The Simulacrum

The seas of ivory continued to churn with a lazy rhythm. Their waters foamed with thousands of fangs, gnawing and scraping and masticating at the foundations of the shrinking island, its edges worn away by the ceaseless chewing of the countless maws beneath the—

<Shut up for a second! I need to think!>

...

<Shit, this is bad. Really bloody bad. What the hell is he thinking?! In fact... Hey, asshole?! What gives?!>

«...»

<Is he ignoring me? Bloody hell. The cheeky sod's just gone and done it, hasn't he? All right, you bloody bastard! Two can play this game!>

Without warning, the shoreline of the Abyssal island shone with a dark, ephemeral light. Countless shapes exuded from the very fabric of space itself, like enormous living towers of solidified midnight. They were as majestic as they were terrifying, their unfathomable surface glittering with the myriad stars of the distant heavens, like windows into the voids beyond the reaches of reality.

Each one moved with slow, undulating grace, like stalks of seaweed in an ocean current, or perhaps like the tendrils of a kraken rising from the depths. As they grew ever taller, the dark appendages started moving in unison, crashing into the waves of teeth and claws like the whips of an angry god, tearing them apart with each sweep and slash.

<Aaagh! Fuck, fuck, fuck, that hurts!>

Wherever the whips of the starry midnight sky stuck, the seemingly endless waves of gnawing teeth would be wiped away, replaced by the water of the ocean. The shores would be mended, the shoals of bone and ivory receded, and the world of the Abyss would once again grow larger.

For a fleeting moment, it appeared that the Abyss would finally return to normal, and the world was saved from its imminent demise. The illusion was short-lived though, as the seas of ivory began to boil and churn and rushed at the shore from every direction with renewed fury. The dark tendrils of night whipped at them, but for every wave of fangs and claws that they dispersed into ocean foam, another would undo their work. The battle was a stalemate at best, and it was still clear that this was not a sustainable solution.

<Of course not! If I could've stopped him on my own, I would've done that already!>

«…»

<And this wanker's still giving me the silent treatment! Bah!>

While the incomprehensible battle of the shores continued to rage beyond the perception of all mortal eyes, there was something equally enigmatic taking place in the heavens. From the heart of the island, one more midnight tendril erupted from the ground and reached up to the sky. It simultaneously appeared unfathomably large and wide, yet at the same time also insignificant compared to the distance it had to cover. Yet, despite all logical expectations, the tendril continued to rise up and up and up, until it reached the very edge of the sky.

<This is also going to hurt, isn't it... Dammit, just let's get it over with.>

The central tower of the starry midnight was so long and wide that, had it been a part of the material realm, it would've broken under its own weight and collapsed into the void. Yet, as it was, it reached all the way to the end of the sky. When the tip of the tendril reached the firmament, the countless jaws embedded in it began to move, their fangs gnashing.

Yet, as it began to move with a bewildering yet graceful motion, like an enormous hand wiping the morning frost off a window, the bones of the heavens began to crack and fall, revealing the bright red sky of the Abyss above. Or rather, it was recreating the sky, the endless frosting of bones and claws being erased and replaced by the light of dawn.

<Urgh! Okay, it wasn't as bad as I expected... but only because I'm already being eaten everywhere else. Hey, you bony asshole! Are you ready to talk yet?>

«...»

<Still nothing. Bloody wanker. On the bright side, I think I bought some time. I guess I'll just have to manually keep the bastard in check until Josh and the others finally finish the stupid finale.>

...

Meanwhile, the battle in the crater was reaching its climax, with none of the heroes present being aware of the titanic struggle of existence unfolding around them. Or rather, almost none of them.

"{Elly, watch out on your left, over.}"

"I know, but..." Eleanor paused just long enough to send one of the minions flying with a kick to the face. "Look at the sky! What's going on!?"

"{I don't know either, but the others didn't seem to have noticed anything out of place.}"

"Really?" Eleanor was still confused by Judy's words, but then another minion lunged at her from behind. She reached over her shoulder and spun around, grabbing her attacker by the arm and throwing it into the air. She then jumped up, grabbed it by the leg, and used it as a makeshift bludgeon to smash a second assailant. As soon as she landed, she tapped her ear out of habit and asked, "Does that mean it's Leo's doing? I mean, if only we can see it, then it would..."

