Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond-Chapter 182: Will of the Spirit

Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond-Chapter 182: Will of the Spirit

Chapter 182: Will of the Spirit
John felt fear rising in his heart as Kit slowly approached him. Her dress swayed in the breeze, her pink eyes glowing dangerously. A sadistic smile spread across her lips, like a cat playing with its food.
“A threat, you say?” she called out. “My love, this is a mortal. What could he possibly do?”
“Don’t let your guard down,” Chen So warned, panting as he struggled to recover. “He is dangerous.”
John cursed, but he was beginning to realize something.
This wasn’t really Kit.
It was her body. It was her mannerisms, her soul, but her mind was not present. John was a little confused as to why the [Deus Ex Machina] energy being used was so incredibly weak. After all, the power of a [Writer] should do more than this.
But then again, it was possible Chen So had been given almost none at all. After all, it didn’t look like he had any ulterior motives other than raising the reputation of the Ninetails clan. Maybe the power he’d been given was just enough to control Kit and nothing else.
Regardless, this was good. Kit wouldn’t know how dangerous John was and would take it easy for the time being, it seemed.
“Hey,” he called out nervously. “We don’t have to fight, you know?”
“Mm… but my love said you were a threat,” Kit sighed. “I’m not fond of fighting with mortals, you know.”
“Yeah? And what about your penalty?” John said, trying to seem confident.
If this Kit didn’t remember who he was, then she wouldn’t remember that she could fight him without restraint. Mystics weren’t allowed to fight mortals, after all. If John just didn’t take the initiative—
“But we’ve fought before?”
John’s eyes went wide. His heart nearly failed him.
“...what do you mean?” he said weakly.
“We’ve fought. Don’t you remember? You’re strong, John,” Kit said, smiling. “Did you think such a foolish trick would work on me?”
“H-hey, hold on,” John stammered, raising his hands. “You- you remember? Then why are you-”
“Chen So showed me what free will is, John. I can do what I want here. I can research what I want. Why shouldn’t I serve him?”
“You were- you- you-”
John was at a loss for words. He hadn’t even considered this. What if Kit genuinely wanted to be with the prince? Then he was here for nothing. There was no need to kill—
Well, there was a reason to kill. [Deus Ex Machina] energy. But he could always come back for that later. No, if he didn’t need to fight at the moment, there was no need to.
Then… had he been reading things all wrong? Was this not the direction the [Plot] was supposed to take? He didn’t understand.
Maybe Kit hadn’t even been in love with him. The thought was relieving, yet John was still disappointed. Had his [Reading] skills fallen this far?
And what was he supposed to do now?
[Determination drops! New limit: x1000]
He was so distracted that he almost didn’t see the attack coming. A fireball flew past his cheek, singeing his hair and burning his skin. [Determination] stopped him from feeling pain, but his body had taken damage, even without contact.
“It’s time for you to go.”
John didn’t have time to think about this anymore. He could ponder things after he survived.
Immediately switching half of his energy to perception and half to speed, he focused purely on survival. Flames flew around the room like rain, burning through the air indiscriminately. Kit laughed as John barely dodged spell after spell, still visibly shaken by the conversation he’d just had.
“You can do better than that!” Kit laughed, still taking it easy. “I’ve seen you do more!”
“Shut the fuck up! Is this what others have to deal with? Am I really that annoying?”
John deflected a fireball, trying to close the distance between himself and Kit, but she wasn’t nearly inexperienced enough to fall for such a tactic. A wall of flames sprang up, forcing John to fall back, and a fireball caught him in the back, knocking him down. Blood burst out his mouth as he errupted into a coughing fit, [Determination] thankfully blocking out the pain.
Still, his body was falling apart. He wouldn’t last much longer like this, and Kit was barely even trying.
This wasn’t like the fight they’d had back in the forest near Destiny’s home. Kit was truly trying to kill him now, and John didn’t have the luxury of a ten-thousand-times multiplier. This time, he was playing defensively, testing the waters, seeing what would work and what wouldn’t.
As far as he could tell, there was no way to win.
“I’m a Mystic, John. What did you think was going to happen?”
“But you-”
“You don’t stand on the same level as us. You’re just a plain, ordinary mortal. In what world can you even stand a chance?”
