Tier 3+ - Accidental Champion (Book 6) - Chapter 28 - Self-Awareness

A demonic mimic?

Standing on the steps leading down to the Fiftieth Descent on the Hell Moon Thazamar, Xavier listened as Yarien explained the threat that lay ahead.

Yarien: [The Fiftieth Descent is the first of what is known as the Boss Descents, or Challenge Descents depending on who you talk to. Boss Descents have a single demon on the entire descent to fight.]

Xavier raised an eyebrow. [One demon? That doesn’t sound so bad…] But his mind was already turning with all the possibilities of what a demon mimic might be capable of.

He was glad he’d taken a step back from that threshold—glad the Lost Bone of a Dead God had cautioned him.

Especially with what Yarien said next.

Yarien: [The demon mimic on the Fiftieth Descent is the first B Grade you’ll encounter on the Hell Moon Thazamar. It’s Level 400. When you set foot on the descent, it takes in the qualities of the strongest Denizen in your group. It can use any and all of your spells, Xavier, and it will be even more powerful than you.]

Xavier sunk back down, sitting on the smooth stone step of the stairwell. He ran a hand through his dark hair and imagined for a moment facing… A stronger version of himself.

Someone who could freeze time, reap souls, use Soul Essence, Body Cultivation, control another’s mind… Not to mention his physical fighting capabilities.

Closing his eyes, in his mind, he stood across from everything he could do and everything he was and simply shook his head.

He could not imagine fighting… Himself. He’d never encountered an enemy with so many varied abilities before.

Xavier: [Thank you, Yarien, for your warning.]

There was a pause before the woman responded.

Yarien: [You’re not going to go after it, are you?] The concern in her voice was evident. [I know you’re strong… But think about what I said. If you wait there, we could come clear the floor with you. Hell, we could carry you down to the Seventieth Descent and you could use your time dilation field to help us clear it.]

Xavier raised his chin, thinking about being all the way down on the Seventieth Descent… Except he’d decided not to let these people carry him for a reason—because he would be facing the end of the universe alone.

The Lost Bone of a Dead God was right about the fact that he could ask for help, but that didn’t mean he should take advantage of that help.

Too much help was only liable to make him soft, and that was the last thing he needed.

Xavier: [I’m not sure what I’ll do yet, but I know I want to do it alone.]

Yarien: [I’m not sure I entirely understand that, Xavier, but I suppose I respect it. Again, we’re here if you need us. And I’d hate to see you die, and not only because it would leave that deal we made unfulfilled.]

Xavier thought about his options. Going to the other Hell Moons wasn’t as simple as it sounded. If he wanted to do that, he would need to use the Sector Travel Key. That was something he could only use once every year. If he used it now, he wouldn’t get another chance to use it for a while—and he’d only be able to go to one of the other Hell Moons that way.

If he did that, he wouldn’t be able to return to this one—not easily, anyway.

He tapped his foot on the stone step in thought. Pushing forward felt like a supremely bad idea. He could always move back through the descents to grind more levels. Make it all the way to Level 300…

But that didn’t feel right.

Xavier: [Does the Fiftieth Descent lock you in? Take you to another world?]

Yarien: [No. It doesn’t lock you down. You can step off whenever you wish.] She paused. [That is, assuming you survive of course. There is one advantage you might have, though in the grand scheme it is a small one. The Demon Mimic might be able to use all of your spells and skills, and they will be more powerful than you with them, but they won’t be practiced with them. They’re a quick learner, being B Grade and all, but that’s something you should take into account.]

Xavier sat there for a long time, contemplating his next move. Stepping onto that descent would mean all of the different paths of power he’d developed would be used against him. All that power, wielded by an enemy.

An enemy who doesn’t even know how to use it.

But would that matter? What if this Demon Mimic could instantly take over his mind? Xavier had a strong mental block, but was it strong enough to withstand whatever this beast might throw at him?

He didn’t know. If he were being honest, he doubted it.

Xavier released a long sigh.

I don’t think I can do this, he said to the Lost Bone of a Dead God. Not yet.

He felt like a coward admitting it. Xavier had never been one to walk away from a fight. Never been one to give up.

