Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 484 REVELATIONS



CHAPTER 484 REVELATIONS

CHAPTER 484 REVELATIONS

After I finished my explanation, I waited. I had started at the beginning. Luckily I was the Monarch of Light. I could control light with my mana, and with my practice from Genjutsu it made it fairly simple to generate illusions to show them everything. I started at the beginning, showing them screens I received and the like. Eventually moving to the visions I saw during the Awakening process. Making world-ending battles appear around us as giants fought dragons, seas boiled, the sun was blotted out, and the Earth was sent into an ice age. And that was only the crap before written history. 


The Monarchs and Rulers had been at war, using humans and other species as pawns for millenia. All until we were split up. Now that we were coming back together we would be stuck in the middle again. It was time to unite and retaliate. All words I had put forth to the strongest people on the planet. All practically ignored. 

“What a load of horseshit,” someone said, causing laughs from their corner of the room. I considered killing them with a ray of light, it was easy to know exactly who it was with Haki, but I held myself back. I knew I probably wouldn’t believe this crap either. It was all a little otherworldly. 

“Why do I feel like you’re drawing attention to us here so you can rob us blind at home?” Another asked. Some began to agree with them.

“You killed my brother!” Dave yelled again. The crowd got rowdier and I sent out my Conqueror’s Haki. Full blast this time it knocked everyone out that wasn’t a Hunter. They all felt it and stiffened as I released mana as well. 

“I am an asshole,” I said. “I freely admit that. I’ve had a lot of fun, fucking with most all of you, and screwing the other half. None of you suspected that I became stronger after every fight, after every kill in a dungeon.” My control of mana soared, released to the entire room, proving to them my mana was leagues above their own. “You people, taking from whoever you wanted for so long. Yeah, I went a little trigger happy taking it back from you.” 

That was one major difference between these people and I. I didn’t hurt citizens. Granted I inadvertently did by stealing resources, but I never physically hurt anyone that wasn’t a Hunter. Every canon had it’s dark side that the story never told. I had heard tale after tale of these people taking from people, killing those that caused a stink. Some of it was justified, most of it wasn’t. So, yes, I wanted them to get a taste of their own medicine. I had been that weak Hunter they took advantage of before I became a Player. I had maybe gone a little overboard, but I had fun doing it.  

I locked eyes with the guildmaster of Hellfire. “You had the wife of a competitor killed. He wasn’t in the right headspace during a dungeon clearing. His entire team was killed. You-” I pointed at the sister of one of my lovers. “Got drunk and set fire to a bar in Queenstown.” I sighed, pointing at the last person whose deeds I knew of. “You, killed-” They tried to shoot a venomous dart at me. I caught it in the air, breaking the needle with hardly any effort. “You let Hellsinki burn.”

There were murmurings around me, but I ignored them. “We are fucking strong. Stronger than anyone has a right to be. And this is only the beginning. We could be so much more. Portals open on our world that can take us anywhere. If we could learn how to keep them open, we could take over the fucking universe. Establish colonies everywhere. Not just stuck on this rock with so little mana. Science fiction could become fact.” 

I let the words echo in the conference room. No one was laughing anymore. Even those I had called out sat waiting for more. 


“But this strength had a massive price,” I said. “These people,” I made another illusion of the Monarchs I had seen the other day. “You know them. All 19 were in your guilds. Rising stars, as I had been. They are no longer our friends, siblings…lovers,” I said, the illusion focused on Hancock. That helped bring it home with many of them. My wedding ceremony to her had been all over the news. We were the new power couple, and everyone wanted pictures of us. 

“Yes, even Hancock, my wife, has turned into one of them,” I said. “They are looking to take this world from us, and we have to kill every single one.” Though I planned to make an exception for her, they didn’t need to know that at the moment. 

“That price we have to pay for strength is coming for us. Every monster we have been up against only the beginning course of what these fuckers can reign down on us. Enough monsters to wipe us out ten times over if we let them. I, for one, plan to fight them. Not squirreled away in my own country, but bring the fight to them if we can. Send them everything we have and then some. All to keep them away from this planet that they so desperately want.”  

“Why do they want it?” Someone asked. 


“Great question,” I said, pointing at them. “No idea. I’m sure it has something to do with the master plan of the Absolute Being or something. Doesn’t matter. They want it, we can’t let them have it.”

“Can we make peace?”

“Again, they hate us,” I said. “These are beings that have spent a millenia biding their time for this moment. They probably have more ways to torture us than we have learned to torture each other over our vast history.” I eyed all of them. “So, the real reason I brought you here…” The room quieted, everyone waiting. “Has anyone in this room become a Player? Maybe you had the call to go to the dungeon and decided against it.” There were only 20 of us there, and about 40 Monarchs in total. With any luck, someone was smart enough to not answer the call. 