John felt a shudder run through his body. She was right. How could he win? Even the time he was spending right now was fatal. In a few minutes, his body would collapse from the damage, and this would be over.
“Just surrender,” Kit smiled. “I’ll kill you painlessly. Then, you won’t have to worry about anything.”
~~~
Destiny and Prota weren’t having much luck either. The Elder was still charging up his attack, and there was nothing they could do about it.
They’d cast spell after spell, launched attack after attack, and nothing seemed to phase him.
His body seemed near invulnerable to everything they tried. Aside from Destiny’s unique ability, nothing left a scratch, and even leaving a deep cut hadn’t even phased the Mystic in the slightest. Grabbing his tail had no effect, either.
The spell was something they’d tried attacking as well. Unfortunately, it neither wavered nor vanished. It simply sat there, continuing to build in force.
Soon, it would easily obliterate both of them.
Seeing as nothing was working, the two decided to take a break and strategize. Prota could sense that it was a fire based spell, but other than that, it didn’t seem to be anything unique or special. It was just an incredibly powerful spell. Additionally, the mana reinforcement running through the Elder’s veins seemed to be a combination of fire and earth mana, which might explain his tolerance to attacks.
“So what are we going to do?” Destiny sighed. “If we can’t stop this…”
Suddenly, the air began to shift. The temperature slowly began to rise, but there was no indication of a new spell being cast.
“Pr- Prota,” Destiny said, stumbling over his words.
The Elder’s spell was beginning the grow.
“Can you do anything about that?”
Prota shook her head.
“...then we’ll just have to block it with everything we’ve got.”
The two felt their hearts pumping as they stood up, staring the Elder down. The white orb of light was slowly growing bigger, the concentration of mana growing stronger. If Prota had to compare it to anything…
“Ninth step,” she muttered. “Scary.”
She couldn’t do anything about that. As far as she knew, she didn’t have a single tool in her arsenal to deal with such a spell.
Prota had never bothered to learn defensive spells. Ice walls were usually enough to block undodgeable attacks, and blue ice was strong enough that it could slow down attacks enough that she could dodge them. Her fighting style was so heavily influenced by John that she’d never even considered blocking as a primary form of defence.
Now, however, presented with an undodgeable attack, she was somewhat beginning to regret that choice.
“Prota,” Destiny said quietly. “Do you think we can run?”
The image of Sofya obliterating an island flashed through Prota’s mind. Even if this spell was only half the strength of that…
“No.”
“Shoot. If only John were here…”
Prota flinched. John. Was he doing alright? She couldn’t see his status due to the fact that the system was still on the fritz, but she could only hope he was doing alright. Well, he hadn’t been involved in anything, so surely…
No, he’d been up in his room. What if he’d found something? She hadn’t sensed he was lying, but still, if he was fighting, all alone, there was a good chance he wasn’t doing too well.
Suddenly, she could no longer sit and do nothing.
“I… I will block it,” Prota said quietly. “If we have to kill…”
The sound of Destiny swallowing was painfully audible.
“Yeah. I understand.”
Neither of them wanted to kill their mentor, but it truly seemed like there was no way out of this. Prota had already considered what John would do, but in a scenario like this, she just couldn’t find a way out. There were no [Story] aspects that helped in any regard…
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Unless?
The Ninetails clan was known for its illusion magic. Illusion magic likely involved mental attacks of some sort. Prota had already suspected that the Elder was being controlled, but if it was through mana…
Maybe she could stop it.
“Destiny,” she said quietly. “Maybe… mind-controlled. If we can stop it…”
“Stop it? How?”
Prota shrugged. “Try.”
“You’re right. We have to try.”
The air suddenly turned still. Not a sound was made.
“Get ready!”
All at once, a roaring noise erupted as the spell was unleashed, a torrent of white flame pouring over the children. Both erected barriers, but they were immediately vaporized, forcing them to put up barrier after barrier.
“I can’t hold on much longer!” Destiny yelled. “Prota, can you-”
He turned to see the girl panting, struggling to even survive. Eyes wide, he slowly made his way over, putting up a barrier for the two of them.
“What are we going to do?!” he yelled.
“Mana… too strong…” Prota said, her voice weak. “Can’t…”
She wouldn’t be of any assistance. Destiny clenched his teeth, trying to figure a way out.
