Amelia: The Level Zero [Hero]

What had he done?

Guardian Angel Z357 didn’t know. He had followed the World System’s commands without fail— he had carried out every directive he had been given. After his own failures, he realized that acting autonomously was pointless, so he ignored his own intuition, acting entirely like the drone he was designed to be.

Everything he did was for the sake of Planet 16B. He was trying to get rid of the Void, before it was too late to stop the return of the Fal-Deus. And yet, somehow, things had turned for the worse.

Z357 was now trapped in the Fractured Realm. His connection to the infallible World System was gone. The orders he had been given now leading to his doom.

There was no way for him to escape. The machine calculated every possible outcome waiting ahead of him, and he knew that all routes led to his demise. The realization dawned on him as the prickling dread of death crawled over him. And he saw them.

Voidlings. Hundreds of thousands of them poured out from the purple mist, spurred by the alien presence here in the Fractured Realm.

His twelve eyes each turned to face a different direction, breaking free from his stupor, before he raised his lance. It glinted with a golden light, and a blast of flames shot into the air, incinerating tens of thousands of them by the second.

But their numbers were overwhelming. They still drew closer, threatening to tear him into shreds as he sent his golden flames their way. Mechanically, the angel lowered his other hand, planting the Hanmer of Justice to the ground.

Lance Duplication Technique, he whispered. And a hundred copies of the ornate weapon flashed into existence, before propelling forward.

The outpouring of fire didn’t stop, even as the lances tore a hole in the wave of voidlings. Guardian Angel Z357 steeled himself as he saw their numbers began to dwindle.

He quelled the growing fear within him— the very same sense of fear he recalled from a moment so long ago. The dread of death. But more than that, knowing that he was going to fail in his duty. His mission to put a halt to the revival of the Fal-Deus.

And he resolved himself. He wasn’t going to die here. He raised the Hammer of Justice, swinging up at a group of voidlings. The shockwave from the impact was enough to wipe out a whole swarm of them.

The angel remembered the feeling. He saw flashed from his past— the moment he had killed his creator. What came after. The despair. The neglect. The…

 

—--

 

Z357 knelt there in the ruins of the space station, grieving the loss of his master. Hermann Kasper was dead, and now there was nothing left. He had no purpose. His duty was complete.

He saved Askan, and all he found was an emptiness. A hole in his mechanical heart. One that could no longer be filled by any actions he took. So he continued to wait there, like a lifeless statue, even as the green planet continued to orbit the blue star over and over again.

 

—--

And the angel moved. Thousands of voidlings died with each swing of the hammer. Even more were incinerated by his raging flames. He wasn’t going to fail. Not in his duties. Not again—

And a colossal creature struck him from the side, sending him flying from the floating rock as his back cracked.

His mind whirled as he saw a breach in the wave of voidlings. A looming monster that waded through the shadows of the Void with an elegant terror. His twelve eyes widened when he saw what it was, and he crashed into another floating rock.

It was… a voidbeast.

He stared at the hulking monster— shaped like a serpent, with fins like a fish. Its skin was like a twisted obsidian, cracked and glowing with the Void’s essence. Electricity crackled across its body as it let out a terrible roar, and a shockwave rippled out across the purple mist, tearing apart the nearby swarming voidlings like they were made of paper.

Guardian Angel Z357 stared at the voidbeast as it loomed over him. He slowly rose to his feet, standing in the middle of the massive crater. He began to create another volley of lances as the voidbeast shot forward, charging at him.

And the ground beneath his feet exploded. He looked down just in time to see a second voidbeast tear it’s way through the floating rock. This time, it looked like a giant dog, with spikes jutting out of its back, and it somehow ran through the air with six legs.

It chomped down on the machine’s legs as he met out a silent scream. Pain erupted through him as he tried to cling onto the reason why he fought. Why the World System mattered so much…

 

—--

 

Z357 no longer had a purpose. Time passed— he didn’t know whether it had been years, decades, or centuries. He just continued to wait there, hoping to meet his demise when the broken space station crashed into the green planet. He would never move. Never again, for the pain was too overbearing.

