Jake kept observing as Carmen finished her ritual, and as the Desolate Child of Loss was fully destroyed, he better understood why bringing her was a good idea. He hadn’t even known Carmen had a skill like this, which was seemingly tailor-made to kill creatures like the False God. It was a creature Jake had theorized how to kill himself several times but had never found a better answer than just destroying the body of the False God over and over again with the expectation his opponent would die at some point.
Seeing the ritual now, Jake doubted that would even work. There was a certain stubbornness to a False God’s existence. In many instances, they were bound to some totem, or they simply had to fulfill what they were born to do before dying, but Jake had no idea what the conditions for killing the Desolate Child of Loss for good were. He also wasn’t confident he could deal more damage than the Fallen King’s final unique skill. In fact, he was pretty damn sure he couldn’t. And if that hadn’t been able to kill the creature, what hope did Jake realistically have?
Yet Carmen evidently had a way to circumvent all that. The runic ritual seemed to target the very root of the False God’s existence as its faith energy was rapidly being drained and turned into nothingness... no, not into nothingness.
She’s offering it to Valhal and her Patron, Jake realized. All the faith gathered by the Desolate Child of Loss was now nothing more than a gift to the Primordial faction, and as the ritual reached its end, Jake felt Carmen’s aura suddenly spike a bunch as she grinned.
“Three class levels and four in the profession,” she said, turning to look at Jake. “Now I feel like you’re the one who did me a favor by bringing me here and not the other way around.”
“Just a win-win, I guess,” Jake said as he didn’t really focus much on Carmen but stared intently at what remained after the ritual. As the final remnants of the False God faded away, a fragment was revealed, floating in its place.
It looked like a piece of the Fallen King, just as Jake suspected. He wasn’t sure where from, as the color seemed off from what he was used to, but he knew for sure it belonged to the Fallen King... because, to his enormous relief, it carried the aura of the Unique Lifeform.
Using Identify, his hope grew a little bit more.
[Fragment of the Fallen King (Legendary)] – A single fragment and all that remains of what had once been the Unique Lifeform known as the Fallen King. Records and energy of the Fallen King remain within, granting this fragment incredible durability and the ability to enhance certain soul-related abilities when used as a catalyst. Has many alchemical uses, especially when used in any soul-related creations. WARNING: Unknown energies linger within that may lead to unforeseen effects upon use.
Especially that last sentence stood out. Unknown energies could be so many things, and knowing the Fallen King, Jake couldn’t help but see a reality where the Unique Lifeform had managed to save some parts of himself. He also recalled that the King had infused the mask Jake wore with something before heading off and “defeating” the Desolate Child of Loss. He still couldn’t figure out what that something was, and honestly, right now, the more things Jake didn’t understand, the more hopeful he felt.There was just one thing about this fragment that Jake viewed as a problem... it had technically come from the Desolate Child of Loss, which Carmen had slain, meaning it didn’t belong to Jake. However, before he could even say anything, Carmen reached up and took the fragment before instantly tossing it to Jake.
“Yeah, no, I saw that look. I’m not that much of a bitch to take advantage in a situation like this. Oh, and I would be very mad you assumed I would, which you totally weren’t, right?” Carmen said with a threatening smile.
“Such untoward thoughts would never even dare cross my mind,” Jake said with a stoic look as he put away the fragment before smiling. “Thanks. I do owe you one for helping out here today, no matter what. I also hope it won’t be a problem that you helped me fight the Holy Church despite being a part of Valhal.”
“What are you talking about?” Carmen asked, faking a look of utter shock. “I never fought the Holy Church! I was merely informed that a dangerous False God had appeared and promptly went there to face the monstrosity like the true heroine I am! If anything, the Holy Church should be the ones thanking me for having killed a creature that has already destroyed several planets in the galaxy.”
“That is how it will be framed,” Jacob said as he walked forward, gazing out at the nearby land still filled with desolation. “The False God appeared amidst negotiations between the Chosen of the Malefic Viper and the Holy Church, disrupting everything and killing everyone present in the city besides a scarce few. During this slaughter, the Runemaiden was called to help take down the False God for good... everyone besides the four of us dying in the end.”
The Augur looked in thought for a while before looking at Jake. “If it would make you feel better, you can also have the scenario include my death. That would require changing the narrative a bit, though.”
Jake didn’t even bother giving that a response as he frowned. “You’re really just gonna spin it like that? Blame everything on a now-dead entity?”