"{I have no idea, but if it is, I really hope he has a good reason for messing with the sky instead of coming back here.}"

<Oh, come on, Dormouse! I'm literally being slowly eaten alive right now! Cut me some slack!>

"I'm sure he's doing his best!" Eleanor declared with unwavering conviction.

<Ow! Also, yes, exactly! Thank you, Princess!>

"You're welcome!" Eleanor exclaimed, only for her expression to turn blank a moment later and ask, "Wait... why did I say that?"

"{Let's just hope the Chief's going to be back soon and can help sort this situation out for good. For now, back up Penelope until Joshua finishes powering up.}"

"Roger!" Eleanor nodded, and then she spun on her heel and kicked a third minion so hard that its flaming head went flying. She then dashed towards the avatar of the Lord of Inanna and yelled, "Penny! Tag out!"

Penelope was holding Noir's attention while Eleanor was distracted, so she was more than eager to switch places and catch her breath.

"Got it!" she shouted back even as she was rolling out of the way of a massive arm. "Where are the others?"

"{Angeline and Deus are out of commission,}" Judy responded in Eleanor's stead, as she was busy fighting. "{Snowy is taking care of her. Amelia is still manipulating the Mana Well. Joshua is...}" Her voice hitched, and she hurriedly added, "{He's on the move. Stay clear, over.}"

<Freaking finally!>

Just as she said that, a burst of crimson light erupted in the back, and the next moment, Joshua flew past her, his wings flaring up like the feathers of a phoenix. He swung the black blade with a single fluid motion, forcing Noir to raise both arms to block the attack. His blow hit hard, sending a shower of sparks flying, but the monster held his ground.

"WHY DON'T YOU DIE ALREADY?!"

"Shut your pie-trap!" Joshua grunted in turn and swung his sword again.

Noir blocked the strike, but this time the impact sent him reeling back, despite the size difference. Joshua didn't waste any time closing in on him, but he had to abruptly jump to the side as the enormous arm of the avatar's body swung at him. He flew around the Lord of Inanna and unleashed a flurry of strikes, each of them hitting hard and sending tremors down the length of the monstrous arms.

<Come on, Josh! Don't let me down!>

However, he still wasn't used to his newfound Abyssal powers, while the Lord of Inanna was still brimming with power. All it took was a single moment, a lapse of attention, and his avatar's enormous arm sent Joshua flying.

"Ack! Dammit!"

<Oh, come on! I know we need the whole back-and-forth combat thing, but we already had a whole lot of that. Can't we just ski— Gaah!>

Despite the powerful blow he just received, Joshua wasn't deterred. Thanks to the support of Sillu and the Mana Well, he was brimming with power that matched that of the Lord of Inanna. He found his footing in the air, readied his sword and charged at Noir again.

"You vermin!" Noir hissed, and suddenly the entire avatar was engulfed in purple flames.

The air crackled as the heat intensified, but that wasn't all. He had realised the threat Joshua was posing to him, so he made a split-second decision. The inky black flesh of the creature began to boil and writhe, and then the whole construct seemed to shrink even further, encasing him in what looked like an enormous suit of armour made of purple fire and black volcanic glass.

<Haah, haah... Okay, so... Dividing my narrative attention while locked in a battle of attrition with a freaking Emergent is not a great idea. Duly noted. Also, am I seeing this right? Fifth boss phase? Really?>

...

The matter not used for the exoskeleton encasing the Lord of Inanna fell away, a dark husk that soon turned a pale grey and crumbled to the ground. Now that he had regained his mobility, the most logical choice would've been to regroup and retreat, but Noir's wounded pride didn't let him accept such a possibility.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he lunged at Joshua with furious abandon, his black-glass talons ready to tear him to shreds. Joshua, in turn, had no intention of backing down. He charged at Noir headfirst, the crimson flames of his aura enveloping his whole body, and when the two collided in an explosion of fire and light, it was only Noir who was sent flying back.

<Good. Now, finish him off, and then we can finally end this whole dumb...>

"Are you finally ready to listen?" Joshua bellowed at the Abyssal Lord, his crimson aura meeting the intensity of the violet flames. "You need to stop this right now! Don't you understand what's at stake here?"

