“Hello Jon,” the familiar voice of Shamael Of Lemnos entering his ears.

  The sight of the lernaean-spell hydra transformation entering his field of view. Wisps of lie natured and life natured mana floating around the seven-metre-tall beast, stepping out from behind the metaphysical veil of lies that it was obscured behind.

  Shamael Of Lemnos, or the Legionnaire Of Virtuous Pestilence stepped forward, causing deep imprints to appear on the hardened biomass beneath him. Two-frilled neck heads glancing backwards towards Regulus and Raflea for a single moment, while the centre head continued to focus the entirety of its attention on Jon and Jon alone.

  “Don’t engage him in close-quarters. Jon lacks variety in terms of his mid-to-long range offensive options. Regulus should focus on using his Pain Mana Core and Raflea her-.”

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing!?”

  “Shamael!?”

  Jon’s voice roared amidst the sprouting trees and half-rotted flesh. His voice dripping with anger and confusion; brows furrowed, and emotions unchecked as he practically snarled at Shamael, even going so far as to remove the Shapeless Mask Of Thieving Lies from his face.

  His unconcealed face glaring at Shamael, expression twisted as his grip around the Thulian Rainspear tightened so much that it hurt.

  The three heads of the lernaean-spell hydra appearing unmoved at the question, turning one of its heads backwards towards the undyne and nadian.

  “Raflea should continue using her Spell Mana Core and Lust Mana Core to inflict as many debilitating effects as possible in an effort to destroy his incarnations. Nicolai should provide defensive support from the rear and protect Theodore should Jon try and make a move against-.”

  [Thou Art The Monarch Of Spears And Truth].

  A metre-long lance construct whistling past one of Shamael’s heads. Wisps of spear natured spiritual energy brushing past his serpent-frilled neck causing the Legionnaire Of Virtuous Pestilence to pause his words again, focusing the entirety of his attention back on Jon.

  “I asked you a question Shamael?!”

  “What the hell are you doing with ‘him’?!” Jon gestured towards the grinning man sitting atop the Voracious Swarm Mother. The Murder Of Temperance And Humility flashing him an even wider smile, shrugging his shoulders, winking in an overly flamboyant manner.

  “Answer him Shamael. Now that the cats out of the bag, I see no further reason to keep it hidden. Tell Jonathan over here what you have been doing all this time.” Theodore spoke, tapping his fingers against his thigh, pulling on the strings of his Mindless Thread Control.

  Mind natured spiritual energy tightening its grip around Shamael’s Throne Of Temperament Mycelium.

  “Isn’t it obvious Jon?”

  The lernaean-spell hydra took two more steps forward, gleaming claws and shining scale shifting with each minor movement taken. Hydra natured spiritual energy pushing all of his physical capabilities beyond the limitations of the satanas race, enhancing him almost to the point of matching the Princeps Of The Wandering Mutation.

  “I’ve never been on ‘your’ side. Everything that I have ever done has always been to gain your trust, in an effort to bring you right here.”

  “Alone. And with no-one to help you,” Shamael declared, raising his frilled-heads in unison, each one speaking in turn. Although there was but a single unifying personality within Shamael, the sight was slightly off-putting, as though each head possessed its own independent thoughts and characteristics.

  His words causing Jon for the first time in over a year, to completely lose control over his Fragment Of Mind.

  Several icebergs, filled with knowledge, experience, memories and associated ideas and feelings gaining several large cracks, stretching from one length of the construct all the way around in a near-complete loop. His breath hitching, eyes widening as he gazed towards the Legionnaire Of Virtuous Pestilence.

  ‘No… there is no way, right? Shamael… he wouldn’t do-.’

  Knowledge natured and lie natured spiritual energies flowing outwards from their respective Mana Cores; connected to nothing, the mana used to control his Three Seas Of Knowledge dissipating, absorbed into the ambient spiritual energy all around him.

  His grip over the Thulian Rainspear loosening, allowing the summoned weapon construct to clatter onto the ground, half-snapping him out of his reverie.

