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Chapter 864 - Nevermore: Twin Emperor Identified
🕑 Added 2024-03-05 11:41:38 +0000 UTCFor the longest time, Jake had found Sylphie’s version of stealth very endearing and silly while also naturally being utterly useless. She believed that by simply making a giant tornado and hiding within it, no one would notice anything was amiss and just ignore it. She thought the same when it came to hiding sound: just make so much noise no one can hear anything, and you’re good.
Well… it turns out Sylphie had kind of been correct all along? The problem all along had just been that Sylphie didn’t do her stealth technique on a big enough scale.
If a small tornado was ripping apart an area, someone would notice it. However, if a giant gust of wind flew by, while people would surely notice it, few would instantly connect it to a small green hawk. Especially not when said small green hawk was merged with the wind itself, effectively making her a natural phenomenon. At least it it did work on this planet, as no one bothered Jake and Sylphie during their travels.
Jake could already imagine the horrors of Sylphie’s stealth technique when she got even stronger. Giant hurricanes would wash across planets just in her attempts to hide within.
Of course, Sylphie’s stealth did have the issue of not really working when not traveling swiftly, as a giant gust of wind not moving or just flying in circles creating a tornado was definitely suspicious. The giant gust did have some advantages unforeseen advantages, though, such as allowing Jake to ride alongside it.
Even with all Jake’s improvements to One Step, Thousand Miles, he was still not as fast as Sylphie, so having her adjust her speed to boost Jake was a big help. It allowed the two of them to travel across the Vast Plateau swiftly as they headed for the capital closest to the battlefield while the Sword Saint and Fallen King stayed back with Dina to protect her.
Jake didn’t doubt the two of them would still mess a bit with the battlefields, but they would definitely show restraint. The reason the two hadn’t come along for this scouting mission was partly because someone needed to stay with Dina and simply because they were both too slow. Plus, neither had good stealth skills and if they did end up getting into conflict during their travels, Jake and Sylphie were the two best people in their party at escaping.
Alright, maybe Dina was equal to Jake, as they both had trump card escape skills, but Sylphie was second to none with her incredible speed and elusiveness. In either case, Jake was the king of stealth and was thus the best at trying to get a good look at this Twin Emperor to figure out what they were dealing with.
As Jake was the best at stealth, Syplhie sadly had to hang back when they got close to the capital. They found a small forest not far from the capital where Sylphie found a nice branch to sit on while Jake headed to the capital itself to check things out and learn more about the Twin Emperor. Who knows, maybe he could even manage to sneak into wherever the emperor lived and have a look around.
Setting off, Jake flew into the air with his stealth skill already active. He wanted to get some height first to get a good look at one of the two capital cities of the Vast Plateau, and when he did… honestly, he felt a bit disappointed.
It was so damn small.
Alright, it was still pretty big, probably large enough to house around fifty thousand, but compared to what Jake had come to expect from capital cities in the multiverse, it was pathetic. The Fort part of Haven was way bigger than this small capital, and when compared to some of the cities they had seen even on prior floors – or especially the Neverending Journey Challenge Dungeon – it barely looked like a town.
However, as Jake scouted it from afar, he did notice one thing. After using Identify more than fifty times, Jake had yet to see a single individual below level 280. And there were a lot of people in the city, most of them crafters, though. The weapon industry was definitely in full swing, as well as large alchemy labs and others who worked on supplies for the war efforts. The city was clearly still underpopulated for its already smallish size, but he reckoned a few thousand should be living there, which also truly attested to how many were already on the battlefields.
In the center of the capital was a large burly tower, only about ten stories tall but damn wide. Jake wasn’t even sure if he could call it a tower, as it pretty much had the shape of a cake. He didn’t hold any doubt this would be where the Twin Emperor could be found, and not just because it was the largest central building in the capital, but due to the magical runes covering the entire thing.
Jake even felt a faintly familiar energy to the one in the bone spheres, making him certain this emperor was indeed involved.
Entering the city, Jake covertly made his way toward the large building. If the emperor was home, he wanted to avoid entering the building if he could. If the Fallen King was correct and they were dealing with a witch doctor or something similar, things could quickly get hairy if Jake entered. Casters like that were very similar to witches like Miranda and liked their well-established magical domains a bit too much.
