Zogarth
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Chapter 982 - Rightful Burden
🕑 Added 2024-08-23 11:05:46 +0000 UTCJake quickly nocked another arrow to release a barrage of purely stable arrows as he bombarded the creature he had Identified as something called the Desolate Child of Loss. It definitely wasn’t the kind of name of some “normal” race or anything like that; at least, Jake didn’t think so, but neither was it a Unique Lifeform.
In truth, Jake had no idea what the fuck they were dealing with. No one seemed to, but right now, it didn’t matter as he kept attacking to buy space for Sylphie and the Fallen King, with the latter especially in need of assistance.
The Protean Arrow Jake created had been one with the express intent of getting the Desolate Child of Loss away from the two of them and was made nearly entirely of stable arcane mana, and he had even tried mixing some neurotoxins. He was fully aware that the desolation would rapidly make anything he did to the creature lose all effect, but he didn’t need it to last that long in the first place.
From the looks of it, it proved to be enough and Eron, alongside William, quickly stepped forward to help. The healer flew to meet the two being chased as William activated his boosting skill to full power right away as silver armor covered his entire body, and raising his hand, a giant shield of pure metal appeared. Runes covered it all over, the young metal mage infusing it with more and more mana as he waited for his opening.
After Jake managed to land a powerful arrow that curved to surprise the Desolate Child of Loss, the mage made the nearly five-meter-wide and more than ten meters tall tower shield float down in front of him as he punched it with his palm, launching it down toward the Desolate Child of Loss.
Assisting the mage, Jake looked down at the Desolate Child of Loss as he did something potentially risky. His eyes glowed for a moment as Primal Gaze activated, and he stared at the soul of the creature as its soul also stared back at him…
What?
Jake stumbled back, but the skill had activated way more effectively than Jake expected, the Desolate Child of Loss screaming toward the sky in pain right as its entire body froze, and the metal shield slammed into it, sending it flying down toward the upper layers of the clouds at incredible speeds as William kept channeling mana into it to push it downward.
This made the remnants of the domain of desolation closest to them slowly begin to lose power, and with the Fallen King and Sylphie fully out of it, Eron quickly made his way to them. They both looked off, their bodies having lost their usual luster, as if they hadn’t been fully colored while everything else was. Sylphie’s usual vibrant green was muted and nearly gray, while the Fallen King’s gold was just glowing white lines, and both of them practically oozed out desolation into the environment.
Eron naturally knew their situation wasn’t that good, and he held nothing back as he appeared right in front of him. “We are in a rush, and I do not have the time to be gentle, so accept the unpleasantries that are to come.”
The healer held out a hand toward each of them as his body erupted in white flames, and his voice echoed as he boosted himself beyond his usual limits, even using Words of Power to further amplify what he was about to do. “May you be purged by fire.”
With those words, the two of them erupted as white flames consumed them, and Jake finally managed to gather his thoughts properly after using Gaze as he heard Sylphie screech from the pain of Eron’s arcane affinity forcefully burning away the desolation within their bodies.
He looked down toward the creature that had inflicted the desolation and saw it had managed to finally tear apart the metal shield, pushing it down, and even as he drew his bow to keep attacking, he couldn’t help but frown.
The feeling the Desolate Child of Loss gave off when he used Gaze wasn’t really one Jake could describe easily, but if he had to, he would say its entire existence felt… wrong. Jake had used Gaze on many things throughout his life, seen many forms of souls, and been confronted with many creatures, but this one was the one that made the least sense to him.
On the one hand, it reminded him of the Yalsten Shade of Eternal Resentment he had seen back in the Treasure Hunt. That creature had been a living curse spirit made from pure curse energy and the collective consciousness of all those who had powered the curse with their negative emotions. This Desolate Child of Loss definitely had aspects of that, but as mentioned, it felt wrong.
What Jake saw also reminded him of the Ashen Devourer and even the Fallen King. There was that hint of uniqueness in there, traces of something that was truly one of a kind, yet also somehow oddly familiar. As if the creature had Records didn’t truly belong to the Desolate Child of Loss, and yet they fully did, having been transformed as the creature had become what it was now.
Finally, there was what held it all together and made this walking entity of wrongness even function. Because despite everything seeming like a mess, it was all one stable creature, fully balanced and stabilized. This was not some creature that would die within a few years if left alone, though with its Path, perhaps evolutions would be difficult, but certainly not impossible. Possibly, Jake even had it entirely wrong, and it didn’t even need to struggle to evolve… the only thing he really knew was that the creature was extraordinary.
Because the final trace, the ultimate building block that made up the Desolate Child of Loss, reminded him of something he felt was impossible to see in a C-grade:
Divinity.
Not to say the creature was a god… but it had the power of faith, and not just a little. Truthfully, Jake wasn’t at all experienced in how exactly faith worked. All he knew was that the Holy Church was the foremost users of this kind of concept and intangible energy, but he had a very hard time seeing them actively having taken part in creating something like the Desolate Child of Loss. Its entire existence seemed antithetical to what they wanted.
All Jake knew for now was that whatever he had seen when he used Primal Gaze wasn’t simple, but it did have a faint sense of feebleness to it, which was why his skill had been so effective. He didn’t know if this was due to the creature’s impossible soul or because of the concept of desolation, but in either case, it meant it wasn’t infallible.
There was just one problem with using Primal Gaze right now… Jake’s own soul was also fucked up, and having used the skill only once had already put quite a strain on him. Alongside the boosting skill Jake had active on the stable 30%, he really didn’t want to push himself too much further. Having a damaged soul and lowered resources really didn’t play well with forcibly raising those resources with a boosting skill, and he knew he couldn’t keep it up for long lest he wanted to set himself back the last few months of progress.
