the thick atmosphere with enough power to cleave a mountain top. It was a proven ultimate attack, lethal, even to the most powerful invaders.

Reina Kitawa’s Gaze of the Waning Moon sought to cut the stranger in half, from his shoulder to the ground, but in the moment before he was killed, a round shield appeared in the hand that released Irina’s wrist. He accepted the blow with nothing but solidified mists. Rather than being sliced, he was smashed backwards in a shower of sparks that flashed through the darkness. He released Irina to collapse into the dirt, now motionless, as he was forced to respect the ultimate attack.

The sharp dinging sound echoed across the dirt layer, and the man slid backwards, digging a long trench with his feet, but never losing his balance despite being pushed more than 30 feet away from his initial position. He peered over his shield, staring at Reina with a look that was unexpected. Instead of rage or fear, he admired the blow, despite its intention. He was intrigued.

At the same time, Reina dropped her oversized sword, the reverberation of mana from the blocked attack breaking her grip, cracking the blade, and sending her falling backwards even before the shockwave knocked the weaker members of the caravan to the ground. But even if she hadn’t successfully delivered a fatal blow, she had given her sister an opening.

Blood red droplets were already falling as the deep blue of the domain faded to a foreboding gray. The blood moon had appeared in place of the waning crescent, and Akari was upon the stranger, savagely cutting with her dual blades, one longer than the other, but both shining with ominous crimson.

A dozen cambered petals flourished, forming a bloody flower, but each was easily caught by the shield, despite aiming for vital areas across the intruder’s entire body. Before the first crash had left their ears, the man’s spear manifested in his other hand and he used the end to sweep across Akari’s ankles, bypassing the golden shield that had popped into existence to protect her chest. The sweep flipped her in the air, then as she hovered at the apex of her fall, he smashed the spear down, catching her with the side. The strike landed with enough power to explode the paladin protection and smash her into the dirt before the pull of gravity had any effect.

The domain shattered with Akari’s undeniable defeat and the illumination of the underground flooded the battlefield like a flash of light.

“No! Stop! Stop!” Seki was shouting, but the violence drowned him out, and Akari’s boyfriend was already unleashing his spells while others squinted in the renewed light.

The first shot was one of his high velocity line drives. It streaked across the space, burning with a red fire that left a smoking trail. The attack seemed impossible to dodge, but she had her doubts after seeing how easily Akari’s speed was countered.

To her surprise, the man didn’t dodge it at all, opting to catch the flaming projectile with his bare hand after dropping his shield. He held it, as if demonstrating an ‘out’ before crushing it in his palm. The next dozen curve balls followed impossible paths, whipping from all different directions at angles beyond 60 degrees. All of them simply smashed into the dirt, sending splashes in the man’s wake as he casually strolled to the side, somehow calculating the absurd trajectories while redirecting his focus to someone else.

He had repositioned to target the hidden support among the party, and once he locked eyes with Reina’s fiance, he aimed his spear and threw it directly at the paladin’s chest. The spear shot with such speed, it made the previous fireballs seem sluggish, screaming through the air like a bullet.

All of the Paladin’s emergency defenses went up immediately. First, the Barricade of Light exploded into shards, then, the Aegis of Salvation, the Blessing of Dawn, Greater Holy Barrier, and finally, the Bulwark of Reason all shattered, one after the other, sending shockwaves of divine mana that sent bystanders flying. None managed to slow the spear. The last shield was the one he held in his hand, but compared to the skill generated protection, it was practically decoration. The man was doomed.

But before the physical shield crumpled beneath the missile, the spear stopped, caught by the man who had thrown it as he suddenly teleported to its location, and redirected its path. Instead of hitting the shield, he swung it sideways, and sent the paladin flying with a body blow that undoubtedly crushed his ribs.

At the same time a dozen shield-bearing ghosts leapt from portals of mists, turning the singular warrior into the commander of a squad that had cleared a gap in the heart of their formation. Finally, Hai Yun was ready and she already found her chance.

Her twin dragons erupted from the clearing in the ground, her two fingers pointing upwards as she tried to catch the man by surprise. The snake-like manifestations created a lightning inferno that melted the ghosts away before revealing their elemental wings, but the man stood firm, extending both arms out from his sides and facing the sky, like he was enjoying a pleasant summer shower.

Flames licked his skin and purple lightning jumped across his limbs, arcing between gaps, but he was miraculously unaffected by the extreme magic damage. In fact, he was smiling as he was bathed in deadly attacks. The expression that should have been filled with pain, demonstrated appreciation instead. He was having fun?

At the same time, mists mixed with the smoke of the fires, rising higher and higher as the updraft of her dragons dragged the air upwards and whipped up a storm with their momentum. But to her surprise, the vaporous haze suddenly collapsed, defying the physics of her manifestations.

It was like a stage curtain had fallen, revealing a 300 foot tall hologram of a gorilla, planting its feet with enough force to shake the ground, proving that despite its translucency, it was solid. The ghostly manifestation locked glowing eyes with her before hammering its fists into the ground on either side of its summoner.

The sudden appearance of what Hai Yun could only describe as a mythical essence sent her attendants tumbling to the ground with its aura alone. Smoke and dirt flew in a wave, carrying the helpless people away, clouding the battlefield even further while the firepower of the combatants disturbed the Underlayer. The man stood alone, in the eye of a spiritual storm produced by the mere presence of an apparition, unbothered while the auras pounded the caravan.

She desperately sent her twin dragons spiraling together in the sky, pouring all of her mana into the manifestations and uniting their strength before turning them around to attack from above. They shot across the sky, trailing a whirlwind of black smoke as the fire dragon’s wings burned, highlighted by flashes of purple lightning crackling where her other dragon soared.

Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she fought to keep the dragons formed, in spite of the erosive pure mana in the air. Her fingers were rigid as she carefully guided her manifestations closer together, but the ape leapt toward them, flying through the air and reaching out to snatch them each by the neck.

The dragons were too slow to escape. The giant monster crushed their incorporeal throats, dismissing her ultimate attack with a clamorous roar as it slammed back into the ground and turned toward her, still aggressively standing upright. Hai Yun’s mana fizzled while the ape pounded its enormous chest with thumps that sent even more dirt flying, proudly demonstrating its absolute dominance to its cowering audience.

Hai Yun fell to her knees, letting the shockwaves crash into her. She realized that this was it. The power this man wielded was far too overwhelming. Death had finally caught them.