THE CURSED GAMER

Chapter 462: Cornered Once More

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Neji stood in the grand chamber of the castle, his silhouette etched against the twilight sky by a window.

The air around him was thick with a palpable sense of foreboding. In silence, Godmother, Eclipsia, and Lady Luck surrounded him. In a distant corner, Kurai sat, her gaze fixed on the view beyond another window

Apart from Godmother, deep concern etched the faces of the other two girls.

Breaking the silence with a slow, heavy voice, Eclipsia, the fusion girl, asked, “So Kimi is… really gone? Are you alright?”

Neji replied with a simple, “I'm fine.”

She let out a soft sigh, “You don't seem fine to me.”

Comprising eleven girls, Eclipsia had four among them who were extremely close to Neji, and also knew of his relationship with Kimi. Besides them, Quetzalcoatl and Ozy were close enough with him too—and although they didn't know who this ‘Kimi’ was, they could see that he cared about her a lot. Of the remaining five, they too felt bad about the situation. Although they didn't know Neji well, and in Durga’s case, where he had killed her husband, the collective emotions of the other girls deeply resonated with her.

Perhaps the realization that even if Neji hadn’t killed any Gods, they all would have died in the upcoming skirmishes anyway, helped her calm down. Same with Serafall.

"Neji looked at her, “I'll be fine,” he began, hesitating mid-sentence before letting out a sigh. “When will the fusion end?”

Eclipsia’s face contorted. “There doesn't seem to be an end. Lady Life probably didn't set a timer since she thought she'd be able to cancel it herself when necessary. But now… she's gone.”

“I can cancel it if you want. Shouldn't be too hard.” Godmother said, and Neji shook his head.

“No. It's better this way. Having all of their faces before me would make this choice harder. You can release it once I'm gone,” Neji said, his voice tinged with resolve.

A frown creased Lady Luck’s face, “Neji, what do you mean? What’s this about you being ‘gone’?”

Neji's usually bright eyes were like dark pools reflecting an empty sky met hers. "My mental abilities are quite fancy now, Luck. I simulated a lot of possibilities in my head. I think… to save Kimi and to put an end to all of this, I only have one solution left. I need to meet the two Beings Beyond Omnipotence."

A heavy silence fell over the room.

The three women exchanged glances. Eclipsia, unaware of the gravity of Neji's words, looked on in confusion.

With a light chuckle, Godmother interjected, "Part of me wants to advise against it, but another part suggests letting you be. After all, you do hold their Gamer System. But I'm unsure. The First Gamer wasn't favored by them, he even had debuffs because he cursed them and they got annoyed.” Her red eyes were colder than the night as she shook her head, “Child, those beings aren't like any you have encountered. They're enigmas; they hold powers beyond our grasp. Even the primordial can’t touch them. This could change everything, but perhaps not in the way you want.”

A shadow of doubt crossed Lady Luck’s features. "I am against it. Normally, it's wise to at least try reaching out for help when in a tight situation; after all, even if help doesn't come, you're losing nothing. But this… it's different. It's like stepping into an abyss without knowing its depth.” 

She continued, “But these beings are not normal. The two of them are from outside the boundaries of known creation, and the only thing outside creation is the void. So a lot of us believe that they are Eldritch horrors who took humanoid forms. They are not trustable. What if reaching out to them annoys them? What if they end you because they don't like how you look? Or what if they find your situation merely amusing and do provide your wish, but in a bad way? For example, if you wish to be the richest person in your family; and the wish is completed by all of your family members dying. Neji, think this through."

Neji’s gaze swept across the room, taking in each of their faces. While she had a point, he had made his decision already. "I have no other choice, Luck. It's just how things are. They're the only ones who can help me fix… all of this. At least I hope they can. I may be hoping for too much, but I want to stick to that hope. What happened to Kimi, the ripples it sent across the Omniverse… it's beyond you, and me too. The Director was older than the Omniverse, yet she still died. I’m not about to wait for the Gods to come crashing down on us again.”

Eclipsia closed the distance between them, enveloping him in a comforting embrace. “Neji… I agree with them, but I agree with you more. But just remember, in seeking these entities, you're also exposing yourself to forces that we can't predict or control. Be careful.”

These words were reassurance in the pool of uncertainty he was in. He hugged her back tightly and sniffed her neck.

Godmother sighed. "The balance you seek to restore requires more than just resolve. It requires wisdom. But how can you be wiser than entities older than time and beyond? I just wish you safety.”

Neji's response was a nod, acknowledging their concerns. "I understand the risks.”

Lady Luck’s lips trembled slightly as she looked at him, “I know you do, but… I'm against it, Neji. I saw them one time. They're scary. I don't want you to meet them.”

“I'm sorry,” Neji hugged her. “I'll have to do this. To return you the promise I made. I was supposed to free you in five hundred years, and although you escaped by yourself before that, I'll stick to that promise. I’ll return your freedom.”

“....”

Something flashed across Luck’s face, but Neji missed it since her face was buried in his chest. The two of them hugged. They just stood in the spot as minutes passed.

Neji gently pushed her back to look into her eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but Kurai’s voice from a nearby window interrupted him.

“How do you plan to reach out to them?” She asked, turning her small head at him.

“Sisty said she'll help. Since they are the Admins of the system, Sisty can send notifications to them to warn them about any rule the Gamer might break.” Neji said. “She’s already used that function to notify them that I want to talk to them. If a normal notification doesn't work, she will fake a rule break and notify them.”

“The second option doesn't sound like a good idea. That's basically tricking them, what if they get mad? Don't do it, Neji.” Lady Luck said, and Neji laughed dryly.