Luckily, he didn’t enter before confirming the emperor was home. After circling the building a few times and sitting watch, he saw a figure at a window. There was a barrier to make one unable to look inside, but Jake didn’t face many issues to Perception-check it as he saw the full form of one of the two floor bosses.
His frame was large and burly, the Twin Emperor standing nearly four and a half meters tall. He wore simple robes, with tattoos covering almost every piece of skin visible, and on his forehead was a small horn. He had the muscles of a warrior but the clothing and demeanor of a mage. His race was also a bit of a surprise, as Jake had fully expected to see an orc, considering they were the most commonly seen race in the Vast Plateau. Not that he was overly surprised at seeing an ogre, as there had also been quite a lot of those here and there.
It was a bit risky, but Jake still decided to go for an Identify, partly to confirm he was indeed looking at the right boss, and sure enough, it was one of them.
[Twin Emperor – lvl 330]
Level 330 was honestly just about expected. The event boss on floor seventy-five had been level 325, so this one had to be stronger. One also had to remember that level wasn’t everything. This Twin Emperor was clearly a powerful variant, making it incredibly strong for its level.
Not that this Twin Emperor was the event boss… because he definitely felt weaker than the event boss from five floors prior. In fact, Jake felt he could fight this boss in a one-versus-one, and even if it would be a damn difficult fight, Jake gave himself at least a sixty-forty chance. With Sylphie also joining in, they had better than a three-to-one, and with the entire party, they could definitely do it.
Jake’s still felt certain this boss related to the event boss, though. At least his gut told him so. Moreover, when Jake used Identify before, he felt as if something was off. His Identify hadn’t been detected by the Twin Emperor, but something had still interfered with it.
He did have a skill that messed with the bone sphere, so it wouldn’t be odd if he could also hide his own status, Jake mentally noted.
Refocusing, Jake narrowed his eyes. This was far more risky than the Identify he had done before, but he was certain that a successful Identify would offer very valuable information. Primal Gaze partly activated as his eyes began to glow, and ever-so-vaguely, Jake felt as if he saw some kind of veil around the Twin Emperor. Something obscured his sight, making him see false information, almost like a shroud that was way shitter than Jake’s Shroud.
Forcefully, Jake pierced the veil. The moment he did, the boss noticed his presence as the ogre whipped his head around and peered out the window straight at where Jake was standing using stealth. Due to the nature of Unseen Hunter, the ogre now saw Jake very clearly as the two of them momentarily made eye contact.
Well, shit.
Jake didn’t have time to hesitate as the entire cake-shaped tower lit up with runes as the ogre barged out his own window, breaking it in the process. A staff appeared in his hand as Jake summoned his wings and quickly used One Step to try and get away, but he felt space around him begin to get supressed.
Dodging to the side, Jake narrowly avoided a descending lighting bolt aimed straight at where he had been standing. A massive explosion from the impact sent him tumbling through the air as he continued trying to get away.
The ground itself began to warp beneath him as a giant hand of stone rose and tried to grab him, and it didn’t help when he realized that it wasn’t truly space itself around him getting suppressed but the air actively working against him. Moreover, Jake felt as if his body was beginning to get heavy as even more concepts came into play. Far more than Jake wanted to try and deal with.
Arcane Awakening activated at the stable 30% as Jake lifted his foot and stepped down. Despite half a dozen concepts and elemental magics closing in on Jake, he still felt everything around him stabilize as his foot found solid ground, allowing him to teleport safely, courtesy of the best boots in the multiverse.
He appeared over two kilometers away, avoiding all the attacks coming for him. Even if Jake kind of wanted to strike back, he avoided doing anything, as this was no time or place to fight. He was still in the capital city, and all over, he felt auras begin to spike up. Even if it was nearly only crafters present, Jake didn’t want to try and deal with a few thousand of them.
Fleeing, he dodged several attacks as he felt the pressure on him lessen. The ogre behind him was preparing something big, and Jake sure as hell wasn’t going to stay back to experience it.