The room became deathly silent. Each group looking around to different corners of the room. But no one stepped forward. “Okay, fine,” I said, nodding as if it wasn’t that big of a deal. In all honesty I was hoping there were some more. My entire plan hinged on finding more Players. We were all still getting experience from fighting monsters. Though we weren’t receiving the daily quests and rewards anymore, at least we could get stronger. Maybe strong enough to deal with more Monarchs. There were only 19 of them. And…four Players. “Shit,” I mumbled. 


“Let’s say we believe you,” Thomas said from the front of the room. “Let’s say there is a group of individuals out there, as strong as, or stronger than you.” His voice echoed in the large room. Everyone’s gazes on him as he sat relaxed in his chair. “How will they attack? How will they kill all of us?” 

“Once upon a time,” I said, some people groaned. I had started my explanation of what I saw in the vision with the same line. “There were Rulers. They turned bad, now they are Monarchs.”

“We got that-” Someone said. 


“I’m explaining,” I said. “Each one of these Rulers is the King or Ruler of something. A species out there in the cosmos. There are 19 Monarchs. Think of them as…a fairy godmother for their species. They have their people’s best interest at heart. The King of Humans pissed off all of them, and was killed for it. We have no fairy god mother anymore. There is the King of demons, dragons, even giants. Some of you may have fought these species in the past. Have you ever wondered why they can speak their own language? Why they are sentient, but try to kill us on sight? They hate humans so much. This is either because of the Monarchs, or our shared history is known to them, making them hate humans for kicking them off this planet. Either way, every single one of them can be controlled by the Monarchs. We will have entire species coming against us. How many humans are there? Now try to guess how many of those citizens one dragon could kill.”

I remembered this part from canon, at least I thought I did. “They will plan attacks. Each of the Monarchs trying to steal a corner of the world. Killing all humans in the lands. The Snow Folk would probably like northern Russia, or Canada. You have all fought Snow Elves.” Every breed of elf was deadly. “What if portals didn’t give us the 7 day grace period before they broke and the monsters escaped? How long would it take you to get to a dungeon break anywhere in your territory? How much of a foothold could they set up? It would take an army to deal with their best fighters, what if they send every man, woman, and child elf? I have no idea their numbers. Our expeditions usually only last as far as a local boss monster. They could have millions on their planet.”


That hit home with quite a few of them. It was impossible to find every dungeon. Breaks happened, monsters had to be killed in our plane of existence regardless of how much technology we had. “What if they were organized?” I asked. “Struck 19 areas all at once? No backup for any of you. Every country for itself. Every guild. Every Hunter. This is an end of the world scenario, people. This is not some fabrication I have come up with. This is real, and it is happening.”

“What can we do?” Thomas asked, breaking the silence once more. His Haki told me he was actually getting excited.  


“Challenge them,” I said. “Preemptively. On our time table. This would require the use of portals. I know we are secretive, but if anyone can make them, now would be the time to speak up.” I looked around. Easton knew enough not to say anything. So far he could only make a portal to one place, though I hoped he would work on it, I doubted he would be able to find the Monarch’s stronghold in time. 

It was time to offer my current plan. I paused, ensuring I was sensing all Haki in the area. I hoped none of the Monarchs were listening, and the more time I had with my plan, the better. “If that doesn’t work, we rely on their greed. Each of these Monarchs wants this land. We put Earth up as a wager. Our best versus theirs. We pick a single location for this fight to happen. They send everything at us that they can. If we lose, we lose, but at least we tried.” People began to yell, but I released my Nen, quieting them.  


“This is the best option. The only option. My guess for the coming days or weeks, portals will stop. I’ve already heard of two dozen that have broken today. Releasing monsters. They will make every one of them break, and make sure that no more pop up. We won’t be able to escape to some new world. We will be stuck here. The final grounds of the fight they have been preparing for for over a decade.” 


I wasn’t sure which of the Monarchs had been going back in time with the Cup of Reincarnation. But I knew one of them was. I couldn’t let what Sung Jinwoo would have done happen. From what I remembered, the Monarchs attacked all over the world, and many died, forcing him to drink from the cup and go back in time. If we could fight them all head on, maybe we stood a chance. 


Granted I had other plans in the mix. With Easton able to somehow make portals thanks to his Rift skill, we had options. But there were too many unknowns. I needed these people at least on my side before I proceeded with anything.

People yelled over one another as I paused. Trying to get words in. Some left, the exits lighting up the whole room as people became too worried about what was going on outside the meeting. They just so happened to be the weakest of the guilds, so I let them go. 