Or so he thought.

But one day, on just an ordinary day in Askan, as the green planet continued to rotate beneath the broken space station, something changed. Something that caused a mass panic from Utopis to Argavas.

Something that changed Z357’s life forever. A blue screen flashed before his eyes for the very first time, and the rest was history.

[INITIATING INTEGRATION OF THE 58th UNIVERSE…

Welcome Askan, to the Multiverse of S—]

 

—--

 

The Guardian Angel brushed off the pain, even as chunks of his metallic legs broke off. He stared at the dog-like voidbeast below him, and he smashed its head with the Hammer of Justice. It yelped as it crashed down into the purple mist.

His eyes flickered, seeing the first voidbeast charging him from behind. He spun around just in time to block the charge with his lance. He was sent tumbling down as he failed to phase through the cluster of floating rocks around him.

That is right, Z357 told himself as he remembered. The World System gave me a purpose when I had none. I cannot fail it.

The serpent-like voidbeast crashed into him once again, but this time, he was prepared. He created a dozen lances as they shot forward, striking the creature’s hard skin. It screeched in pain, and he struck down with the original lance, glowing gold.

The attack drew blood, but the serpent-like voidbeast began to regenerate. The angel’s eyes flickered, expecting that. So he followed up with another Technique. He aimed his hammer at the creature.

Three Point Laser, he called out, and streaks of red beams shot out. It ripped the serpent-like voidbeast apart, killing the creature before it could regenerate.

Guardian Angel Z357 drew back, turning to face the remaining voidbeast. The dog-like creature that ran through the air. It charged at him as he raised the Hammer of Justice. The weapon was overcome by a crimson glow— taking the shape of a larger warhammer that was the size of a small building.

Strike of the Divine. He swung down with enough force to destroy a country. In an instant, the voidbeast was gone. The nearby voidlings were obliterated.

There was a brief moment where the encroaching purple mist cleared. And then it began to gather once again as he heard the twisted cries of voidlings. He raised his head, seeing millions more of the tiny creatures wading their way to him. And amongst them were the looming figures of the voidbeasts. They came for him. An unending wave.

And he began to call out his Techniques.

Heavenly Meteor Shower. Lance Duplication. Pinpoint Eradication—

 

—---

Z357 had nothing left. He ignored the blue screen, even as he sensed a shift in all of Askan. The entire world had changed— something had intruded into the universe, slowly taking over the fabric of reality. But he didn’t care.

He had no purpose. No reason to fight. He wept in silence. He cried alone, no one to hear of his plight for all eternity. Because of his design. And nothing could ever change that. His creator was dead, and he would soon be dead too…

[But it would be such a shame for one as powerful as you to perish,] a golden box flashed before his twelve eyes, and he blinked.

What? he wondered to himself as he stared at the glowing words. You can… hear me?

[I am the World System,] came the reply. [I am all powerful, and I am all knowing. Hearing your thoughts is but a simple feat.]

The World System? Z357 stared at the flashing screen for a moment longer.

[Indeed. Ordinarily, I would not communicate with any single individual, but I have detected an extraordinary potential from you, so I have reached out to you myself.]

I… what is going on? Are you invading Askan? the machine asked as he tried to process the floating words. Why are you doing this?

[Invading Askan?] the golden box mused. [No, I would say I am blessing it with my guidance. Just as I am offering to grant you my miracles.]

Grant me your miracles? But why? Z357 stared, completely befuddled. What do you gain from this?

[I shall gain your strength. Your might. Your loyalty. And when the time comes, I shall call for your power to liberate even more worlds.]

My loyalty? The machine paused, his mind whirling. This was it. He could finally have a purpose again. But… why should he listen to this floating golden box? Why should he trust it? He hesitated for a moment, unsure where to accept the offer. But it continued.

[Become my angel,] said the World System. [In exchange, I shall answer any of your wishes.]

And Z357 raised his head. He slowly rose to his feet as he considered this offer. A part of him told him not to take it, but the rest of his being screamed at him to say yes. He looked down towards the green planet, before mechanically turning back towards the golden box.