Releasing several arrows, Jake tried to damage the Desolate Child of Loss as he began diving downward to keep the creature away from Eron and the two people currently being healed long enough for Sandy to eat them and get the hell out of there. He also told William not to interfere anymore to allow Jake to benefit from Lone Hunter, instead having the metal mage make sure Eron could work in peace.
The creature dealt with most of Jake’s attacks pretty effortlessly but did take a few minor wounds, mainly because it seemed distracted. As they got even closer to one another, Jake entered the domain of desolation, his body already covered in Scales of the Malefic Viper, allowing him to resist it for the most part. Right as he entered, the Desolate Child suddenly stopped, Jake also stopping as this development wasn’t bad, seeing as his job was to buy time.
“You… I know you…” the Desolate Child of Loss said, looking confused at Jake.
Infusing his own voice with power to answer, Jake stood ready as he felt a powerful undercurrent of killing intent in the words despite the apparent confusion. It was as if the creature didn’t know why it knew him in the first place.
“We have never met before, so I would find it highly questionable if you claim to know me,” Jake said, wondering if perhaps it was due to the core he had eaten and was still absorbing energy and Records from – even if the process was now painfully slow.
“No… I remember… you servant… Chosen…” the Desolate Child of Loss said, seemingly trying to collect its own thoughts. Then, it seemingly all clicked in place as it raised its gaze and looked straight at Jake. “I know. You pure evil. Enemy.”
The last words were said with pure hatred as the creature stared straight at Jake, its bloodlust growing. It bent its legs slightly and pointed its spear forward, ready to pounce as it spoke one last time. “Unworthy… but must still be saved.”
Jake quickly reacted courtesy of his danger sense as the creature teleported, appearing right in front of him a fraction of a second later, stabbing for his neck. Twisting his body to the side, Jake avoided the spear and countered as two katars appeared, but found himself too slow as the creature swept a hand upwards, a torrent of pure desolation washing over Jake as his scales screamed but still held on.
Gritting his teeth, Jake went on the offensive to try and claim the momentum of battle and set his own tempo. He stabbed forward, the Desolate Child of Loss dodging while trying to counter, but Jake was one step ahead and punched it in the stomach with Eternal Hunger. The blade sunk in deep and he felt the displeasure of the Sin weapon as it didn’t even try to absorb any energy from the creature of pure desolation.
Mostly unaffected by the attack, the creature tried to strike him again, but Jake circled around his opponent, making use of his higher speed to not be caught out while staying in extremely close melee range to make the usage of its spear harder. He was fully aware none of this would be possible without his scales, as they limited the effect the domain had on him, and if he lost them, he would probably not even be able to move at half his usual speed. With them, he was still weakened, but by far less. This was definitely a big reason why the Fallen King and Sylphie had struggled so much. The desolation simply weakened everything to absurd levels, and while Jake could remain somewhat unaffected in body, his offensive might was still incredibly weak.
It didn’t help that the little neurotoxin that lingered within the Desolate Child of Loss was soon fully made desolate, allowing the creature to get even faster as it became more evenly matched with Jake, though he still managed to stay on top speed-wise. He wasn’t sure for how long, though.
Jake quickly stopped trying to deal damage entirely but went purely on the defensive. At least the creature was fully focused on Jake with hatred he had no good explanation for, giving Eron time to help Sylphie and the King.
Despite his scales, Jake couldn’t simply shrug off the desolation, as it did begin to slowly seep through and enter his body, but not faster than he could rid of it himself. He wanted to keep himself in a state where Sandy could eat him at any moment. Still, the desolation did make him get a little slower and weaker the more time passed, and soon, he didn’t even have a speed advantage.
With little choice, he did something Jake had wanted to avoid as Arcane Awakening fully activated, his body exploding with arcane energy. Jake felt like he had just set his soul on fire, and the pain was excruciating, as if he had just torn a wound open and decided to pour chili sauce on it. Still, he kept a calm head as he continued facing the creature head-on, now with a small advantage once more… but he knew he only had minutes left.
As he quickly released a Pulse of Perception to check out how the others were doing, he saw that Sylphie was already gone, having likely been eaten by Sandy, with the Fallen King still encased in flames as Eron had a worried look. William stood in front of them, also looking concerned as he had some magic circle in front of himself, seemingly doing that karmic scan or whatever he had talked about on their way there.
Jake hoped they would get shit done and be ready to move out of here very soon as Jake kept fighting. By now, he already knew he had likely set his healing back slightly, but he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.
Another minute passed, and something Jake had dearly hoped wouldn’t happen happened. His boosting skill began to waver, and it was soon no longer able to stay active unless Jake forcibly kept it going… at which point he wasn’t just looking at setting back his healing journey but adding even more on top of it.
Just then, he received a message he hoped was that they were ready to go. However, sometimes things just didn’t work out that way.
“Hey… this isn’t good. Eron is working as hard as he can, but the desolation has already gone incredibly deep inside the Fallen King. As he is a creature that is more soul than physical body, he takes far longer to heal, and Eron doesn’t think he can get it done in any quick manner… Sandy tried to absorb him anyway into a separate stomach, but the devouring skill simply didn’t work due to the leaking desolation…” William sent Jake telepathically.
Needless to say, that was a very bad message to receive, and despite his struggles, Jake instantly sent one back.
“I can’t keep this up much longer… we need some other plan,” Jake said, a trace of panic now setting in.