He’d been in nearly unwinnable situations before. His whole life had been challenge after challenge.
The camp back on Earth. The initiation into the Windwalker family. The kidnapping of the princess. Doctor. The cultists, the Shadow Order, nobles, they’d all thrown him into situations he’d barely gotten out of.
But he hadn’t lost yet. He couldn’t lose yet.
He still had people he wanted to protect.
“Come… on!” he yelled, pushing forward.
He could feel the mana drawing out of his body as he summoned barrier after barrier, taking step after step. Still, the attack seemed unrelenting. If only they could cut off the mana at its source—
“Your ability is something that can cut through anything, right?”
Anything. What was it John had suggested he start with?
“Something like… cutting off the flow of a spell, maybe? When you encounter a giant spell, you could try slashing it, and it might disrupt the entire thing.”
He’d recently learned how to see the flow of mana. It was something Kang Loy had insisted he learn.
It seemed it’d be coming in handy now.
Through the barrage of flames, he could see it. The source of origin. If he could just cut that in two, disbanding it…
“Prota,” he said quietly. “I’m going to stop the spell. I need you to protect me, alright?”
Prota’s eyes widened, but she nodded. She didn’t have a plan. If Destiny had come up with something…
Well, there was no other choice.
“Go.”
Destiny nodded, taking a deep breath. His blade began to glow as God Slaying Sword activated, drawing upon his enormous mana reserves. With a cry, he swung, momentarily splitting the spell in two. For a brief instant, he could see the Elder, still sitting with his eyes closed.
“Here I go!”
He charged forward, feeling a burst of wind at his feet. Suddenly, platforms of ice appeared, supporting his footwork, essentially allowing him to run through the air.
Prota had nearly abandoned the idea of defence, doing the bare minimum to survive. Every other bit of mana was dedicated to getting Destiny to his goal. She was running out of strength, though. Her mind was slipping away. She wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.
Destiny, meanwhile, could feel the heat growing stronger. Still, he took it on, pushing through the flames, growing ever so close to their origin.
“God Slaying Sword. The ability to cut through anything and everything.”
Prota closed her eyes. In desperation, she used her last healing charm, boosting her stamina back to full, but if this went on any further, she’d have nothing left.
With one last cry, Destiny swung down, envisioning himself slicing through the very mana that made up the spell.
Just like that, the world was quiet. The spell was cut off.
“Destiny!” Prota yelled.
Behind him was the Elder, active once more. With a single blow, the hero was sent flying, crashing through the trees, felling them one after the other. It was only Prota left.
In panic, she increased her perception, and in that moment, she could feel something.
The mana that had made up the Elder’s spell hadn’t dissipated like mana usually did after a spell. Having been forcibly cancelled, that ambient mana was still there, hovering, slowly fading, but still present.
Prota felt her heart beating. She hadn’t been able to replicate her abilities while empowered by [Infinity]. She’d tried, of course, but she couldn’t absorb spells out of the air.
This, however…
Closing her eyes, she focused. Summoning her domain without the spell involved, she began to cast Dragon of Ice. She could feel the mana concentration, snaking around her until it solidified, ready to be fired.
Instead of casting the spell, however, she reached out and commanded her core to grab at the ambient mana still infused by the remnants of the Elder’s spell. The tendrils reached out, pulling the mana back into her core, and a second dragon began to form.
A dragon of fire. A dragon of ice. Intertwined, snaking around each other until they almost appeared to be one and the same.
It was thing of beauty. Blue ice. Blue flames. Blistering heat. Numbing cold.
All in one.
“Go.”
Time jumped back to normal, and the dragons rushed forward in a wave, obliterating anything that stood in their path. Like her Frozen Flame, the bitter cold turned anything it touched to ice, and the blistering heat smashed through the brittle defences left behind.
They rammed into the Elder, who seemed to be desperately struggling to hang on. Somehow, the dragons were actually gaining ground. Prota had just cast a spell that was pushing a Mystic back.
Suddenly, the dragons exploded, ice and flames scattering everywhere. When the dust faded, she could see Kang Loy sitting on the ground, dazed.
Just then, Destiny came back, bruised and bloodied, but alive.
“One more time,” he panted, his blade glowing golden once more. “One more cut.”
He couldn’t see the mana controlling the Elder, but he’d have to risk it all here. They couldn’t risk death.