Give me a voice, Z357 said as he proffered a hand forward. Let me speak, and I shall be your sword.

The golden box flashed, before dimming. [Your wish has been granted.]

 

—--

 

How long had it been? Guardian Angel Z357 didn’t know. He slew voidling after voidling, voidbeast after voidbeast. But the swarm of void creatures never stalled. The blanket of mist didn’t dissipate.

The machine began to fall apart, his wiring exposed, and his metal armor peeling off. But he couldn’t give up. He had to keep fighting. For his new master. For the World System. He had to carry out the directives he had been given. He had to stop the return of the Fal-Deus.

Or at least, that was what he repeatedly told himself as he culled the masses of voidlings. A hawk-like voidbeast flew up towards him, and he threw his lance forward. It tore straight through the voidbeast, before zipping back into the palm of his hand, coated in purple blood.

But he couldn’t rest. He spun around, expecting to see even more voidlings gathered behind him. Perhaps a voidbeast or two, ready to pounce on him. However… there was nothing there.

What…? The angel scanned his surroundings, and he realized that he was alone. The Fractured Realm was empty. This is not right.

He landed atop a nearby moon, waiting for the next swarm of voidlings to come. And then he felt it— the world itself shaking around him. Reality seemed to twist, almost warping as the mist receded. His twelve eyes went wide when he saw a towering thing emerge from the darkness.

It was… a voidbeast. But different. It was something larger— something more. It was unlike the others he had killed. Those that came at him mindlessly, trying to rip him apart.

This voidbeast approached him slowly. Like a wall of the Void, encroaching on him with blazing eyes that was reminiscent of the Fal-Deus. It was a giant shadow that completely dwarfed the angel in size.

He stared at this terrible thing, and for the first time in his life, he was terrified. Stricken by terror. Whatever this creature was, it should not have been here. It should not have been in the Fractured Realm. It should not have existed. But it was here, and it glared down at him with enough force to make him kneel.

Guardian Angel Z357 would have collapsed to his knees. But he clutched onto the only purpose he had left— to serve the World System— and he raised his weapons. The lance he had been given by the World System, and the Hammer of Justice made by his creator.

He looked up towards this thing, before calling out. In the name of the World System, I shall eradicate you.

With that he leapt up, unleashing all his Techniques he could at the creature. But it didn’t scathe the beast. It simply raised a single claw emerged from the darkness, before swinging down at him as his twelve eyes went wide.

And then there was nothing left.

 

—--

 

“The angel is dead,” Kallistus whispered as he stared into where the rift once was.

His eyes were rolled back, and the whites of his eyes were inked black. Slowly, he lowered his head. Behind him, three figures clad in the Void’s essence were gathered. The [Hero King]’s most faithful followers.

Ammon, Rakash, and Si-Vus. They knelt before him as he spoke, striding forward in the destroyed dark chamber.

“The World System’s slave is gone, and I can act in peace.” He looked up towards the hole in the ceiling— where a pillar of light was being shone down below. “Now there is nothing left in my way.”

Ammon rose, taking a step forward. “My King, we have already located the girl, and we have sent out an elite group to procure her—”

“I no longer need her, Ammon,” Kallistus Kal said as he faced the sky above.

And Ammon blinked. “I beg your pardon, my King?”

“I have learned much during my time in the fringes of the Fractured Realm,” the [Hero King] continued as he spun around. He walked past the three figures waiting for him. “Now all I need is time.”

“But what about the girl?” Ammon sputtered, and Kallistus paused for a moment.

He craned his neck head back fractionally, before giving a dismissive answer. “Have her killed. Ensure that no one else from the Sect of Abyssal Thorns can seek out her knowledge. After all, I am the Void’s Heir, and only I am allowed to inherit the secrets of the Fal-Deus.”

Ammon, Rakash, and Si-Vus dropped to their knees once more. “Yes, my King!”

With that, Kallistus Kal left the chamber behind, returning to his throne once more.

 

MelasD

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