“Sadly, that seems to be the only choice left now. It's been a while since Sisty sent the first notification, and they haven't replied. It's not like they're normal people who are busy showering or eating, they could have sent back anything with a thought. So I'll need to take the second option now.”

“But…” Lady Luck paused. The light in her eyes trembled and she smiled. 

She had a plan. She was unsure if this was the right choice, but if he was certain about his choice, she had to make hers. She had to do her best to help him out, one last time. She couldn’t put him down again, the trust she had on her.

But… was this right? He would be very mad. Luck began to ponder, while Neji shot her a confused look. He opened his mouth, but he couldn’t talk.

– Boom!

The world came to a halt. All of Neji's senses screamed. In an instant, the sound of explosions was heard coming from the direction they entered the castle. 

It was an enemy attack.

“I told you to not run!!! Lili, come out!” the Primordial’s primal roar threatened the Godmother, who blinked at the distant voice before laughing it off.

“Ah, stupid bastard. So persistent. The Primordial God is here.” The Godmother of All Demons prepared for battle and said, while Neji got into a battle stance. “He isn't alone. This isn't good. I don’t know where we can hide if not here.”

“I-”

“I have an idea. Neji needs to go.” Lady Luck said, grabbing him by the collar. The situation was tense, they were sweating, but she managed a smile at him. “I'm not sure how effective it will be, but unlike ‘fate’, ‘luck’ is still a concept on the higher scale of things. As in, the scale of those two Outerversal entities. This should help even a little. Use this well.”

“Luck, what-”

Lady Luck leaned in. Her lips pressed on him, and Neji's body glowed. An immense number of ‘Lucky Vibes’ – for the lack of a better word – was entering him. His Luck Stat was surging up like the flow of a Quasar Beam.

Lady Luck’s body let out a golden steam, cracks formed on her existence.

Neji immediately tried to push her back; he could see that whatever she was doing was hurting her. But she didn't budge; Lady Luck was still stronger than him, so he was locked. Her power, her existence, streamed into his body to empower his luck, while her body began to grow smaller in size.

– Boom!

Explosions and yells were coming closer; the Primordial God was walking deeper into the castle. For whatever reason, he wasn’t shooting his breath attack, perhaps to torment Neji, or perhaps it was some secret this realm or maybe this castle held, but that bought Neji some time.

But that time wasn’t looking good. In seconds, Lady Luck was the size of a Barbie doll. Yet she didn't stop. Neji's eyes shot towards the Godmother in a call for help, who sighed and stepped forward. She flickered a finger between their lips; they were immediately separated and Luck was thrown to the ground.

“What do you think you're doing, Luck?!” Neji was angry as he rushed at her little self, glaring at her. “That'll kill you!”

“Cough—! I-” she coughed as Neji crouched down beside her, gently lifting her up on his palm. “It's alright. As long as it keeps you safe, right? After all, you'll fix it all later anyway.”

“....”

Neji held her toy-sized self with a strange look in his eyes. He sighed and brought her closer to his nose. He rubbed her small nose with his. “Let's hope this gives us an edge in whatever challenges are incoming. Like the Primordial.”

“No,” Tiny Luck hugged his face. “Do that fake notification now. You need to go.”

“What?! No! I will fight-” Neji started, but Eclipsia growled.

“Sisty, right? Notify the false report right now, otherwise your host is going to die." She mostly sounded like Nejire as she yelled, and despite Neji’s will, Sisty agreed with Eclipsia.

[I am sorry, Matser. It's done, I’ve sent a false report.]

Neji growled. He looked at Eclipsia and Godmother, pointing at Luck. “Then at least take care of her, alright? She might not be of any help to you right now, but don’t let her die!”

“We won’t let her die,” Eclipsia replied in a ripple of multiple voices. She picked up Luck and gently put her above her hair.

– Boom! 

“Lili! Come out!” The Primordial’s voice boomed out, it appeared that he was only a few rooms down the hall. The sound of the Primordial warming up his beam filled the area, but there didn’t seem to be any action from the System’s Admins.

Godmother stood in front of Neji, while Kurai jumped on Neji’s shoulders, as they faced the door. They watched as the Primordial God’s beam blasted the roof above them. Now they could see the outside world, but it was no longer what it was a few minutes ago. Instead of an ever-shifting landscape, they were greeted with nothing. In the wake of the Primordials rampage only the void remained.

There were no colors anymore, and all sound died when the Primordial entered. His hulking red figure was the focus of the world. The plants that God Mother nurtured died out, the room began to break down. 

Only the Primordial remained, as did his wife Eurynome Celestine. She stood in the distant sky of the void, with an army of other dangerous entities standing behind her.

Neji and his girls were cornered.

“Ah,” Godmother’s eyes locked with Eurynome who was kilometers away from here. “I know who found me here. Annoying las.” she growled, but it was too late. The Red God was standing behind the door frame.

The Primordial grinned, his eyes locking with Neji as his lips slowly formed each word. “There you are. This is your end.”

But before he could ‘end’ Neji, a notification cut through the Primodial’s speech.

[The Beyond Omnipotence Entity has summoned you and your Familiar.]

[You'll be teleported right away.]

“Shit! They're calling me now-”

As Neji's words hung unfinished, he vanished in a flash of light, leaving the three women staring at the empty space he once occupied.

One moment, he stood on the verge of another clash with the Son of Void, and the other… he kneeled before something much greater.

-「Let the sky fall, When it crumbles, We will stand tall, Face it all together…」

A million [Icons] sang in the high sky, some new forming every second, and the old withering away.

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