Should they try to run without Sandy eating the King? No… he was too slow and couldn’t keep up. Maybe Sandy could eat Jake, and maybe they could try to drag the Fallen King somehow… no that was so dumb. His mana string wouldn’t last more than a moment under the power of the creature’s domain.
The thought of using the mask to summon the Fallen King had naturally occurred to Jake but he knew he couldn’t. Ever since he took the soul damage, the summoning function had been shaky at best, and now, with the King damaged and inflicted with desolation, it was impossible.
In the end, Jake resigned himself to doing something he had no idea what would result in. He still had some Origin Energy remaining to use, and if he-“
“Your thoughts are so easy to read,” the Fallen King’s voice echoed inside Jake’s head, and he saw through a Pulse the King was now standing up, the flames gone, and Eron having backed away toward Sandy alongside William.
A wave of relief washed over Jake as he assumed the healer had made it in time, but then, he saw the Fallen King flying straight toward him as the Unique Lifeform spoke once more.
“The desolation has gone too deep. It has taken hold and refuses to let go,” the King said, his voice melancholic. “I was too slow, too weak, and not familiar enough with the concept of desolation to adequately battle it. There is none to blame but myself… so do not risk yourself needlessly anymore.”
Jake realized what the King was doing as he protested. “I can-“
“This is my choice, my failure, and you do not have the right to bear the consequences. Only I can decide who that burden falls to... and I've already rightfully chosen,” the Fallen King cut him off as the creature landed a blast of golden force that made the Desolate Child of Loss stumble back slightly.
He wanted to protest more, but Jake didn’t get the choice as the Fallen King turned toward him and lifted his ivory claw toward its mask. The claw began to glow golden as the Fallen King infused power into the mask, the Desolate Child of Loss charging the Unique Lifeform from behind, with the King not even reacting.
Golden fractures formed all over the mask as the Fallen King clenched its claw… the mask shattering entirely, sending streams of golden light into the mask Jake was wearing. This was one of the last things Jake saw as a wave of pure golden soul force struck him, sending him flying back as his consciousness wavered and began fading away.
For a brief period, the entire domain of desolation was overpowered and suppressed, and the soul of the Fallen King burned brighter than ever before in a final golden blaze of glory as the King turned toward the reeling Desolate Child of Loss, ready to show why Unique Lifeforms were so feared all across the multiverse… especially in their final moments.
Comments
Parker Bond
Why can't they just use Jake's ring to use the teleporter in the ship?
ABTelford
No! Fallen King, don’t die! 😭 I love your arrogant barky butt!
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Zogarth
Fix
Ray Light
"Eron had a worried look. Willaim stood in front of them, " I believe you mean William here
Will Murry
No it makes things more interesting if he's too powerful there's no conflict and that just makes for a worse story
dash w
Can't he be resurrected again through Jake's mask
dash w
Thanks for the chapie
Kconraw
Thx for the chapter. Do hope the soul damage gets healed soon.
Olof Karlsson
Thanks for the chapter!
SilverSentry
No, Ron! NO! You cant!
greg belokopitsky
Not a fan of weakened Jake it just feels like meh. Hopefully this soul damage will be over soon
Rabauke
All that posts about I as a character are so much fun to read. Like: I might have been..I was created...In the Process of influencing I... everyone is speaking about I or himself...we never know XD
Djinko
September start next sunday
Azayrian105
You know I wonder if after all of this he might reconsider that virtual mind skill he passed at 230. He just might need a thinker to help slightly balance his complete impulse out. I mean look at what has happened so far with him not even putting a single thought into it. He completely debilitated himself.
Anthony Smith
Hmmm would primal energy on the mask cause the fallen king to come back to life?
Darion
Can't have a three way rivalry now can we :(
Azayrian105
Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
MarineDebris
That...would actually be pretty great. What's left of King's soul infuses Jake's mask, helping Jake heal. Would also be a great time for Jake to create a transcendent skill to keep the King alive, instead. We haven't really seen Jake get too emotional, other than artificially by EH, or fight with his very soul. Even Jake's hardest fights, he was enjoying himself. With this desolation, he realizes shit is real, and he's fighting to keep the people he cares about alive. There's more meaning to it than just levels and challenge.
Chris Bailey
Kings soul will help repair Jake's, while his death severly damages 'I'
Sharodin
I don't think I have the right to tell the author how to craft their story:) I am merely giving feedback, and personally, I do not enjoy EH or the artificial "nerf" of Jake story lines. I am reading and enjoying Jake's exploits to a large part because he is OP, and to follow his rise to the pinnacle of the multiverse.
Seen Death
I like hearing stuff like this! One (relatively minor) discrepancy though: jakes origin thing is due to his bloodline / jake juice, the whole origin thing cant be taught, however jake also wants FK to be his own independant entity (and would be willing to help FK if he could- so your same effect could happen, but the details how might have to be slightly different) Idk the chances of this event separating FK from Jake though, if he has to be reborn again, hed be weaker than ever (which is why he needed to become jakes soulbound mask to begin with) But with desolation at play, anything could really happen. I'd argue because FK's true body, is what jake wears as a mask, and just now more energy just entered it... there should be some remnants left even if FKs fighting vessel gets completely devoured in this fight
Seen Death
Like usual, mindlessly complaining isnt a topic starter. The author writes what he wants, if you enioy it thats a added benefit If you suggest something lore fitting and enjoyable the author might use it as inspiration for new content. So if u want to have any impact id reccomend thinking up some theroies
Ryan
Doesn't the fallen king have some sort of void hole under hid mask that does soul damage? Iirc in book 2 that happened but it was before he became the fallen king
Ryan
Alright this one is my favourite idea so far, fair play
SmokeJam
He started wearing a mask because of social anxiety, by now it is for intimidation purposes mainly. Combined with his yellow beastly eyes, I guess he looks a lot more the Primal Hunter when wearing that gloomy mask compared to just his face.