Why couldn’t he come here and go through every single descent, one after the other, all the way to the One-Hundredth Descent? Doing that, of course, sounded absolutely insane, given the fact that there were A Grades down there—and Xavier wasn’t entirely sure advancement stopped at A Grade.

Something told him there were those who were even more powerful than that.

But he also knew he was being an arrogant fool to think this way. Going further was tantamount to suicide. It was one thing to throw yourself at impossible challenges and overcome them, it was another thing entirely to throw yourself straight onto a sword.

Good.

Xavier frowned, looking down at the soul bound weapon, still in the form of a sword, with a frown. Good? What do you mean good? Not moving forward means I’ve failed.

Even you know that isn’t true, Xavier. The Lost Bone of a Dead God sounded a little different than usual as he spoke. The tone sounded more like that of a mentor. Admitting something is beyond you isn’t a failure, it’s self-awareness. You are powerful. My memories are… Shattered. But I have enough knowledge to know that you are a unique individual. That what you have accomplished should be impossible. And yet, you have accomplished it.

But blindly pushing forward over and over again until you come against something too powerful for even you to overcome is not a good strategy. You know stepping back from this descent isn’t a failure, just as you know you shouldn’t travel to the heart of the universe and challenge the most powerful Denizens that lurk there.

Xavier hung his head. The weapon was right. Xavier was being foolish even thinking what he’d accomplished here could be considered a failure.

When he’d put a part of his soul into the Lost Bone of a Dead God, the last thing he’d expected was to get someone who he could truly talk to.

He’d made it through so much of the Hell Moon Thazamar. Gained so many titles. Become so much stronger. And he’d even learnt more about the universe along the way.

This wasn’t a failure. This wasn’t defeat. This was knowing when to walk away so he could take on the challenge when he was strong enough.

You don’t go up against the heavyweight champion when you’re an amateur only training two nights a week at the local YMCA.

He chuckled to himself. That comparison, he thought, seemed a little unfair given how much effort he put into his training.

All right. Time to move on from here. At least for now.

Xavier intended to defeat a B Grade while he was still D Grade, just as he’d defeated a C Grade while he’d been E Grade. He knew the title he’d receive would be more than worth it. But that didn’t mean he was ready to do such a thing now.

Besides, he already had a B Grade in mind that he would be more than happy to kill—The Collector.

Xavier, using his bond, pinpointed the location of his companions. They were still diligently training as a party higher up in the descents. If he were leaving, then he would need to take them with him.

He just needed to decide where he was going, first.

Xavier cast Portal. Stepping through, he arrived on the Twentieth Descent. When Xavier had left his companions, they’d been training on the Fifteenth Descent. Considering they didn’t have his ability to freeze time, he figured they’d gotten quite far.

He considered, for a moment, whether he should help them out in that department—if he froze time now, they could gain a lot in basically no time at all, just as they had when they’d first arrived.

But the three of them, more than anything, needed to train their spells alongside gaining levels. It wouldn’t be right to take that away from them—not at this stage in their training.

When he arrived, Xavier stood on the sidelines simply observing his companions as they fought. He didn’t wish to interrupt their concentration. Besides, he wished to see how far they’d come.

Volkarin and Romalda were still Level 200. That didn’t surprise him. They each had a long way to go to make sure they were as strong as possible before advancing to D Grade. They both knew the drawbacks—probably far better than him—of advancing before they were fully ready.

Rhaalir, on the other hand, was a different story. The Spirit Golem didn’t suffer from the same problems as a normal Denizen. It didn’t work the same way at all. All it needed to do was continue to gain levels. Its attributes would continually increase, and the way those attributes were distributed would differ depending on the spirit that was currently inhabiting it.

The more levels the Spirit Golem acquired, the more spells also became available to it with the different spell slots it had—spells that the spirit inhabiting it had to have possessed back in life.

Rhaalir had reached Level 205. There was a part of Xavier that thought the Spirit Golem should be a much higher level than that, but he knew that was a foolish thing to think. Level 205 was actually amazing given the time they’d had here, and the enemies they were facing.

Xavier watched in fascination as his companions worked together as a team.