“Yes,” Jacob nodded, even if he didn’t look super happy about it. “Assuming you are willing to reconsider reopening the negotiation. As of about a minute ago, I’m the highest authority from the Holy Church in the Milky Way Galaxy, and with permission from the Holy Mother, I have been given full decision-making powers.”
“That head priest guy...?”
“Found himself teleported somewhere with a lot of people not that friendly toward him,” Bertram just shrugged. “While the faction within the Church he belonged to was in charge, that didn’t mean other factions didn’t also have some power. Jacob wasn’t a fan, but sometimes, a few heads gotta roll to get bureaucracy moving.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Jake smiled, at least a little impressed that a trap had obviously been laid to take care of that loose end. Thinking about it, there indeed were only the four of them left as witnesses... besides the gods who knew what had truly gone down that day, of course.
“Will the Lodestar Matron be a problem?” Jake asked after a bit.
“No, she’s not that stupid,” Jacob sighed. “She may complain a bit, but nothing that will ever reach the ears of mortals. In fact, this will likely result in her getting taken down a peg by my Patron as the plans of herself and her allies failed spectacularly. I do find it a bit sad that they lose a war they could have never realistically won, but oh well.”
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“Speaking of your Patron, is she gonna be a problem?” Jake followed up. “And did she really sign off on all this bullshit? Because I genuinely thought she knew better, and if she did, that she could at least control her own damn faction.”
“In the eyes of the Holy Mother, this entire sequence of events would lead to the best final outcome. As I said before, the best end the Holy Church could hope for, assuming you defeated Ell’Hakan, would be a peaceful evacuation. Even if we had approached you as an early ally, what would you have given us? A few planets? The Holy Church desire, no, demands expansion. Even if we tried to limit it, the Church’s influence would create challenges down the lines that would eventually lead to our expulsion or something far worse,” Jacob explained with a sigh.
“On the other hand, backing Ell’Hakan, there was confidence the Holy Church would one day rule the Milky Way Galaxy. With Yip of Yore dead, he would turn to the Church and officially become a member, at which point his victory would be our victory. As for you... yeah, no way you would ever give up the Milky Way no matter how much we tried to convince you. Remember that the gods don’t care about short timespans and they view distance as rather relative. The Holy Mother knew that should Ell’Hakan lose and the Milky Way be lost, there still had to be some way for the Holy Church and your faction to coexist... which is where I come in, I guess.”
“So you’re the backup, huh?” Jake said. “You know, despite your negative outlook, I do think there could have been some kind of compromise if you’d simply been straightforward and not actively worked against me.”
“Well, it’s your fault the Holy Mother even approved working directly against you in the first place,” the Augur shrugged, making Jake look at him confused.
“I guess I should clarify... the Holy Mother never thought you would lose. She saw our Tutorial and, from what I heard, a few of your Nevermore exploits. More than that, she knows the Malefic Viper,” Jacob explained. “If the Holy Church had operated with the assumption that you and the Malefic Viper would obviously defeat Yip of Yore and Ell’Hakan, it could have given away the schemes of your Patron. That’s why the Holy Mother allowed the internal faction to run wild despite her knowing how much of a waste it is. Besides, on the off-chance Ell’Hakan did somehow win, she would already have hedged her bet.”
Jake frowned as he considered for a moment. “I had no idea the Holy Mother was also in on the scheming.”
“While I don’t know for sure, I don’t think she was,” Jacob shook his head. “She just actively chose not to hurt the Viper’s chances but inadvertently helped him instead, as if even the largest faction in the multiverse saw it as a real possibility that Yip of Yore could kill the Malefic Viper, it would certainly give the god more confidence. Plus, and this is just my personal interpretation, I also think she viewed this as a chance to see how certain members of the Holy Church would act if given more power than usual. If I’m right, and that is still a big if, I could see her consider yanking back their leashes a bit. While the internal factions in the Holy Church are all legitimately powerful, they are still all below the Holy Mother, for without her, there would be no Holy Church.”
“Have I ever mentioned that I really hate politics? Divine politics just sounds like the worst of it with everyone being immortal and stuff,” Jake sighed, remembering that Villy had also used this entire conflict with Yip of Yore to wipe out those less trustworthy. It wouldn’t be weird if the Holy Mother had done something similar.
“I believe such words have been uttered before by you,” Jacob chuckled.
“Eh, just to check, is it alright that I’m also being told all these things?” Carmen asked, scratching her elbow while looking uncomfortable.
