Tier 3+ - Accidental Champion (Book 6) - Chapter 44 - Execution Was Always the Hard Part

Six months had passed since the last time he’d summoned the Spirit of Time.

Well, technically, for him, it had been much, much longer.

The world was bled of colour as time stopped—though there wasn’t much colour to bleed up here, in the vacuum of space. The other version of himself was frozen across from him.

The Spirit of Time appeared in a flash of light. Xavier’s breath caught in his throat at the sight of her. There was a part of him that had forgotten how beautiful this woman was. Her stormy grey eyes looked over at him with curiosity. Her golden hair flowed down her shoulders, all the way to her slender waist, much of which was revealed by the thin shift she wore.

He still didn’t know what race the woman was. Her ears were somewhat pointed, but not as dramatically as an elf’s. He imagined she might be half-elf, half-human, but he didn’t know for sure.

Xavier returned his gaze to those stormy eyes. The Spirit of Time were a slight smile. He focused on the task at hand.

She glanced around, a note of interest in her gaze as she saw the other version of Xavier floating not far from him. Interesting. She turned her gaze back onto Xavier. Why have you summoned me to this place, young Denizen? I noticed this, once again, is not your universe.

Xavier looked outside of the time dilation field at the World Destroyer and the Soul Amalgamation. But before the unfoldings began, he had a bone to pick with the beautiful woman before him.

The last time I summoned you, there was a crack in the fabric of reality. A Void Being got through and took over the enemy I had defeated.

The woman’s eyes flashed wide at his words.

That is not something I anticipated. She seemed to fall deep in thought for a moment before she continued to speak. I apologise. Did you dispatch the Void Being?

Xavier shook his head.

Then he has entered the Mortal Realm…

Xavier was surprised to sense a hint of fear in the spirit’s voice. Xavier was sure that he had been able to sense fear in a spirit before, but it was a very rare occurrence indeed.

He shifted in the air where he floated, worry creeping into his mind. The Void Being had been in an entirely different universe to his own, but he had a bad feeling.

You are afraid. It wasn’t a question.

The woman’s gaze locked to his, and he couldn’t help but see a bit of anger in that gaze—as though such an accusation had offended her. In the time that he had interacted with this spirit, she had most often worn a serene expression. The anger made her look like a completely different person. It also showed something of her age, for those stormy eyes were tumultuous and ancient as they stared at him.

Void Beings are to be feared.

Xavier swallowed.

I left the Void Being in a different universe, and I am far more powerful now than I was when it came through.

He would be able to tear that C Grade Elemental Dragon—the most powerful beast on the hundredth floor of the tower—apart with ease nowadays, whether it was being controlled by a Void Being or not.

At least, that was what he hoped would happen.

There are some entities with the power to travel between universes. And unlike you and me, who can only move between universes because of the System, with you on your tower floors, or me with the power of an Otherworld Summoner… Some Void Beings can move through universes at will when they are in possession of a mortal form.

Xavier inclined his head in deep thought, worry lining his forehead.

The Void Being could make it to his universe? But… Why would it? Was this really something he needed to worry about, when there were already so many things he needed to address?

Though it was interesting to hear the woman speak of entities that could pass through different universes. It made him wonder about the creator of the Hell Moons of Demonica. That was still something that was at the forefront of his mind, even as he went through the tower floors he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

A Universe Hopper who’d created grinding zones…

He still didn’t know what the purpose of those zones truly were, or how this person had become so strong with the use of runes.

Or whether she was still alive out there somewhere.

He shook all of those things out of his head and addressed the Spirit of Time once more. I hope you will not let such a thing happen again.

The last thing Xavier needed was another crack in the fabric of reality happening up here. He didn’t want to have to tangle with a Void Being on top of going up against the Soul Amalgamation and the World Destroyer.

The Spirit of Time cocked her head to the side. The anger that had been in her grey eyes had dissipated, her cool, serene expression returning. There are only so many things that I can control. Be thankful it was a simple Void Being that came through, and nothing worse. Else you would not be before me now.

Xavier conceded the point. The ability she possessed was far too valuable—the risk… The risk would have to be worth it. He looked over at the other version of himself. He was about to watch the man die. More than once. He would likely watch himself die—no just watch, but experience—he didn’t know what decisions the versions of himself he was about to create would make once things began to unfold.

But they would need to be there to witness this, otherwise it would all be for naught.

Are you ready, young Denizen?

No. I don’t think I am. But we should get started.

The woman bowed her head. As you wish.

The first unfolding began. He could no longer see the woman, and the other version of himself began to move. The man blinked at him.

Other Xavier: [The spell has been cast?]

Xavier: [Yes. It’s time we get started.]

Xavier was just an observer, now. That message that had been sent hadn’t been sent by him. It was perhaps one of the strangest sensations he’d ever had—being nothing more than a passenger in his own body.

