The roar from the crowd was so loud that it scattered the clouds!
Sergio, Jamal, and Rayan hugged each other while jumping up and down... a universal reaction shared by the rest of the Earthling Daywalkers and Raiders’ supporters spectating across their Dimensional Sector!
The betting boards, which had been frozen just a second ago, now flashed with bright red "LOST" and "WIN" signs as the numbers went crazy... the winners fell to their knees in joy at such a miraculous recovery, while the losers died standing, their petrified eyes refusing to leave the screen.
"I don’t believe it!" Gamemaster Envy yelled into the microphone. "Look at the screen! Look at the bottom of the abyss! Levi isn’t destined to die here! Not after pulling his faction from the jaws of despair!"
The crowd reached a fever pitch at the sight of the burning green figure sprinting across the rope... Levi flew horizontally over the abyss, his body nothing more than a blur of green light.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
With each combustion leap, he was blasted forward... he looked like a streak of aetheric green fire, zig-zagging through the air with insane speed!
The surviving Daywalkers, who were scattered along the length of the rope, couldn’t be any happier as the green aura got closer... they were worried that Levi wouldn’t make it, but they still had no clue who their captain really was.
Shattered arm to the bone? It was nothing compared to what Levi had gone through in the Nocturnal Ring and his evolutions!
Whoosh!
Under the passionate commentary of Gamemaster Envy and the cheers of the spectators, Levi pierced through the darkness and passed his first ally... Tyrese.
’Let go.’
A single order reached Tyrese’s mind... no explanation, no comforting words. Yet, Tyrese let go without an ounce of hesitation... as he was falling, he pulled out a joint and lit it with a faint, relieved grin.
Instantly, an aetheric arm reached out from Levi’s back like a whip and grabbed him whole... then, he was pulled up while Levi kept charging forward, sending the same order to each Daywalker he passed.
Nurah, Evangeline, or Mira... it didn’t matter who... the instant Levi passed them, they wholeheartedly put their trust in him to pull them to safety.
Each time the aetheric arms grabbed them, it pulled them into a spread-out, controlled cluster behind him... he looked like an aetheric humanoid fox dragging a tail of people!
The moment he got closer to the cliff, he gathered all of his power into his legs for one final burst... with a thunderous explosion of green light, he launched himself off the rope and flew toward the solid rock of the cliffside before the abyss could drag his allies to the bottom.
Thud!! Thud!...
He landed hard, skidding across the dirt in a half-arc before finally coming to a stop, kicking off a massive cloud of dust...
As the dust cleared, Levi stood there, panting, missing an arm, bleeding, and covered in dying green embers... yet still, he lowered his allies gently to the ground.
Immediately after, the clouds parted, and massive green beacons broke through... they took the shape of letters with an immense glow, which drew everyone’s attention.
// The Winner Faction: THE RAIDERS FACTION!
The Winner Raider Squad : HELIODOR’s RAIDERS (Total Points: 280)
The Chosen One : LEVI LARSON! (Total Points: 150)//
"The Raiders have done it!" Envy’s voice boomed across the entire sector. "The underdogs are the new kings! From this day on, no one will ever dare to question the Captain of the Raiders. He is the Chosen One! If it weren’t for him, this game would have been over in the very first rounds!"
The sky started to shake as billions of viewers began to chant the same name over and over.
Levi! Levi! Levi!...
Down in the crater, Levi was showered with cheers while surrounded by his allies... Tyrese, Evangeline, Mira, Nurah, and the rest didn’t show an ounce of envy or greed at the bestowal of the Unique Wish ... even the greediest among them couldn’t help but thank the Solar Deities for having Levi as their captain.
After dealing with Fang, Rain, and the Hexgaze Lurker, all of them knew that this game was meant to be their grave the moment Fang had defeat eight of them alone.
Sure, Jasmine played a huge role, and many of them did great... still, only one man had what it took to clutch this win from the jaws of defeat.
The Chosen One: Levi Larson!