“You’re just hearing the personal theories and ramblings of a defeated member from the Holy Church,” the Augur chuckled. “Truthfully, I don’t know, but you should be able to keep a secret, and if you don’t learn it from me, as a Runemaiden of Valdemar, you’re bound to learn things like this eventually. Your Patron isn’t the most subtle or secretive Primordial.”
“I guess,” Carmen shrugged, letting the two people with slightly similar names that some argued could be easily confused continue their discussion.
“What exactly do hope will happen after all this?” Jake asked, getting back on track.
“As we’ve already established, the Holy Church has lost the battle for the Milky Way Galaxy. With that in mind, I would like to officially surrender as a representative of the Holy Church and discuss the terms,” Jacob answered. “I don’t think you want to start a needless slaughter of the average Holy Church member, and needless to say, It’s also something I want to avoid. So, I hope that, at the very least, we can agree to allow the evacuation of every Holy Church member in the Milky Way Galaxy.”
“Is the Holy Church really willing to invest that many resources in saving mortals?” Jake asked, knowing how pragmatic the faction tended to be.
“See, in this instance, it’s rather lucky that there are so many eyes on the Milky Way Galaxy. If we left them behind, there would be many enemies who would use it against the Church, while should we invest a lot to evacuate everyone properly, it will look incredibly good and show everyone how much we care about every member,” the Augur answered, a bit self-deprecatingly. “Besides, the move won’t even be that far.”
“Oh?” Jake asked. “I assume you mean they will remain in the same universe?”
“Of course,” Jacob nodded. “And quite nearby, too. This is another reason why we wanted this matter settled without there publicly being a lot of bad blood between the Holy Church and the faction you are creating. Sure, the relationship won’t be good, we with the agreement today, there will at least be a precedent that we can be diplomatic, which is pretty needed as even if you push the Holy Church out of this galaxy, we’re still neighbors.”
“So the Holy Church has quite the presence in surrounding galaxies?” Jake asked, wondering if they’d even gotten a strong foothold in the Andro-
“The Andromeda Galaxy has, for all intents and purposes, been wholly taken over by the Holy Church. Even before the Prima Guardian event, it was mostly conquered using the Prima Alliance system, and after the system event, I believe the takeover will be complete,” Jacob explained. “Some other factions do also retain a presence there, but the one officially ruling everything will be the Holy Church, of that there is no doubt.”
“I guess I can’t get rid of you entirely quite yet, huh,” Jake muttered semi-jokingly. “I assume you’re also going?”
“Of course,” Jacob nodded before letting out a sad sigh. “I will miss Earth, but I also know going there would only be cause for trouble.”
“You could always sneak in,” Jake shrugged.
“I have absolutely no stealth skills, am publicly known by many people, and entering without permission will no doubt only lead to even more problems,” Jacob shook his head with a chuckle. “I can see that Miranda has her work cut out for her.”
“She does complain,” Jake confirmed. “Anyway... I think rather than me, discussing the details of the Holy Church’s surrender would be better done with her.”
“I expected as much. I just need us to agree on the basic facts,” the Augur said.
“Sure. I already told you earlier. The Holy Church is to leave the Milky Way Galaxy as soon as possible, and you’ll be banned from the galaxy going forward. Even if we go by your story that the head priest was some traitor who lost his way, you’ll still have proven with this meeting that the Holy Church isn’t a trustworthy faction,” Jake began. “Oh, and until the moment of evacuation, Holy Church members are not to leave for any other planets. All other details you can figure out with Miranda, as you already said.”
“Alright,” Jacob nodded, things being as he expected from the looks of it.
The Augur sighed loudly as he looked toward the sky a moment before speaking again. “I guess there is still one important thing left to do.”
Lifting his hand, a lantern appeared in it. Without any huge fanfare, he channeled energy into it and out came... something. It was wrapped in energy for a brief moment as it exited, but this energy soon dispersed naturally.
Jake intuitively knew it was the end. Without the protection of Jacob, the Truesoul of Ell’Hakan, the Celestial Child, disappeared and returned to the system where it belonged. With that, the Bloodline was gone from the multiverse, and Jake felt a wave of relief knowing it was finally all over.
In what was almost a poetic end, the Desolate and Celestial Child met their ultimate end side by side... so perhaps, in some way, the False God did fulfill its purpose as the two of them were now one with the system.
“Let’s go,” Jake said, not seeing any reason to be any more sentimental than necessary. He had far more important things to do than waste any more mental energy thinking about a dead asshole.