Comeback Kid
Either the Fallen King is going to be a new resident is Jake's Soul, Thats my guess. Or Zogarth was tired of the writing using the King and his limited moveset. (this would be framed as a limit and used as an example of why everyone can't make it to godhood.)
Stevean Bozek
Yes we did. That was the guy with the crazy theories Jake walked in on when he was trying to mess with that knight, the freed slave Miranda put in charge of other freed slaves. The crazy guy that Sandy fucked with shortly after Jake got back from Nevermore.
Stevean Bozek
No I was that fan. I fucking loved Nevermore. I'm glad Minaga is likely to be around more, love that weirdo.
Stevean Bozek
I really hope the fallen king can reconstitute himself through his link to Jake's soul like he did previously even if it takes a long time but desolation could undo him. The King sacrificing himself to save the Hunter who made him Fallen is a major plot twist though. Never thought that would happen.
Tom
Ahh my bad, missed that paragraph. Used to Zogarth forgetting about things and then having to retcon why they didn’t work in later.
Nicolas Miljours
Did you not read the chapter? Jake STATED it was now impossible. Wishful thinking is all fun and games but it's clearly stated that he can't do it.
joel southard
Nice thank you for the chapter
Tom
At worst the King just goes back to being a hitchhiker in Jake’s mask. But also Jake could have just escaped with Sandy and then summoned the Fallen King, iirc there was no range limit
Deborah martins
He was not inactive. When he tried to restrict his wife millions of times with the records mounting should he find the clue he needs it could potentially shoot him way above his fellow primordials.
Deborah martins
I think it was made by the churches passed off princess that publicly lost her place on the leader boards. Mass church people can be extremely petty.
JJB4345_80_815
Yes, thank you for the chappy Zogarth!
Myke IsHere
I just read this sentence from the latest released book "The body of the Fallen King is just a vessel... Unless it is totally destroyed, he will be fine" So he saved some "part" of himself that wasn't full of desolation with Sandy / Eron and destroyed the rest of the vessel.
Pheo
He used to be "King of the Forrest", so his description / name doesn't really change him as a Unique Lifeform I would guess. His title is system given, so I think Jakes Origin Juice could mess with it. In Chapter 378 they talk about the perks of a unique lifeform.
Dirk Gent Lee
From a narrative perspective, it would be odd for The Fallen King to die here. Especially after all that talk about working on separating him and Jake
Azayrian105
I have actually been thinking the same thing but something along the lines of he could absorb other bloodlines. But I’m not sure about it. I mean he hasn’t killed another person with a bloodline yet. Though I will admit it does feel a little far fetched but I can hope.
DDHG
But the fallen King didn't die a real death. He cheated and left a fraction of his true soul in the mask. That is the connection between Jake and King, the mask. As long as the mask is there by the next chapter, the king could rise again the same way. Like I said the unique way to cheat death probably in the same way Sandy did. Though this is assuming the desolation doesn't affect the mask to deeply.
TyranT-Rex
But now you get to speculate with the rest of us while you get better!
TyranT-Rex
I'm going hold on to this theory like an emotional life raft. I really don't want the King to die.
Richard Rader
Thus begins the arc where Jake absorbs the life force and powers of his companions becoming the Voltron of the Zogarth Multiverse….
Luke Scheffe
I’m still hoping that they manage to rescue the child. Or at least trap it long enough for second opinions from villy and possibly eversmile
Richard Rader
Really? You must be the one fan that didn’t want the nervermore arc to end….
Dave Powell
The Child recognizes Jake. I think he might be a "side effect" of something that Jake fought or did.
SwiftVogel
I don't want the King to die😭😭 He survived death once, so he might be able to do it again
SwiftVogel
Really? I really liked this arc personally, but maybe that's just me
Jordan Jones
Somebody called the desolate child being the original celestial child, robbed of its intended fate by EH. At the time, I was like “I mean, not impossible, but kind of a shot in the dark. Just because EH is a false prophet and their titles both have child in them…” Now, I am taking notice.
Kareem
I would like that I've grown really fond of the Fallen King and I would hate for him to die here though I doubt it because some of the golden light went to Jake's mask and he's been resurrected with that mask before so if he does die here I'm assuming he's just going to come back via the mask though that will take longer because he doesn't have that soul healing potion from the system
Esch
The insidious plan is a banger of a cliffhanger next Friday before his vacation
Luis
I think I was created through some sort of mass sacrificial ritual and the faith of the natives of its original planet to create some sort of mortal god to cleanse the universe of 'evil' and Jake in particular, which was likely inspired by EH's propaganda or their religion from before the integration
Dave Powell
Telling incredible stories of fantasy, heroism and villainy. I finally get it, Ell'haken isn't the chosen of Yip of Yore... Zogarth is. What insidious plans does he have for us?
NerdyFellow
According to the Malefic Viper and the Smily boy you can only be resurrected once (besides Jacob ig but he is an exceptional circumstance)
pilarloki
no one else thinking this is yip of yore's doing?