  Lethe trembling from within his Source, causing ripples to appear throughout his Fragment Of Mind. The Truthful-Scale born from his Memento Source Item, tipping closer and closer towards ‘falsehoods’ and further and further away from the ‘truth.’

  His expanded mental capacity causing his thoughts to grow lightning-fast, watching as Raflea and Regulus both attempt to flank him, activating their fragments while he was distracted.

  ‘Shit!’

  [Blood-Pain Art; Violent-Contusion Curse].

  [Sorrowful Pain Art; Emotion Liquefaction Curse].

  [Spell-Desire Art; Abundant Sin Monolith].

  [Duality Lust Art; Perverted Love Distortion].

  For a split second, the entirety of Jon’s vision was obscured with debilitating effects and system notifications. Fragment Of Incarnation and Fragment Of Avaritia working in tandem to transfer the effects of Regulus’ and Raflea’s abilities away from his source of lifeforce, generating dozens of buffing effects in an instant.

  His foot shifting and stamping down on the blunted-end of Luin, flipping the summoned construct back upwards as he channelled its spell effect through his Spear Mana Core.

  Slashing outwards in a wide arc, carving a neon-pink beam of light through the space directly in front of him. Despite the Legionnaire Of Virtuous Pestilence standing right in front of him, Jon ignored Shamael and focused the effects of the Thulian Spellspear on the Son Of Wolves And Hunger.

  Watching as lance-shaped constructs congealed from the lingering spear mana in the air, shooting forward after exactly seven seconds.

  Regulus, who had transformed back into his regular appearance, rushed to activate his [Ghost Invocation Art; Wraith-Phantom Barrier] only to find it swapped out with Raflea’s [With Thou In Hand, Immortals Shall Birth The Heavens]. Unable to react swift enough in time to perform another oath, the undyne could do nothing but watch as a dozen pink-coloured lances inched closer and closer towards his-.

  [Protective Fungi Art; Rebounding Spore Shield].

  A spiritual, mushroom-shaped construct blooming from the ground directly beneath him, growing more than ten-metres tall and five-metres wide and enveloping the Son Of Wolves And Hunger. The familiar sight of Shamael’s Fragment Of Shield appearing around Regulus caused Jon’s eyes to widen, very much aware of the effects of the Knight-Ranked ability.

  ‘Fragment Of Retaliation!’

  The manifested mushroom-shield expanding in size at its absorbed the lance-constructs launched towards it. Although Jon knew the maximum threshold that the rebounding spore shield could withstand, he did not have enough time to react before the Fragment Of Shield exploded outwards, filling the innermost chamber of the Hive-Womb Capital with thousands of fingernail-sized spores.

  Most brushing against the ground harmlessly, even going so far as landing on Theodore, Raflea and Nicolai without even so much as affecting their manifested incarnations or avatars.

  Jon and his towering shield barriers on the other hand-.

  [Spore Detonation Curse]: Inflicts a continuous fungi-natured damage-over-time effect. Fungi natured spiritual energy divides itself continuously, detonating upon reaching the maximum number of divisions. Additional stacks have an additive effect.

  [Rebounding Mycelium Curse]: Reduces resistances towards fungi-natured damages, afflictions and debuffs. Additional stacks have an additive effect.

  Although his two Archetype Twinleaf and Archetype Treasured-Avarice transferred the aforementioned debuffs away from him, the sheer number of effects that had started to stack in his Fragment Of Avaritia had almost reached the three-digit-threshold.

  Lifeforce expended in large clumps with each passing second. The once bright orange glow of the Archetype Treasured Avarice turning pale and dull as the lifeforce stored within started crumble and decay under the sheer number of debilitating effects. His darting towards the lernaean-spell hydra, grimacing as blood-coloured veins started pulsating across its verdant-scaled form.

  [Ours Is The Blood That Rots The Flesh And Soul].

  [Regrets Of A Blood-Soaked Dream].