He closed his eyes, envisioning it. Cutting not the flesh, but the mana within, the magic controlling their mentor’s mind.
With one last cry, he swung down as if to deliver a death sentence.
~~~
“You’re seriously… trying to kill me…”
John was genuinely on death’s door. Kit had done a number on him, and he wouldn’t be recovering any time soon.
He was considering taking a mana pill, but… well, it wouldn’t really be that bad, would it?
[Those are banned now. Um. Sorry.]
“...Zero? Don’t tell me-”
[Not me. [Author] banned ‘em. Just use [Infinity] from here on out, nobody’s gonna notice.]
“This fucking guy…”
The problem wasn’t that John was getting hit too often. In fact, he’d done quite a good job of avoiding a majority of Kit’s attacks.
The problem was that he still had a human body.
Humans weren’t meant to take on fireballs that could blow up rocks or flame walls that could incinerate wood in an instant. If John got cut by Kit’s claws a single time, he’d start to bleed out. If his leg was burnt, he’d have a hard time moving it.
Even with all his power and tactics, he could only hold on for so long. His body was beginning to fail him. If he didn’t end this soon, it would all be over.
“Kit,” Chen So called out. “Heal him. Not enough to get him back up, but don’t let him die.”
Without another word, a light flame was cast over John. He flinched, expecting to be hurt again, but surprisingly, some of his wounds began to mend. His leg was still unstable, and he couldn’t quite use it well, but he was no longer at risk of dying.
“What’s this?” John said, gritting his teeth. “Getting cocky?”
“Please. You’re a mortal. You were going to die if I didn’t do all this. I just wanted to ask you something.”
“...ask me something? Now?”
Normally, John would’ve been incredibly annoyed at the thought of having the enemy gloat over him like this, but he didn’t have the luxury of being prideful. As soon as he entered this fight, pride was a sin he couldn’t afford to have in his heart.
He wasn’t sure what he’d do next. But surviving for a few more minutes was better than being dead, and he’d figure out what to do eventually.
If he didn’t… well, that was simply too bad.
“What are you here for? I genuinely am curious,” Chen So said, stepping up.
It seemed he’d recovered. John cursed to himself. The powers of Mystics were genuinely no joke. Well, that was to be expected of a demi-god. He’d overestimated them because they were just [Characters] in his eyes, but…
Maybe it was time to re-evaluate that opinion.
“What do you mean, what am I here for?” John frowned. “I’m here to take Kit back. She’s being controlled by you. It’s as simple as that.”
“But why? You are a mortal. Do you think yourself above us? Do you think yourself worthy of interfering with our issues? If it were another Mystic who had come to her rescue, I would understand. But who are you to challenge us? You don’t even stand a chance!”
For a moment, John considered lying, but then he shook his head. Either he would die, or Chen So would die, and regardless of the outcome, him telling the truth wouldn’t matter.
“Mystics? Who the fuck cares about that? You’re all just [Characters]! If I want to save Kit, that’s up to me. It’s my choice. You aren’t anything special,” he said, spitting a wad of blood onto the floor. “You’re just a minor [Antagonist] in my eyes. Kit was meant to be saved. That’s all there is to it.”
“Characters? Antagonist? What do you think this is, a story?” Chen So laughed.
John swallowed hard.
“Yeah? What, am I lying?”
“Oh, then let me guess. You’re the hero, come to save a darling companion, bent on revealing the evil prince’s plans. Is that how this goes? You want to give your dear Mystic companion redemption?”
“...what? No. That’s someone else’s job. I just think a shitass [Character] like you doesn’t have the right to look down on me, that’s all. Piece of shit.”
“Don’t be foolish!” Chen So suddenly yelled, anger seeping into his voice. “You are a naive fool! The world is not some fairy tale for you to play around in. No matter how delusional you may be, you must understand that this is reality! Good endings and bad endings do not exist! You are a mortal. We are Mystics. The rules dictate that you cannot win!”
“The rules? What about the rules that say that Mystics can’t fight against mortals?” John pointed out. “You’ve been fine, haven’t you?”
“The rules-”
Chen So paused, suddenly flinching. John was right. Neither he nor Kit had been affected by the rules that dictated that Mystics could not fight mortals.
“You… what are you?” he said, suddenly quiet.