John Durrett
Jake didn’t lose his mask. It’s a confusing paragraph but what was destroyed was what the fallen king was wearing. Face Off with Jake’s Mask receiving streams of golden light
John Durrett
Yeah that section could have been more clear at the start. Saying the golden claw reached out to the mask puts the minds eye on Jake’s Fallen King Mask. Would be clearer to say reached out to the mask on the fallen kings own face…
Conclave
I had a similar feeling back when the World Leader of the planet they currently are sacrificed herself to "fullfill her Destiny". I think EH made some good progress with his Bloodlinr during Nevermore and, as both his patron and himself and schemers and storywritters, he would purposely make a "Treat" he needs to vanquish. Seeing that the Child of Loss "knows" Jake it could be EH's work aswell, as Jake being called Pure Evil was already the orange fuck plan early on. The Child of Loss also seems strangely "emotional" for something that infused with the concept of Desolation. I didn't expect nor the sad part when Sylphie and the King didnt let him kill 'em, but it's even stranger with his hatred for Jake. Let's just Hope EH dont find it and make use from him anytime soon.
Jose Reyna
TFTC!!!!!!
Sharodin
Not a fan of this ark at all... Can't wait for the system event story line to be over
Rahsheem Reid
Im wondering if this will let Jake keep on fighting
Ty Cooper
I don't think I was created by EH because when they all first killed the Guardians. EH didn't know who I was. I might have been influenced afterwards to go after Jake. In the process of influencing I, he got faith from EH's plan. This could also be what Jacob was warning EH about not going through with his plan.
Chris Connolly
Scenario; we find out “I” has been heavily influence by either EH or Jacob and Jake wants to go on a war path and finish the conflict once and for all but he can’t because he is still mending and not in a state to properly mount an offensive. The king is assumed dead then all the sudden shows back up more powerful than ever not only lending his own support in a fight but accelerating Jakes own recovery so they can pursue the fight before the system event ends and outside influence can interfere
Chris Connolly
Not directly, but the king will always be an ally to Jake. I’m pretty sure he gave his word on this, at least his word he would never become his enemy. Indirectly, if he pulls it off he will have more knowledge of soul mending and restoration than probably any other c grade in the 93rd. Considering Jake’s current state, it would be rather convenient for his own restoration
Josh Hackney
This would be cool but not really helpful to Jake’s growth.
Josh Hackney
Or the Risen King? Sacrificing himself and being selfless could help redeem him, hence the Risen. Not to be confused with the undead Risen.
Josh Hackney
What if this ends up becoming his redemption and he comes back as a Risen King. Not the undead risen kind though. This could be a cool redemption moment for the “fallen” king.
Josh Hackney
I think exactly this as well. I feel like the kings mask absorbing into Jake’s will either completely heal him or more likely speed up his recovery. And a huge wake up call to Jake to go on the offensive. Be the hunter we all know he is.
Chris Connolly
I feel like the only one who doesn’t think the king will die at all. To me it feels like he will almost evolve during this struggle to completely separate from Jake and become a true king again. Maybe even having the desolation he encounters decimate the current state of his soul until it is nearly destroyed in order for him to rebuild it anew as his own even more powerful new self. Maybe he has been connected to Jake for so long he even has developed his own understanding of origins that he can almost return to a personal origin that truly reflects his being as a superior life form, this time being totally justified in the claim as he builds a better version of himself through such a testing trial.
Andrew P
I thought there was a chapter where EH learned a 3rd planet had ended the trial and was confused about who 'I' could be. I wouldn't put it beyond them ethically, but seems risky if they have no leash
Andrew K
I'm guessing the church is responsible for the DCoL, with EH either having no hand in it (or at least not realizing the danger of what he was contributing to). The real prize for the church here is EH's bloodline, and so long as he doesn't die, essentially anything that weakens his position (like a rampaging world destroyer he can't stop alone) puts them in a better position there. The worst realistic case they probably see is it just doesn't really help them. Even if they lose control badly enough that it wipes out pretty much the whole galaxy (really not *that* significant a loss to them), it leaves EH in a position where he basically can't say no to anything they want unless Yip directly intervenes (and he would likely just cut EH loose as a liability at that point instead), which they would still see as a big net win. Best case, they wipe out enough unbeliever planets to improve their galactic position in general, get much of the credit for saving the survivors, have increased control over EH, and kill or chase off Jake (the biggest threat in the area to their goals) in the process.
Sacchito22
I think it might have been a team project between EH and the church. Church already is willing to sacrifice those who are lesser for suicide attacks and EH can instill the fixation. I is their way to tip the fought between EH and Jake in their favor, it's a planet hopping planet killer that can strike during a system event (no Villy support) and deal what's usually irreparable damage onto a target even if I dies. Leaves Jake weakened so EH can swoop in for the easy kill.
Steven Tuttle
That adds up
Joshua Kitchen
Would be cool if the king somehow incorporates some desolation in his being if he survives. I would imagine restructuring his soul within a desolate environment (assuming that’s possible and he wins, lol) would be quite the outcome
Steven Tuttle
I literally posted on reddit last night that the fallen king would be the character to die and that for Jake to revenge him the mask would have to brake so there was no hope to bring him back for Jake to go all out.
Zizawah
Kind of like not showing your face on zoom meetings. Just more comfortable that way
Zizawah
Given that even the primal vessel is being destroyed I don’t think the spaceship will last long but yes could help may be.
Zizawah
Given that desolation destroys everything except the boots and necklace due to them being mythical tier I’d say clothes are a goner.
ReadingObsessed
That's a good cliff! 👍
Rahsheem Reid
If the king comes back would he be the twice fallen king?