“Run if you want,” I said. “There is no stopping this. But for those that stay, I have gifts.” That perked a few people up. It took time, but as I moved from the podium to the two large suitcases I brought, I opened them to reveal very sparkly accessories. 

My Inventory skill was nice. I could store most any everyday item inside. But if the item was too strong, it was rejected by the Inventory. Forced to keep them hidden away in this world I had amassed quite a trove of weird and special items. There was a reason I pissed everyone off. I had to make sure the best was saved for the last boss battle. 

I began to raise items, explaining them as I did. “A necklace that raises mana regeneration by 10 times. A ring that makes you immune to fire, another for cold, and one for poison. A sword that will strike through anything, once a day. A spear that is controlled by mana. A circlet that increases the range of your magic my 200%. A dagger that will automatically parry attacks at your back. A wristwatch that will stop time for one whole second. A bracelet that will break all stealth skills in an area. All of these, and so much more. I offer these to everyone that will fight. The more people that come, the more you get. Also, first come first served.” 


I eyed everyone. “I am not expecting you all to fight for free. We are Hunters. Above all, we don’t do this for the good of man, we do it for profits.” I smiled wide. “Just picture all the opportunities presented by this. Dragons? How much would their corpses be worth? Ice Elves, they have the best potions and gear. Who will be there to reap all the rewards of fighting everything these fuckers can throw at us? I will be. And I sure as shit don’t plan to share.” I laughed, causing a few to join me. Each looking longingly at my trove of treasures. 


One nice thing about being a Player was the fact that loot became a real thing. Somehow we were able to make loot drop from monsters. I had amassed hundreds of pieces of gear, dropping randomly for me. “And did I forget to tell you about the skills?” I picked up a bag beside me and dumped it. There were skill stones inside. “I have two dozen, ready to go. From Stealth to Arcane Missle. You break these, and you will learn the skill.”

This was something never seen before by these people. Sometimes when I killed exceptionally strong…bad guys. One of their skills would turn into a stone when they died. Allowing you to learn that skill. No one had ever seen such a thing. They were getting fired up again. But I could feel many simply wanted to take them and go. Unwilling to give any assistance. I frowned, having hoped that greed would get them, but it wasn’t enough. 


“What about the Rulers?” A voice asked from the crowd. I looked out to see Sung Il-Hwan standing. The feral man had been the first real Player somehow. Though he was still hurting from our little disagreement, he walked up to the podium. “They will help us. All is not lost.”

I opened my mouth. I didn’t remember them helping at all in the manhwa. “We cannot count on them,” I said. “If they were really willing to-” I stopped talking as a white light began to beam inside the room. Not from anyone I expected, instead it radiated from Sung Jin-Ah. Jinwoo’s sister. 


As one of the few non-Hunters inside the room she had been knocked out by my Conqueror’s Haki. Now though she began to glow like an angel. Wings spread out from her and she began to float in the air. People yelled, backing away from her. I began to get excited. This was what I was hoping for, divine intervention. I had expected it later on, but now was perfect. I had everyone gathered, it was the best possible moment for this to happen. 


“We have abandoned this fight,” an ethereal voice said from Jin-Ah’s mouth. 

“What?” I whispered, all my hopes being tossed to the side. She didn’t hear me as she began to look around the room. 


“Sung Il-Hwan, we have forsaken you,” the voice said. I could almost hear an echo in the voice, each echo holding the tail end of a different language that the voice spoke. “When you drank from the Cup of Life, and the Monarchs attacked, we knew we had lost. They would have only known of that moment if they had used the Cup of Reincarnation for their own gains. When that happened, we began to look into how many times the Monarchs have used the cup. How many times we have had this fight…” 


I waited expectantly as everyone else in the room did. Some prayed as her clothes became robes, and her wings spread out over the wide room. “Three hundred times, they have done this,” the voice said. “Three hundred times we have been at this exact moment. And we are done. The Absolute Being is staying out of this fight, so we will as well. It appears his will is to let them have the Promised Land. We are no longer interested in stopping them.”

“What?!” I barked. Jin-Ah not looking at me, but she began to turn slowly. “Are you fucking kidding me?! Three hundred fucking times, and you guys still fuck this up?! You stay on the same path and wonder why the fuck you lose?! Why they get the Cup again?”

“Obviously, we do not lose,” the voice said. It’s haki like the sun itself. “Otherwise they would not use the Cup of Reincarnation. No, they go after the cup, because we do help. That is why we will not step-”

“Fuck you!” I spat. “Fuck you and your Ruler shit. What fucking people are you the king of? I’ll fucking wipe their shit off whatever hellhole they’re on after I deal with the Monarchs.” That was the wrong thing to say. Mana filled the room and everything turned white. We were no longer in the room anymore but what looked like heaven itself. 