<Oh, no, no, no, nooo! Come on, Josh! You already tried the talk-no-jutsu on him! Just beat him up before he—>

"Silence, you unbearable mongrel!" Noir hissed and spread his arms, and the Mana Well in the centre of the crater flared to life in response. "You have put up more of a fight than expected, but my patience runs thin, and the hour of your doom is nigh!"

"You've been saying that from the..." Joshua cut himself short and shook his head. "No, it doesn't matter! You must stop this, right now!"

"Who do you think you are to order me to do anything?"

"I'm..." Joshua hesitated, but then he steeled himself and declared, "I'm... erm... It was 'nagiru', right? I'm the nagiru, I think! The Herald of the Emperor!"

<Good, now that you introduced yourself, can you please whack him? It's getting harder to keep the sky from literally falling and eating everyone.>

"I'm the Emperor!" Noir declared in turn.

"No, you're not, but it's not the important part! Listen, if you keep this up, this whole place will cease to exist, and then it won't matter who the Emperor is, because there won't be anyone alive to emperor over!"

Joshua's argument was logical, yet it was but a drop of water upon the fire of the Lord of Inanna's unyielding rage, and he roared, "You dare threaten to take my destiny from me, you—?!"

"No! You're the one who's destroying everything, not me! You have to—!"

<Ugh, they're still talking... Do we even have the time for this? Is this one of those alien planet exploding crises, where the space conqueror says it'll blow up in five minutes and then it only does so five episodes later? I really hope not, because I'm running out of phantom limbs, and...>

...

"ENOUGH!" Noir roared as he rose into the air without the need for wings.

"Come back here!" Joshua cried out in return and flapped his wings, and then two of them clashed in the sky above the crater.

<Oh, good. Finally.>

Their battle was a spectacle to behold, sword and claws clashing against each other with enough power to shake the entire crater. Yet, as much as Joshua's new powers allowed him to keep up with the Lord of Inanna, there was something else that kept the scales balanced between them: the fact that they were both supported by the Mana Wells.

Their repeated clashes created a steady stream of stray spells, sparks of mana flying off in every direction, and all the people on the ground could do was try to take shelter and wait for the outcome. The majestic sight of their battle high over the ruins of Castle Shamash put a stop to even the hostilities between the various Abyssal Houses in the city, all of them looking on with awe and trepidation.

Yet, as the battle raged on, it became clear that it was a stalemate, with neither side gaining an advantage.

<Just get on with the finishing move already!>

Joshua was in the zone, and the words of Sillu were echoing in his mind. The power he felt within him was unlike any he experienced before, yet for some reason, it also felt familiar. It felt like it was his destiny, a calling he had all but missed, yet one that was his from the beginning of time.

It felt right. It was like he was finally whole and ready to fulfil the purpose the universe had planned for him.

<Yes, yes. Such destiny, much wow. Can we get to the finishing move part before the— Argh! Stop trying to turn the air into freaking teeth and talons too!>

...

Their power was the same. The False Emperor and the True Herald, the two of them were both drawing their strength from the Mana Well, and as the battle dragged on, it was only their wills that were tested in this clash of titans.

However, the mere suggestion of standing on equal ground was driving the Lord of Inanna more desperate and furious with each passing second, his attacks becoming wilder and wilder. It was only a question of time before he would make a fatal mistake for Joshua to exploit.

Or so it might have seemed in the eyes of the onlookers, but there was one thing that Joshua could not overcome, no matter how much power he had at his disposal: experience. The Lord of Inanna had cunning and guile on his side, and he purposefully left an opening in his defences to lure his enemy into a trap. In the heat of the moment, Joshua took the bait, and when their weapons clashed again, Noir grabbed the hero by the wrist.

He brought his true original power to bear, and in a moment, Joshua's body was wracked by immense pain as the mana inside his body was set ablaze.

"Aaaargh!"

Yet, if it was a question of mana, his reserves didn't pale in contrast with the Abyssal Lord's, and his pained cry was soon replaced by a furious roar as he channelled more and more power to counteract the Lord of Inanna's ability. The two powers clashed, and after a buildup that only lasted for a moment, they exploded with a concussive blast. Yet, even that was within the calculations of the Lord of Inanna, as he used the momentum of the blast to break away from Joshua and dive directly towards the Mana Well.