Mat
and why having a lower grade chosen for a god is usually too risky and a bad idea even when potential benefits are huge
Rahsheem Reid
I was kind of wondering if this would happen. Jake needed a loss to shake shot up.
kingofshibainu
I bet the fallen king comes back again somehow since his soul his still tied to Jake. If this creature is some unintended side effect of Elkie, that could be a PR nightmare.
ryan kislingbury
think desolation removes life and close don’t really have life in them.
Andromeda Adams
Maybe
ryan kislingbury
rip
AetherBoye
He broke his own mask, not the one Jake has. While, yes, they are effectively the same mask, Jake still has his mask on him. It says the golden streams went into Jake's mask
deednam
Could have been how he was created maybe it is one of the stories where they turn to the child whom they've shunned and reevers him or something
DDHG
It is sad to see the Fallen King fall, but I am not worried. The king has cheated death once and that was two grades ago. Jake's mask didn't shatter so far, the mask the King wore did. It isn't something we are gonna see in C grade, but I hope that in B grade with some origin help we will see the rise of the fallen king again. Though I think this will leave the king forever changed.
Wselby64
If that happens I would guess its likely that he would also revert to the king of the forest rather than the fall king but maybe not
Andrew Lavoie
Actually he just broke the mask on Jake's head did he not?
Wselby64
I think the DcoL might be a person from a planet that had been influenced to think jake is evil by EH, as someone else had said eventually that planet sacrificed everyone to make one person stronger therefore becoming the DcoL, this explains the lingering hatred for jake and the faith/divinity. It also may explain why the DocL thinks bringing desolation is a good thing because they were made to do just that, bring desolation to the planet they originated from to kill the prima.
Silent Otter
"Juiced-Up King"
Hayden Leech
I remember there was a random guy in haven investigating Jake and believed jake was manipulating everybody like some genius puppet master. We never heard anything more about that guy. Wonder if he got wrapped up in the church and turned into a desolation monster.
Hussein Zenki
that boy better come back
Ron Whitlatch
What if it did but no one knew?? I bet the kid was a lowk secret so if the system did want to to do it i bet i has already
Adam Fellon
Is it possible that I’s people sacrificed them selves and the Prima to make I? The part about the soul being stable felt like a nod to how the Primas have unstable souls. We don’t know how faith works but if a whole planet of people sacrificed themselves to create a new entity and used the Prima as the foundation you probably would make a quasi-unique being. I’m not sure yet how that would be connected to Jake (or the Viper) but that is what future chapters are for….
AetherBoye
Our boy fallen king has died before, I give him until Jake's mid-B grade to be back up and fighting, revived a third time
Tyler Owens
Maybe that being became a god that blessed I’s planet and allowed their ritual to create the desolate child, would help explain the hatred and divinity/faith
Darshar Griffonmane
I think faith energy hasn't been truly explored or explained outside of how the Holy church uses it. I'm pretty sure that "I" was a creature their entire planet put their faith in to protect them from the Prima guardian. An entire planet focusing their will and intent on one creature would probably generate power/energy very similar to the concept of faith. Then it all went wrong during the ritual and "I" became desolate.
Sebastian Prue
Oh shiiiit. My poor tree man, he didn't deserve this
Kareem
I'm guessing the golden soul light healed Jake fallen king said it had soul healing powers
Paulo Furlaneto
Rip fallen king, tftc
Quasimagics
Hmm.
George Campbell
Seen some people mention that this might have something to do with Villy's kid/system fucking with it, but others saying the system wouldn't have waited that long. But here's something to consider. The Viper basically went utterly inactive. His records weren't important or updating anymore, he was in his divine realm at the graves. He's suddenly active again, and in a big way. Retrieving his staff, using unique skills, taking a Chosen and rebuilding the Order. This is the *perfect* time for the System to start using some of this fuckery.
Sean
I think Viper's kid died like 90 eras ago. If the system was gonna fuck around with some sort of manifestation of his failures it would've done it waaaay earlier.
Evan Zey
Way ahead of you. Already crying.
Allie Fischer
He also can't escape so he save others as he dies instead of just dieing
Dan
Oh I like that, sort of like Vesperia. All the records and maybe even some memories from their previous life, but a new entity with its own personality.
Michael
Ok as much as the fallen king could be a douche, it still sucks to see him possibly die, let alone Jake losing his mask
Allen Hartman
Is the DCoL the Vipers failure made manifest? And it hates Jake because the Viper left his realm due to Jake? He’s not but it’s an interesting thought.
SinCinnamon
It’s a remnant of modern life. He had to hide his true self his entire life to be functional/accepted in peaceful times and still had hangs up from that. People are complex, some fears are not rational. He likes the mask as he can keep his « true face » for his close circle only. No need to control his face to project the image he wants.
William WIlson
I have since Monday, I thought it was going to be Sylphie not Jake and crew but it makes sense. The Fallen King always respected Jake and all of his Nevermore party members and due to that he wouldn't let his mistake hurt them.
Bi-Dailey
TFTC
William WIlson
I'd much rather Jake take a bottle of purified water and pour in some Jake juice creating the Primeval soul revival which doesn't work exactly like the system granted one but makes the king of the forest come back.
Mohamed Elshazly
Jake's origin energy returns beings to their origin, right? What if the mask is actually the origin of the king, and if jake uses his energy on it he can ressurect him at the cost of losing the mask entirely?
Sam Rosenberg
Sad
William WIlson
Nah they would be part of the 8th universe and as such couldn't join the 92nd universe.