There was nothing for him to do but watch.

The last time he’d watched the other version of himself come up against the Soul Amalgamation, it hadn’t gone well. The enemy was simply too powerful. It had taken a long time for him to recover.

The strain of the time dilation field was still pushing down on him, the pressure of the World Destroyer a constant upon his mind, even if it was something he’d mostly been able to block out, that didn’t mean it wasn’t still there.

That limited his options somewhat.

Xavier, the observer, honestly wasn’t sure what was about to happen next. Perhaps he should have known exactly what the other versions of him would do, but that wasn’t always the case.

They were no longer him. Their paths had diverged the moment he’d cast that spell.

He floated toward the edge of the time dilation field, staring the Soul Amalgamation in the eyes.

The Soul Amalgamation’s gaze flicked toward him, just as it had before. Xavier wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn he saw the entity’s lips twitch.

How fast is this bastard thing?

Other Xavier: [Do you have a plan?]

Xavier looked back at him. He tilted his head to the side as though deep in thought, but Observer Xavier had no idea what the man might be thinking. Xavier felt himself smile. [I do. Though it might just get me killed.]

The other man simply nodded at these words. The two of them were in an alternate time-stream. Xavier himself had no idea what that felt like—to know that you’ve been put in a position to test the possible in that moment, that you’d likely die, and that death would do nothing more than give another version of you a better chance at succeeding.

He scoffed inwardly. Hell, perhaps he did know how that felt—wasn’t that exactly what the System was doing to him right now?

Xavier watched, eager to see what would happen next.

~

Perspective: Xavier, Version 1.1—Alternate Timeline Above Earth, Eightieth Floor of the Tower of Champions.

Xavier cracked his neck as he told the other version of himself what his plan was. He knew that there would be yet another version of him—the original—observing everything that happened, stuck within his mind.

God, that was a strange sensation, and one he never thought he would have. He knew what that “original” version of himself thought of him as—nothing more than cannon fodder, really.

Perhaps that was being unkind, but he shared the same memories with the “original.” He knew his death would be mourned but ultimately justified.

Then he would be forgotten.

Maybe that was the reason he’d come up with such a risky plan. It was a plan he doubted the original version of him would have come up with in this particular situation.

The Spirit of Time just created a whole other universe. I have an Earth, and a Silver River sector of my own to save…

And yet here he was, knowing his next moves would likely get him killed. That recklessness had always been a part of Xavier, but it felt as though it was inflamed right now. As though he couldn’t help but make the riskiest possible choice.

A moment passed after Xavier had finished explaining his plan.

Other Xavier: [Well, that’s… Insane.] The man shook his head, then smiled. [But it might be just insane enough to work.]

Xavier smiled back. He returned his focus onto the Soul Amalgamation, then he looked past the construct to the World Destroyer—the massive asteroid—behind him.

His plan was a simple one. The execution of it? That was the hard part—

(Execution was always the hard part.)

—things would have to line up… Perfectly.

Xavier had one portal currently active. The portal was inside the time dilation field. Its twin was outside the field, behind the soul-construct. This portal wouldn’t do everything he needed it to, but it was essential to his plan.

He expanded the portal, making it as large as he could manage, until it pushed out of the time dilation field. The strain on his mind was intense, but it was nothing he hadn’t experienced before. His Portal spell was strong—one of his strongest—and his attributes allowed him to do a great deal with it.

The portal kept growing. Xavier could feel it growing. Though he couldn’t see it, as now that its edges were outside the time dilation field there was a delay.

He kept pushing and pushing until it was large enough to encompass the World Destroyer asteroid with ease.

At the same time, the twin portal would be growing just as large.

His Portal spell was one he knew was woefully underutilised. There were so many amazing things that he could be able to do with it that he simply hadn’t tried yet.

When he felt as though it was ready, Xavier stopped. His fists were clenched about the Lost Bone of a Dead God, which was currently in the configuration of a scythe-staff—so it would give him a little extra magical boost.

Other Xavier: [Are you ready?]

Xavier grinned. [Ready as I’ll ever be. You?]

[I’m starting to realise I was born ready for this.]

The two Xaviers nodded at one another.

There was one more thing Xavier needed to do, but with the portal as large as it was, and the strain of keeping the time dilation field open weighing on his mind, there was only one way he was going to manage it.

He hoped the portal in front of both him and the other version of him would be enough to stop the enemies from reaching them.

Xavier cancelled his Time Alteration spell. The barrier disappeared. Time flowed normally for the two of them once more.

One portal wasn’t enough for this plan to work. Xavier cast Portal again.

Without the aid of the time dilation field speeding up time outside the barrier, there was a high chance that if this plan failed, the Portal spell wouldn’t cooldown in time for him to escape.

Let’s see if this insane plan of mine works.