The ground white, we were all on level ground. Everything around us glowed, clouds high in the sky they were hard to see since the sky was white instead of blue. Massive buildings the size of mountains around us, the being was no longer just Jin-Ah. It was the size of the buildings around us. Glaring down at me, its face was covered by a white glowing helm as legitimate wings sprouted from it’s back. 


“You play too much, humans,” it said. “We are offering you this warning in order for you to prepare. We have given our lives in the fight to fulfill the Absolute Being’s goals. And you spit at that? Your planet is small in the grand plan of the universe. Merely a blip in the scheme of all, an important one, but merely a step in climbing the mountain. We will merely skip it, and finally be able to continue on.”

“Fuck,” I spat. I had seen the visions from the past. They had been fighting for a hundred thousand years. They were skipping our scene so the Cup of Reincarnation wouldn’t be used. “At least…help us!” I pleaded. “Give us…Players. You said you made Il-Hwan one. Give us Players that can level up. To make us stronger. Please!”


The angel or whatever the fuck it was stared down at me. Thinking rapidly, I was unable to read it’s haki because it thought so fast. Slowly it began to shrink. As it did, three other Rulers appeared. One on either side of a Cup, and one behind it. The Cup itself was a chalice made of gold about two feet tall. It radiated Haki and Nen, as if it were ready to grow at any moment. 


“We were only able to get the Cup of Life back when your people were taken over by the Monarchs.” The Ruler whispered. I held my tongue, I didn’t want to say maybe if they stepped in around then we wouldn’t be in this mess. Instead I let him continue. “Five,” the angel in front said. “We will alot you five people to drink of the Cup of Life.” 


“Cup of Life?” I mumbled.

“Yes, as it was taken by the King of Men, that started this whole war, it will be used to aid you one final time,” he said. “Five of you, to symbolize the five kings he lent this power to.” I remembered the visions. They just said he stole the Cup of Life, which allowed kings to live longer and learn from their mistakes. I shook my head, not realizing it before. The Cup of Life didn’t give them longevity, it gave them the ability to gain levels, inadvertently making them stronger, which probably allowed them to live longer. 


“Why is it called the Cup of Life?” I mumbled. 


“Because, that is what you take,” the angel said. His voice, the only thing that I could hear. “When you kill, you are able to absorb the life force. Those are your levels. That is everything. When you drink of the cup, you must be ready to take another life.”

“Fucking hell.” I wanted to ask about why the Cup of Reincarnation was called that or what the Cup of Death did, but slowly plans were happening in the back of my mind as a smile creased my lips. I pushed the thoughts away, in case they could read my mind. 

“Which five?” I asked, looking at the guildmasters that had stayed. 


“We have already chosen,” an angel by the cup said. Raising his hand, four people began to glow. The fifth appeared as the original Ruler disappeared, revealing Jin-Ah. The second was Thomas Andre, the National Hunter. The third was Lio Zhigang, from China. The fourth was someone from one of the Russian guilds. Not the guildmaster, but one of his underlings. It was a young kid of about 20. He looked scared shitless as he began to glow. The last was another person I didn’t know. A young girl with dark black hair and deep tan skin, she about pissed herself as she began to glow. I believed she was from one of the African guilds.

“You five have proven yourself worthy. You five would have given your all in this fight, whether we stepped in or not,” the three angels by the cup said. Each one of them walked up slowly, Jin-Ah leading them. They picked up the cup with great effort, drinking a clear liquid from it. As they did, they gasped and began to fill with Haki, apparently becoming Players. One by one they stepped up, each excited for the opportunity. 

The other people in the white ethereal realm stared on in awe and jealousy. Coveting the power that these five were given. I nodded, at least hopeful that five would be enough. When the last one drank, I paused and stepped forward again. 


“Alright, what about Hancock?” I asked as they finished. “My wife is one of those-” I cut off as the white turned black and we were back in the conference room. “Fuck!” I spat as I stomped the ground. I didn’t want to curse them too loudly or else they might take some gifts back. Instead, I approached my group as everyone began speaking at once to one another. 


“You believe me now?” I asked the guild masters from Korea that had doubted me. Each was stunned, and a little disappointed they weren’t chosen to be Players. 


“Fucking hell, what kind of genes do you lot have to be all Players?” Easton asked the Sungs. 


“Got a point there,” I mumbled. “Maybe you’re descendents of those kings.” 

“Either way, you will be staying out of this fight,” Jinwoo said to Jin-Ah. 


“Hell no, I am going,” she said. “You heard those guys. I’m special.”

“That doesn’t-” he tried to say but I cut him off. 


“It does, we are going to need every able bodied man and woman for this fight,” I said. Looking up to the ceiling of the roof I mumbled, “Now, I just have to get the Monarchs on board.”

  


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