Jordan Rogers
I need to remember to read Fridays chapters on Monday better to read two chapters, four days later. Now I’m sick in bed and have to dwell for three days 🤦
Abhishek
I think Jake will get part of soul healed through this sacrifice and we may see an offshoot of the fallen king at some point given life through Jake but they will be new life. RIP KING. You were a boss till the end! No better wake up call for Jake to actually take this seriously and bring fire and fury like the 93rd universe has ever seen!!
Elijah Reitmeier
As long as Jake has his mask, then a little Jake Juice ™️ is all it would take to return the king, or at least a version of him.
J W
Zog's cliffs are long for sure. I am now the child of loss; Loss of next chapter button.
Sable
I think it's Jacob not el
Austin Byrd
Yeah there might have to be an “oh yeah” moment where Zog points out that Arnold has deconstructed it lol
Tommy
When I make my move, the queen will take me!
Andromeda Adams
I like the king. I hope he isn’t permanently lost. That said the DCoL sounds like he might have been created by the church. How else could he get divinity and have faith energy. Also EH making him doesn’t make sense, because he wants to defeat Jake himself.
Klown Keidra
Okay, so my crazy Theory. I is somehow related to the desolated remains of universe 8, when Malefic Viper did his revenge attack for his family's death. Maybe all that hatred/desolation still left a single being alive who has given rise to I after all these eras.
Michelle Maurice
I swear if the king is dead I'm gonna cry
Andromeda Adams
I thought he gave that to Arnold.
Lynderyn
Nope, 90 days.
Lynderyn
Hopefully the system gives Jake another bottle of nothing to help the king.
austin kutz
He's still wearing his boots. And likely some of his harder items are fine too, like his necklace and his altmar ring. So he's a naked dude wearing only boots and jewelery
SilverSentry
Yeah... we never found out what happened to the crazy private I guy. He's been gone for a whole book at this point.
Matt Creighton
We all live on in our records something something
TKOva
I thought it was in SEP or was he starting early?
SilverSentry
He gave that to Arnold ages ago.
SilverSentry
That's fair. He definitely was protective of her after nevermore. Maybe he realized Jake would fuck up again and get him killed in the future before they could fully split. Maybe a little bit of both.
TKOva
You can be anxious around people and still be prideful. I don't think you know how pride works.
Dick Ramsey
Not the king!
Arieh Sochaczevski
I think he bonded with Sylphie and was sick of being tied to Jake.
MarineDebris
He shoulda got that shit back then before he left to go rescue them. I mean, who forgets they own a pocket-sized escape pod??
DeamoniumDraco
Pretty sure the King's attacks hit the surface layers while Jake's Gaze literally attacks the truesoul
Zizawah
So something mundane occurred to me. Jake would be returning to Sandy pretty much naked except for his scales right? How can any clothes withstand desolation?
DeamoniumDraco
I think that is more so Jake being too weak for the bloodline still, so it focuses what power it has to keeping him alive. Aside from when it throws a hissy fit like in the coliseum
Scion
No he gave that to do his witch to give to Arnold
Jake Schmitz
Interesting. By definition, unique lifeforms are just that, unique. So therefore he was the original, right? But a juiced up version would be cool to see!
Zizawah
I think you can be proud of yourself and yet feel anxious about facing other people. I’m introverted so it’s understandable to me.
MarineDebris
I think "I" was born from the destruction of a planet. The desolate, hopeless feeling of the natives as they died. The church and/or EH prolly set it up for them to blame Jake, and the hate and resentment created a type of elemental. Jake said it's soul was like it wasn't really his, but it was. So thoughts and emotions of a planet.
Jake Schmitz
Don't you dare! Zog, for the love of Villy, DON'T YOU DARE!
Exaiter
You aint fallen no more 😁
Exaiter
Fuck him up King!
AfroMocha
That's the working theory for now I think
BumAssBumAss
Fallen King won't truly be dead as his body is a vessel, we learned that in nevermore. The problem is that the fallen King would likely be almost permanently stuck to Jake now unless Jake can pull out something new with his alchemy.
MarineDebris
Jake has a fucking spaceship in his storage necklace that he got from the Automota!! I know Jake forgets that kind of stuff all the time, but now would have been perfect to use it!!
Hayden Leech
I think I’m going to have a better understanding of the concept of Desolation than I after next week ☹️
Karim Saadi
RIP, hopefully he will be able to affect the child long term to help.
Sean
I'm guessing William can trace the karma all the way back to Elly? This sounds like Ell Hakan went to their world and converted them to his faithful early on and when they ended up dying to the system event they still worked under the assumption Ell Hakan was their son of God or w/e.
Archi
So I hates Jake, and he is therefore unworthy of being saved/desolated, but I will still save/desolate Jake
Archi
'Saving' is just what I calls desolating stuff.
Jerrid Klassen
Luceo non uro
Djinko
Next week it’s the last before hiatus ☠️☠️☠️
Aerlevsedi
Yeah, I'm getting strong hints of cheeto manipulation (or one of his allies). We shall see.
Jaydan Man
I hope the Fallen King dies for real. Not any malice, but as a story telling narrative, Jack messed up and there should be consequences bigger than he needs to recover and miss out on some event rewards. His inability to go all out and fight I, leading to the death of the Fallen King is a real consequence. Im glad its not the best bird but FK makes sense.
Matthias
Tftc
Jaydan Man
King's attacks travel through the desolate domain. Jakes attack go directly there by opening a door between jake's soul, and the targets soul. So I think The King would so better if he could by pass the domain.
Stuart Thwaites
I hope so. I don't dislike Fallen King but it would be good for the story. I have always hated Jake wearing a mask though. It comes across as contradictory to me. His bloodline IS pride but he has social anxiety to the point of hiding his face around new people?