"Look out!" Eleanor called out towards Amelia and tried to close the distance, but despite her speed, she was just a moment too late. She could do nought but watch helplessly as Noir landed next to the Well, and before Amelia could react, he had her in his grasp.

<Seriously? Are we seriously doing this? Again?>

"Nobody moves!" the Abyssal Lord roared, holding Amelia by the throat.

"Let her go!" Joshua responded in kind as soon as he landed, but Noir only scoffed at him.

"Silence, cur! I'm the only one giving orders right now!" He fell silent for several agonising seconds, basking in the tense silence that followed. "You claim that you are the Herald of the Emperor?"

Joshua responded with an audibly confounded, "... Yes?"

"Then prove it! Hand me my birthright and declare me Emperor in the sight of all these witnesses, or she dies!"

<Holy crap, this is stupid.>

"Are you stupid?" Joshua blurted out with barely restrained anger.

<Exactly my words.>

Noir didn't respond directly, only tightened his grip on Amelia's throat, causing her to let out a strangled whimper. That was more than enough to spur the others into motion, but as soon as they did, the Abyssal Lord hissed, "One more move, and she dies!"

"Stop!" Joshua yelled at his friends, causing them to halt. He then turned to face Noir and said, "I can't believe I have to explain this again, but it doesn't matter if you're the Emperor or not when the whole place is going to explode—"

"Correction: Implode," the holographic representation of the Grimoire interjected, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife. "In fifty-two seconds."

Hearing that, Joshua finally gave up trying to reason with the mad Abyssal Lord, and he raised his palm as a sign of surrender.

"Fine. I'll appoint the real Emperor of the Abyss right now!" He raised his voice to a crescendo, and then he slowly extended a finger. Except, he wasn't pointing at Noir. "There!"

The Abyssal Lord's attention snapped in the direction Joshua was pointing at, towards the silver dome barely standing in the back of the crater. His eyes widened, first out of shock and then out of fury as he hissed, "You dare make a fool of me?!"

"Precisely!" he snapped back, followed by a just as urgent, "Quick! Arrow to the knee!"

The words triggered something in Noir. These very same words were spoken by none other than Leonard S. Dunning during their first battle, back inside the Restricted Field on the grounds of Blue Cherry High. It triggered an involuntary reaction, pulling his attention towards Angeline, only to freeze in confusion when he realised that she was still lying unconscious inside the same silver dome.

What he should've realised was that someone else was missing from there, but by then it was too late.

"H-Hyah!"

Neige's war cry wasn't as dignified or imposing as it could've been, but she was much more focused on her aim than such frivolous details. Unbeknownst to the Lord of Inanna, Judy had spent the last few minutes frantically weaving a plan, and while it originally didn't involve a last-second rescue attempt, they had run out of time in the most literal meaning of the phrase.

As such, Neige aimed well, and her icicle spear hit her biological brother squarely in the back. It did not penetrate his magical carapace, but it stunned and distracted him for a fraction of a second, allowing someone else to make the next move.

"Face retribution!"

The Abyssal Lord was further startled when Penelope seemingly materialized out of nowhere in front of him. Using her Concealment Sigil and speed, she rushed in following Judy's timing, and she swung her zweihander. This time, her blade wasn't glowing with mana. It was just a simple hacking motion relying on nothing else but the weight and momentum of the large blade, aimed directly at Noir's forearm.

It barely cracked the surface of his black shell, yet the shock of the unassuming strike was enough to make the Lord of Inanna lose his grip. That was all that was needed, as Eleanor was already dashing in from the other direction, and she scooped Amelia up into her arms before bolting away from the Abyssal Lord, yelling, "I got her!" as she went.

Amelia wasn't entirely passive during this time either, as the moment Noir's grip weakened, she immediately chanted a spell, leaving behind a ball of fire that exploded into the man's face. It wasn't an especially powerful spell, yet it not only blinded him long enough to allow all three of them to retreat out of his reach, but also peeled off some of the black material covering his face and chest.

It was a perfectly executed plan, but there was no time to celebrate, as the Grimoire's impassionate voice announced, "Twenty-nine seconds until implosion."