Volkarin was massive. The dragon took up a large portion of the descent they were fighting in. This particular descent was one huge chamber, but the ceilings weren’t high enough for Volkarin to be able to fly. Not really. He blundered forward on all fours, his teeth tearing into the throats of the Blaze Hellhounds on this floor, their flames doing nothing to his tough dragon skin.

The Blaze Hellhounds were roughly the size of large warhorses. Their bodies were entirely aflame—even their eyes were just two balls of fire inside of their heads. And when they howled, they spewed lava that melted the very stones, making it into a quicksand trap that burned anything that touched it along with trapping it there.

Unlike most of the floors, they didn’t fight in small groups. This was a wave descent. They came in groups of over a hundred, and the waves came every minute.

Xavier would have expected his companions to be very close to the stairwell, to give them the opportunity to simply step back and restart the descent whenever they needed to. But they were deep in the chamber, pushing the waves back. Working in unison.

The Spirit Golem summoned spirits from the Otherworld, a spell similar to Xavier’s Soul Sacrifice. The spell was called Otherworld Bridge. The spirits flowed in through the bridge and created absolute havoc among the enemies. The Spirit Golem continued to fling other spells at his enemies, drawing power from the Otherworld. He flung silver balls of Spirit Energy that exploded on impact with the enemy, causing damage to their very souls. Each ball took down five of the Blaze Hellhounds at once, and whenever a Blaze Hellhound came too close and made contact with him, another spell was cast.

The very light was extinguished from the Blaze Hellhounds soul on contact.

Soul Destroyer.

Xavier felt the Spirit Golem’s connection to the Otherworld—even deep in the descents, every now and then he’d sensed some of what the Spirit Golem was doing. Xavier had first summoned the elf Rhaalir to ask him questions about Otherworld spells, using Otherworldly Communion to do it.

Romalda was having a field day. Her eyes were wide, and she had a manic smile plastered on her face as she laughed. She had thousands of reanimated minions by this point that huddled around her in a protective circle as she stepped forward into the mass of Blaze Hellhounds. It wasn’t only minions that she had at her disposal, either. It was clear she had a spell cast, as dark energy swept from the demons toward her, only for her to absorb it into herself.

The energy empowered her, while it weakened those she stole it from. He could see it in the way the Blaze Hellhounds moved.

Volkarin released a mighty roar as he opened his maw, ice spewing forth to freeze a half-dozen Blaze Hellhounds. He swiped out with his claw after they were frozen, and every single one of the demons shattered at his touch.

When the wave was defeated, and it looked as though no more were coming, Xavier walked forward. He couldn’t help but clap, a smile on his face as he watched them. “That was amazing. You three are really coming a long way.”

They looked over at him. “Xavier,” Romalda said. “I didn’t realise you were watching.”

“I could sense him,” Volkarin said in a low growl. “It’s been months. Time to leave?” Smoke billowed from the dragon’s nostrils.

Xavier inclined his head. “I think it’s best we train somewhere else…” He trailed off, looking at the three of them. He tilted his head to the side. “Unless the three of you want to remain here?”

The time had gone by so quickly for Xavier, who’d been training intensely through the different descents, he hadn’t even realised how long it had been since he’d come up to see them. In fact, he hadn’t seen his companions since he’d overtaken them with Yarien’s party.

They each looked at each other. Xavier could read small things being communicated in their expressions, but he didn’t know what they were. The bond they’d developed over the time they’d been here was clear.

“We go where you go, if you’ll have us,” Rhaalir said.

Romalda inclined her head in a nod. “You gave me my life back, Xavier. Could have locked me in a contract yet you still haven’t.”

Volkarin huffed smoke again. “I’ll fight by your side, dragonkin. Or wherever you need me.”

Not feeling neglected, then.

He tilted his head to the side. He supposed these three had been around for more years than he could even imagine. A few months probably felt like a blink of an eye to them.

Xavier was glad for that. He, not being the most social person in the Greater Universe, didn’t feel as though he needed to be in constant contact with people, but still wanted them to be there when he came out of whatever it was he was doing. Perhaps that kind of frame of mind wasn’t such a bad thing when you lived for thousands… millions… even billions of years.

In fact, maybe it would be a rather healthy way to live.

“So,” Volkarin said in his deep, dragon voice. “Where to next?”