D
Noooooooooo
Dan
@Owen Kaz As much as i hope youre right, Jake killed the king before and he stored his soul in the mask, letting him eventually revive. If he dies from desolation, that will destroy his soul, and then it's game over. In the interest of this being a good story, I don't like cheat ways of keeping everyone I like alive, I like stories that are willing to let go of main characters in times like this
Unlisted Pokémon Hudson
NOOO! I like the King!
SmokeJam
I think his mask might actually have received an upgrade with the energy provided from the destroyed one of the Fallen King.
Jim Meyer
Great chapter, thank you!
SmokeJam
@Owen: No. The connection was in the masks, he shattered his own and the energy went in Jakes. I am very sure with the destruction of his own mask he cut every connection, but in return got his whole power back and is burning through his soul which was hanging above the abyss since the tutorial. He is really going out, but on his own terms.
Boomer
Still, he kept a calm head as she kept facing the creature head-on, She?
SilverSentry
Maybe this is something he needed? This is probably something he'll need to explore if he's going to attempt to bring Villy's family back.... if that's even possible.
Bob Fight
Well the fallen kings seems more indirect his attacks have to actually land to do damage the desolate child passive effect of pretty much corroding anything around weakens all his attacks before they can hit and what does get threw isn’t enough Jake’s on the hand work based on sight if Jake can see you his primal gaze can hit you so honestly if Jake didn’t have soul damage he might have been able to lock it down if it’s soul is weak like the mushrooms also it’s gonna be feeling the kings final attack as that’s soul magic and I doubt it’s passive aura can eat the hit from the fallen kings unique skill
Andrew P
Could the desolation monster be an unexpected consequence of EH's bloodline screwing with so many people?
Zack Leach
Then I hope the king can take I with him
SilverSentry
Damn! I never expected the fallen king to sacrifice himself. Unique lifeforms don't usually do stuff like this, right? Because they're immensely selfish? You got me with that twist. This reminds me of the scene where Ron sacrifices himself in HP.
Owen Kaz
No, I fully believe the mask is fine. He will return in time. I expect Jake will get another bottle of soul healing stuff when the event concludes from the Kings rewards, and use it to return him once more. The Mask is tied directly to the Kings soul afterall. The Kings almost a litch at this point
Clint
Very cryptic remarks. He remembers Jake? Or just the MV? Pure Evil… Unworthy… but still must be saved??? Very strange.
SmokeJam
Pretty sure that won't be possible. There has to be a reason why he shattered his own mask and the energy went into Jakes. Pretty sure he broke the connection to be able to burn his whole soul. And thats a final act, nobody can ressurrect a burned up soul.
Bob Fight
Someone is about to visited by angry Jake and have the absolute abyss beaten out of them
Dan
Really hope the king was able to store part of himself in the mask again, but based on how desolation works, I think this is the end for him. Rest easy king, you were loved in the end
Archi
So ell hakan manipulated I, right?
SmokeJam
Started as an arrogant antagonist, turned into a brooding comrade and a tsundere friend, goes out with a show why he still is a king after all. I thought we are bound to lose a character rather sooner than later, as callous as it sounds, I'm glad it is not the Sword Saint. Rest in Peace King.
Pheo
Hope we will get King of Origin (or The Original King :D) after Jake uses his juice on his mask at some point.
Kt-x
Thanks for the chapter
Michael Dugan
I am even more convinced the Holy Church is involved, as I said before, Jacob is a walking dead man.
Reno
Oh no. The Fallen King has fallen once more. Probably for the final time. So I guess Jake will not have that mask anymore?
Ryan Ulrich
I think we will see the return of the king (haha pun) but he will pop up again in B/A grade after recuperating enough within Jake
Laurent Jerry
Awwww fallen king is such a softy
Lawrence Dillon
Tftc
Lawrence Dillon
Damn tree gods always die 😭
Rick Delallata
I wonder why Jake's soul attack was ao much more effective than the Fallen King's. It probably has something to do with their individual concepts but with what Jake saw in "I" you would think he would be particularly susceptible to them
Luboš Hemala
I hope the Fallen King survives, and is separated from Jake, even if there could be a cost.
Hayden Leech
Wha!? Is the Fallen king gonna die?
Jacob Brady
Oh damn. Now there's a cliff.
Zack Leach
I hope the king can be resurrected again from jake's mask.
Invictus Red
Burn bright King. We never deserved you. 🫡
Zizawah
Definitely holy church origin. What an end for the Fallen King! I am feeling the loss already. Jake is definitely going to hold a grudge and we will have war at some point. Seemingly out of nowhere assassin style? Thanks for the chapter and have a wonderful weekend.
Christopher Robin Sævre
o/ Mighty King
Decibel790
Long live the king.
Phasmatic7
ZOGIE NOOOOOO WHYYY Thankies nonetheless.
Darshar Griffonmane
So, I imagine Jake's hope is that he can resummon the King through the mask. That however relies on the idea that this final attack by the King doesn't actually kill his truesoul. Starting to get the point in the story arc where we see why even elites don't always make it beyond C grade. Awesome chapter and cannot wait for finale on Monday!
Ryan Delaune
Damn. RIP King
Michael McMahon
And welcome back to the Friday Cliff. Which will only be a baby version of what we will have to deal with next week before the break. Tftc!
Reno
I was thinking "where's my 12:07 chapter", but it turns out there were delays on the Google/Patreon side. 😂 (I'm kidding though. You don't need to stick to any schedule ofc. Got plenty of things to do anyway)