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Rot natured and blood natured spiritual energies flowing through his half-hydra transformation, enhancing all of his physical characteristics even further as he started charging towards him. His seven-metre-tall form leaning downwards and hunching over, adopting a quadrupedal-position, tail swishing, carving deep chunks of biomass out of the ground beneath it.

  Each one of Shamael’s heads opening its serpent-esque mouths, all reciting different chants and activating different abilities. Rot Mana Core, Hydra Mana Core and Curse Mana Core overflowing with spiritual energy.

  [Explosive Rot Art; Rapid-Decay Bullets].

  [Malignant Curse Arts; Purple Haze, Violet Murder].

  [Piercing Hydra Art; Thunderous-Hydra Spear].

  Yellow-iris gleaming, flashing with wisps of mind natured spiritual energy.

  “I’ll relish in the moment when my fangs pierced through that mask of yours!” Truthful-Scales shifting closer and closer towards ‘falsehood’ in response to his words, “You think you’re better than everyone because you got lucky with some abilities!? You’re nothing! Nothing but a child hiding behind the fa?ade of a man!”

  Jon gritting his teeth, retreating backwards as a barrage of rotting bullets brushed the sleeve of his Spirit-Protection Shirt, avoiding the thunderous-hydra spear in the process. Wood spiritual vein surging, towering tree barriers sprouting up in the space between himself and Shamael.

  Helel and [Light Bringer] continuing to launch his own barrage of spear-constructs towards Raflea and Regulus hoping to reduce some of the pressure that he was currently facing. His reserves of spear natured spiritual energy dropping further and further with each passing moment causing him to grit his teeth knowing the consequences of his Fragment Of Superbia.

  ‘I need to finish this now! But how the hell am I supposed to do that when I’m fighting five Knights all at once!?’

  ‘I cannot defeat Shamael without killing him outright. He might have betrayed me but if he truly did such a thing, then why…’

  Jon parried a scorching beam of light natured spiritual energy, dismissing Luin and switching his summoned weapon to the Spear Of Cedarwood Transformations.

  ‘Why would his words contain falsehoods if he really did betray me?!’

  Seir-Perpetual Heart and Murmur-Arhat Marrow surging with a violent amount of ice natured mana. His physical enhancements strengthened twice fold through the effects of [Helel] and his Mortal Title turned his figure into little more than a flickering afterimage as he sprinted away from the charging lernaean-spell hydra.

  His gazed firmly locked onto the Murder Of Temperance And Humility and activating his Fragment Of Annihilation without so much as a second thought. Ice spiritual vein surging in response to this activation, allowing Jon to forgo the chant for his frozen end arts.

  Concepts of ‘annihilation’ and ‘cataclysm’ causing a certain blood-acerodon tyrant to stir, half-glancing in the direction where Theodore stood. The Quiet Death Of Light And Virtue observing the movements of the Archon Of Reigning Dragons, taking note of her abilities, alongside their limitations and activation requirements.

  Although he was sure that Theodore would be able to survive even a Fragment Of Annihilation or a Fragment Of Obliteration with both Raflea and Nicola beside him, the one known as ‘Jonathan Randall Guilliman’ was one of the most talented Knights he had ever seen.

  Both in this lifetime and his previous.

  ‘If I can just eliminate Theodore, then I’m sure that Shamael will go back to normal!’

  [Frozen End Art; Ice Mountain Annihilation, White Sea Cataclysm].

  A bone-chilling sphere of chaotic ice natured spiritual energy accumulated in the palm of his hand, growing larger and larger as more mana gathered within the Spell construct. Without hesitating for even so much as a single moment, Jon hurled the ice natured construct in the direction of his fellow human, ignoring the activated abilities of the Vessel Of The Metallic Mountain.

  [Twofold Metal Art; Wall Of Brass Thorns].

  [Imperial Mountain Art; Shifting Earth Upheaval].

  [Spiritual Ward Art; Lawful Intruder Rejection].

  [World-Shield Art; Imperial Shadow Barrier].

  Argenteum; Silver-Stream Liquid Cloth swirling around his chest and face, congealing into a scale-mail armour that mimicked the defensive properties of vermitons and Shamael’s half-hydra transformation.