They swiftly rushed in Levi’s direction and scrambled to help him recover from his wounds despite his constant reassurance that he was fine... in the end, he gave in.
Yet, Levi didn’t wave to the crowd or celebrate with his allies after they helped him cover his bony arm... he pushed his spiritual vision to the limit even when his energy was borderline gone. He only stopped after he picked up on Jasmine, Arthur, Jojo, and Shia’s auras nearing the cliff.
Thanks to Shia, they made it over safely, as she was the first to reach the cliff and pulled them up with her sticky tentacles.
When Arthur climbed over the edge, he immediately looked around for Levi. The moment he saw that Levi was safe and being treated, a wide grin spread across his face.
’Big bro... I never stopped believing,’ he said while holding out his hand for a fist pump.
’Me neither...’
Across the gap of the abyss, Levi smiled faintly... he reached out and mirrored the gesture, returning the fist pump while standing many kilometers away.
The Larson brothers had claimed another victory, and this time... it was under the eyes of billions of spectators, who had never heard either of their names.
And now? The name Larson was burned into everyone’s minds. Nobody would ever be able to forget it. How could they, after witnessing the pure insanity and epic scale of this game?
’You think mom and dad will be proud?’ Arthur murmured after picking up on some chants that included their surname.
’I don’t think... I know.’ Levi shared a serene smile, ’Their sons are saving the world... one step at a time.’
Levi knew that after his secret and Jasmine were exposed, Earth was going to receive an insane level of attention from many Noble Houses looking to scout talent for their own benefit.
This might sound like a bad thing, but Levi understood that their planet was already on the Doomed List... if the Saviors had no intentions of investing in saving their planet, then it wouldn’t hurt to have some outsider support.
Since the planet was still benefiting the Saviors, the Noble Houses wouldn’t dare abuse their authority against the natives in the open... after all, the platform’s rules applied to everyone invading a ’listed’ planet, not just the opposite faction.
Still, Levi knew it wouldn’t be all sunshine and rainbows. There were hard days ahead for all of them... his squad included. But it was much better than the alternative.
He couldn’t let the Shadow Corruption eat away their planet while the rest of the universe stayed blind to it.
As Levi expected... before the game had even concluded, Dominic found his dimensional D-mail bombarded with requests for visits from big shots... some of the names were big enough to send a shiver down his spine. Yet, just like Levi... he knew that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help their planet gain favor.
He had read that powerful backgrounds had saved many planets after they were taken under their wing... sure, they would need to swear allegiance, but it was far better than total annihilation.
The only troublesome news about all of this was:
’Arthur, Shia, Jasmine, Nurah...’ Levi’s expression suddenly turned solemn as he ordered, ’Pack up your things... moving forward, the Boundless Expanse will be our home until the day we are strong enough to return and reclaim our planet once and for all.’
’We’re with you, Big bro...’ Arthur said, his grin replaced by a firm nod. ’If that’s what it takes to get stronger, we’re in.’
’You led us through hell today, Levi.’ Nurah smiled, ’We trust you to lead the way.’
’I am down, but where will we stay?’ Shia said, ’I can check with my dad... he can allow us in his territory, it might be small... but it’s a start.’
Before any of them could reply, Jasmine offered with a faint smile, ’You can stay with me... I have inherited some private territory...’
’Some?’
Levi’s brows twitched, knowing that if his friends were to hear its size, they would absolutely lose their minds... As expected, Jasmine was bombarded with a rain of questions about her ’inherited territory, forcing Levi to come to her rescue
’Let’s discuss the details later when Jojo is up.’
Hearing this, Arthur and the girls dropped it and focused on Gamemaster Envy’s concluding remarks... with a final professional send-off, Gamemaster Envy turned off the stream and cleared the sky from the live viewers’ eyes.
In less than a second, peace returned to the Hawling Abyss.
"Now then... are you going to accept your Wishes here or later in private?" Gamemaster Envy asked, but his voice seemed a bit laced with bad intentions.