“Oh, look who’s all confused now,” John muttered in a mocking tone. “Oh, look at me, I’m a prince and I just realized that the dumbass I’m fighting against isn’t normal. What are you, a fucking idiot? Well, you said I’m mortal. Guess I’m mortal, huh?”
John tried to pull himself up, using one of his swords as a cane. He infused [Infinity] into strength, allowing himself to move ever so slightly.
“...very well. It does not matter what you are.” Chen So stared at John, the smile gone from his face. “There is no justice in this, mortal. You are not the ‘good guy’ because you are opposing me. Do you not understand? I am doing this for the good of the clan. Your beloved companion’s entire tribe will be wiped out if I do not do this! Perhaps you may not understand the concept of ‘greater good,’ but that is exactly what I am doing! I am the hero, here, mortal.”
John paused for a moment. He had a hard time arguing this, mainly because he agreed with the prince.
This wasn’t a cultist. This wasn’t some crazed lunatic trying to revive the Demon King. He wasn’t trying to make his people suffer, nor was he trying to become a dictator. He truly believed that he was doing the right thing.
And, in a way, he was. The Ninetails clan would likely be destroyed in the coming invasion without the Eternal Flame. Kit, having run away, wouldn’t be able to contribute to her tribe. She was, in a sense, a tool.
Something John had said came to mind.
“And why is hurting others bad? You know what? Let’s take it a step further. Why is people being in pain bad? Why is suffering bad? Because we dislike it? And why is it bad that we dislike it?”
Technically, Chen So wasn’t doing anything wrong. It wasn’t “bad” that Kit was being controlled. Yes, it went against her will, but to John, will wasn’t something that existed in the first place.
Right now, the prince was only the bad guy because of what John perceived. Nothing Chen So had done was “wrong” in John’s eyes.
“...you’re right,” John said quietly. “Yeah. You know what? Fair enough.”
“So you were deceived by illusions of justice? By a sense of duty?” Chen So laughed. “I pity you. Well, I suppose that’s quite impressive for a mortal mind. In a way, I commend you. Both of us believe we are trying to do the right thing. I suppose I was simply stronger.”
Higb dismissed his blade, still using [Infinity] just to stay standing. The prince was right.
But being right meant nothing to John.
“No,” John said with a shaky laugh. “None of that. I don’t really fight for what’s right. Haven’t done so in a while. I mean, I don’t believe in that to begin with.”
“What are you-”
“You’re all [Characters]. You’re just fictional beings. You were right, you know. This is a [Story]. A fictional realm. Right or wrong means nothing. You know why? Because none of this means anything. We’re entertainment, that’s all. But I refuse to be nothing more than entertainment. I think I can be a little selfish. So fuck you.”
Just like before, a memory came to mind. This one, however, reminded him of what he was here for. Chen So had been right. There had to be a reason John was engaging in such a suicidal mission.
That reason didn’t have to be logical. It didn’t have to be driven by morals or justice.
In the end, John did what he wanted to do because he wanted to do it.
That was all.
“So, even if it’s only for a century… why don’t you hang around a little longer? After all this is over.”
Kit wouldn’t just switch up like this. He might not reciprocate her feelings. But that didn’t change the fact that those feelings existed.
“Once. When you need someone to help you. When you can’t get out of a scenario. I promise I’ll help you out, ok?”
“In the end… you’re only a god. Nothing more.”
John had a moment of satisfaction upon seeing Chen So’s enraged face, but he couldn’t gloat. He had one last chance. One Hail Mary. It was all or nothing.
“Zero. You… you know what I’m thinking, right?”
[Yeah. If you do that, it’ll work with less]
“...fuck.”
But this was a [Story]. And, hate it or love it, he was a [Character]. Even if he viewed himself as superior, others did not. The relationships he’d built. The people he’d met.
To him, they were [Characters].
But to them, he was real.
And ultimately, that meant something.
“Kit!” he yelled.
With a cry, he used the last of his energy to fling himself forward. He felt his leg crumble under the strain, but that didn’t matter.
Chen So flinched momentarily, raising a set of swords to protect himself, but John had never been aiming for the prince.
He was aiming for Kit.
“Ah, fuck.”
He collided with the fox, planting his lips onto hers.

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Chapter 182: Will of the Spirit