  The Decadent Princess Of Beautiful Luxuria activating her own defensive abilities but-.

  “Shamael!? What the hell are you doing here!?”

  Eyes widening as the Imaginary Princess Of The Round Table entered the innermost chamber of the Hive-Womb Capital.

  Break.

  “Shamael!? What the hell are you doing here!?”

  Jon almost whipped his head back in shock, momentarily ignoring his Fragment Of Annihilation. Minerva-Infiltration Eyes and [Bestial Intuition] alerting him to the approaching presence of a Sixth-Initiated Mortal. One whose voice and intonation he was painfully familiar towards.

  Eyes widening as he watched Avahni step into the innermost chamber of the Hive-Womb Capital. The green-haired woman turning the focus of her attention straight towards him, her own eyes widening as she watched Jon release his Fragment Of Annihilation.

  The three-foot-wide sphere of chaotic ice mana hurling towards the figures of Theodore and Nicolai. The latter having activated almost half-a-dozen different abilities, each layered atop one another in an effort to halt the effects of the approaching, white-coloured cataclysm.

  The bright, blue eyes of the Murder Of Temperance And Humility observing the green-haired woman, breath hitching as the corners of his Eris-Thieving Grin curved upwards.

  The chamber engulfed in a pure, unblemished white seconds later.

  Despite Avahni almost instinctively wanting to summon Xochitl or Let Setanta, the lutin felt wood natured spiritual energy bloom within the ground around her feet, saplings sprouting and growing into enormous trees in the time that it took an uninitiated mortal to breathe.

  Her Asherah-Shamrock Hair flowing backwards a freezing gust of cold air brushed past her. Having seen the effects of Jon’s Fragment Of Annihilation once before, Avahni was extremely familiar with his frozen end arts, knowing that he had integrated a Fragment Of Cataclysm into it, enhancing its destructive potential and expanding its area-of-effect in the process.

  Borrowing the effects of Titus Claudis’ [Fire Chevalier] Aura, Avahni enveloped herself in a searingly, hot haze of fire natured spiritual energy. Diminishing the cold that brushed against her skin the lutin felt her Astrape-Lightning Nerves flare up as she noticed a figure appear behind her.

  “Jon! What’s going on!? What are you doing here with Regulus and Raflea!? Are you and Shamael all here to fight over the-.”

  “Avahni! Get the hell away from him!” The Imaginary Princess Of The Round Table turning her head around almost a full one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, hearing Jon’s voice echo out towards her from across the chamber.

  The familiar sight of Shamael’s Fragment Of Lernaean-Metamorphosis charging at him, each mouth muttering the beginnings of different chants. Blood natured spiritual energy bursting from his flesh and veins, filling the Legionnaire Of Virtuous Pestilence with an unrelenting and monstrous physical strength.

  Although his speed was subpar in comparison to Jon’s, Regulus and his Fragment Of Maera-Metamorphosis more than made up for it.

  [Rotting Wolf Art; Noxious Venom-Claws].

  [Ours Is The Blood That Summons Ghosts And Apparitions].

  [Nostalgia From The Eternal Darkness].

  Fragments Of Marrow and Fragments Of Heart surging within Regulus as he pushed his physical speed and agility beyond anything that his Knight-Ranked flesh was capable of withstanding. Despite possessing physical limitations beyond that of ordinary undynes, Knights were not infallible.

  Leaping at Jon from behind, Regulus slashed out, claws overflowing with pain natured spiritual energy. The two half-transformed Knights placing themselves between himself and Avahni, forcing his Hades-Draconian Shadow and Carcosa-Fear Horrors to manifest themselves beneath him.

  “Fuck off!”

  Fear-mutation charging towards the lernaean-spell hydra, while shadow-mutation forcing itself upon the starless-wolf. Regardless of the debilitating effects that would flow back into him, Jon ignored Shamael and Regulus, launching himself forward towards the man that had assumed his face.

  “Avahni! Don’t listen to him! It’s actually Theo-.”

  [Fa?ade Of The Truth].