<Aw, crap.>

Josh exclaimed a panicked, "Aw, crap!" yet his arms were already moving over his head, taking up the stance to unleash yet another sword beam attack. It only required but a scant few seconds to fully prepare... yet even that was too long.

"NO! I WON'T LET THIS BE THE END!" Noir bellowed from the bottom of his lungs, and a wave of mana erupted from him with such force that it pushed everyone back. "IF I CAN'T BE EMPEROR, THEN NOBODY WILL! I SHALL TAKE IT ALL WITH ME INTO OBLIVION! IT'S NOT FAIR OTHERWISE! NOT FAIR, NOT FAIR, NOT FAIR!!!"

His words were punctuated by the howling sound of even more violet mana escaping his body and turning into a swirling inferno of amethyst rage and ruin, devouring the very ground and sky around him.

<Oh, for the love of...! Really? The sore loser self-destruct gambit? Have we really reached this point? ... Well, not that I care. Quick, Josh! Roast his ass!>

...

"What's going on?!" Penelope cried out in horror.

The Grimoire responded to her question with a flat, "Explanation: High-density Aetheric output is eroding the environment. Warning: Reservoir Asphodelòs is entering critical mass. Estimate: Thirteen seconds to implosion."

"Josh! Quick, hit him with your sword magic!" Eleanor demanded, but he only grit his teeth.

"I can't. If I fire this and miss, we'll all die!"

"If you don't fire it at all, we're dead all the same!" she argued back just as vehemently.

"I just need an opening. A clear shot," Joshua insisted, his sword still high over his head and smouldering with crimson energy. "If I can get just one shot at him..."

<Aaargh! This hurts! I mean, both the sea and the sky eating me and also this bollocks! Are the Submerged Ones really bored enough to enjoy this kind of trite?>

"Josh!"

"Just give me a second..."

<Shit. So it has come to this. If Josh doesn't hit him and save the day, then everyone explodes. If I try to change that, then I have to look away from the Predator Moon, and then everyone gets eaten. Conclusion: Josh has to make that bloody shot, but how? What cards do I still have up my sleeve that I can work with without actively retconning stuff?>

...

<Deus and Angie are still out of it. Elly's dragon fire could work, but she can't use it right now. Snowy is at the other side of the purple inferno and out of reach, while the class rep needs time to put together a spell, which we don't have.>

...

<What else, what else? Fidele and the Matron? Too far away. The Axis of Evil? They aren't powerful enough to deal with this crap. The other patriarchs? Maybe a sacrifice-play for a redemption angle, or...>

...

<Think, Leo! Think! There has to be some way to pierce through this stupid magical fire-wall bollocks in a way that makes internal sense. Like... Like...>

...

"Announcement: Five seconds until impl—"

The grimoire didn't get to finish her countdown, as all the onlookers in the crater were startled by something flying through the air. It was a misshapen object the size of a basketball, and it flew across the battlefield while tumbling and twirling erratically. It reached the wall of amethyst flames, a tempest of pure mana that would normally rapidly disintegrate anything and everything that came into contact with it, yet the lumpy projectile passed through it with ease. In fact, it was only after the object reached the Lord of Inanna and collided with the back of his head that anyone could ever have a chance to recognise it for what it was: the decapitated head of a Chimaera.

More importantly, the unexpected impact made the maddened Abyssal Lord stagger, and his concentration faltered for a split second.

At the edge of the crater, halfway hidden behind a piece of a broken stone wall, a familiar face let out a loud cackle, and Hareng Ninurta declared, "That was payback! For the last time!"

However, loud and boisterous as he was, his voice was immediately drowned out by a low-pitched roar. That short moment of shock and confusion was the window of opportunity Joshua was waiting for, and he took it with both hands. Literally, as his fingers turned white on the hilt of his sword, and with an earth-shattering bellow, he let the crimson energy amassed above his head explode forth.

For a second, the amethyst of the tempest and the dark garnet of the sword vied for dominance, but then Joshua poured everything, his strength, his conviction, the power of the Mana Well, and everything else he could into his attack. His sword beam grew larger and brighter and hotter and more violent until, finally, the crater, the town, and maybe even the entire Abyss was tinted in his colours.

And then, silence.