  Fragment Of Aura interrupting his words, creating an area where lies and specified truths were unable to be spoken. Lie natured spiritual energy preventing Jon’s voice from reaching her ears, as the Vessel Of The Metallic Mountain and Decadent Princess Of Beautiful Luxuria joined in on the assault.

  Light natured spiritual energy and mountain natured spiritual energy creating a layered barrier between them.

  Avahni, whose gaze continuously shifted between the ‘Jon’ fighting and the ‘Jon’ in front of her, stared at the latter with an expression of distrust clearly evident on her face. Wind natured and fire natured spiritual energy surging from within her Mana Cores, manifesting both the Wind-Void Sword Scripture and the Virtuous Flame, Grand Creation in front of her.

  The Thunderous-Night Wisteria and Spirit-Abundance Bamboo manifesting behind her, traces of lightning natured and wind natured spiritual energies wafting off their magnificent forms.

  Xuanyuan drawing his Imaginary Severance from its sheath, while Jibril manifesting a Knight Ranked Swirling-Inferno Shield and Knight Ranked Treasured-Flame Armour using her Throne-Creation Fire.

  Their master and summoner staring at ‘Jon’ watching as he halted his steps, smiling a smile that seemed too mischievous for his face.

  “Take off that disguise. Your lack of shadow-mutations and fear-mutations have given you away cur!” Xuanyuan shouted, shifting from activated technique from the [Wind Sword Scripture] to the [Void Sword Scripture]. Kong; Imaginary Severance dyed a colourless-pitch black as wind natured mana was temporarily converted into void natured mana.

  The man who was wearing Jon’s face did not show any outward changes in expression. Merely continuing to smile, channelling lie natured and knowledge natured spiritual energies through their respective spiritual veins.

  Activating both his Fragment Of Illusion and Fragment Of Phantasmal-Knowledge.

  [First Lie; Phantom Dream].

  [Lost Knowledge Art; Glitched Information Haze].

  Ignoring the four summoned companions around the Imaginary Princess Of The Round Table and targeting her direct-.

  “You fucking dare!” Shouted the Incarnation Of The Hunt as the indomitus shastasaurus manifested itself directly above ‘Jon.’ The Incarnated Shadow Hunt rippling and expanding beneath him, exiting two-dimensional space as it threatened to crush ‘Jon’ within its inky, black jaws.

  Ler Setanta feeling the wisps of spiritual energy course through Avahni’s Imaginary Aquascape. Lies pierced through leaves and bark, trying to discern the memories and emotions contained within, while knowledge attempted to rewrite the information contained within, twisting said experiences into something…

  More amusing.

  However-.

  ‘Ler Setanta… what a wrathful existence. Too bad it does not yet possess a Fragment Of Mind.’

  Eris-Thieving Grin widening in response.

  [Smile A Little Smile].

  The Incarnation Of The Hunt, alongside his Incarnated Shadow Hunt vanishing as swiftly as it appeared. No motes of water natured spiritual energy, nor even the presence of a corpse lingering around in physical space.

  The indomitus-shastasaurus… stolen, without even so much as a word.

  Avahni’s eyes widening in response.

  The connection between her Water Mana Core and Fragment Of Ichthyosaur severed, watching on in horror as the colour and lustre of said fragment grew tainted and dull. The concepts contained within stolen away, nothing but the faint echoes of laughter and lies emanating from within.

  Avahni, half-dazed at the theft of her summoned companion almost did not notice ‘Jon’ vanish, reappearing more than a dozen metres closer to the entrance of the chamber. Smile-mutation curved upwards into a full grin as he manifested his own summoned companion.

  “My turn.”

  [Itsumade; Quiet Death Of Light And Virtue].

  An enormous elephant-sized blood-night acerodon tyrant appearing in the space between Theodore and Avahni. The Fragment Of Bat mimicking the grin of his master and summoner, Itsumade’s eyeless face observing the Wind-Void Sword Scripture and Virtuous Flame, Grand Creation.

  “This is going to be so much fun.”