Picking up speed, Jake quickly saw that the boss had stopped chasing, though he was still casting something. For a moment, he felt relieved until something impacted his Shroud of the Primordial, as well as his soul in general. Energy had somehow appeared in his body that tried to invade his soul. It wasn’t a curse, nor was it death magic, but something odd Jake remembered seeing Miranda using.
A hex…
Luckily, the energy didn’t seem capable of finding anywhere to settle due to Shroud obscuring his soul. With a rush of destructive arcane energy, Jake managed to get rid of the energy from the hex, purging himself while feeling very happy he had been the one to go and not Sylphie or any of the others, as they would have had a way harder time dealing with the high level hex.
Far behind him in the capital, Jake saw a massive thunderstorm erupt as a roar of anger echoed out. Jake could only breathe a sigh of relief as he got further and further away. He didn’t dare head only to where Sylphie was hiding as he sent her a quick message.
“We’re bailing out of here. Fly back toward the party immediately, and keep a steady pace till I catch up,” Jake warned the small hawk.
“Ree,” Sylphie responded, screeching telepathically into Jake’s head.
Jake kept flying for a good while longer, as he did have some pursuers, but they quickly gave up. While still flying, Jake deactivated his boosting skill, happy he didn’t have to use it above 30% so he could avoid the period of weakness. After reactivating his stealth skill, he sent a message to Sylphie for them to meet back up as he had a telepathic virtual meeting with the party.
“So, some good and some bad news,” Jake told the four others. “What do you want first?”
“Bad news,” the King responded without hesitation.
“I didn’t manage to infiltrate the main building controlled by the Twin Emperor, and I ended up getting chased away when he noticed my presence. So, still not entirely sure exactly what his plans are, and I doubt I can try and sneak back in now.”
“Alright, and what is the good news?” the Sword Saint asked.
“The Twin Emperor was level 330 and pretty strong on his own, which must mean the event boss is even stronger, so we’ll have a good fight ahead of us!” Jake sent with a smile.
“… and what else?” the Sword Saint sighed.
“Oh yeah, and I figured out what’s up with the Twin Emperor… or should I call him one part of the Twinhead Emperor,” Jake said as he referred to the successful Identify he managed to sneak through just as he was found.
[Left Twinhead Emperor – lvl 330]
Jake would lie if he said he wasn’t excited at what he saw… because what they were dealing with was an insanely rare variant of ogre. One he had seen quite a bit about, as one of the more powerful gods who once worked with the Order had been one and had even authored quite a few books Jake had read.
“Are you saying it’s a…?” Dina began.
“Yep, we got a genuine Twinhead Ogre on our hands,” Jake said with glee.
“What is this Twinhead Ogre you speak of?” the Sword Saint questioned.
“Oh man, they are quite something…” Jake said as he began explaining this fascinating race.
Twinhead Ogres were as rare as they were interesting in the multiverse. For creatures to have more than one head wasn’t actually that rare – see hydras as one example – but those heads were just natural parts of the main creature. They were more like extra arms or something. It wasn’t as if every head was its own living entity.
A Twinhead Ogre legitimately had two heads and two minds. Mind you, they still shared the same Truesoul, but the rest of the soul was split in two. Each could have entirely independent thoughts and act entirely on their own. This meant that one Twinhead Ogre could also do two things at once and research two topics at the same time, far more effectively than borderline any other race. In combat, they could also do two things at once, making them formidable foes… when the two heads got along, that is.
Because Twinhead Ogres also had quite the disadvantages. First of all, as each head was its own, but they shared one body, there could be a lack of unity, especially when it came to combat. They had to be in agreement, or they could often fight very sloppily. Growth-wise, they were also facing some challenges. They were a bit like Jake and his Anomalous Soul in this regard. Their souls were very different from usual creatures, making them require more experience per level and evolutions a lot harder, resulting in most Twinhead ogres never making it to B-grade despite being naturally born C-grades.
The biggest downside of this race was, by far, the lack of independence for each head and the Twinhead Ogre being two people forced to share one body. This resulted in a phenomenon where many Twinhead Ogres ended up actively plotting to take full control. They would work to completely kill off their counterpart and either make them mindless slaves no different from a powerful Virtual Mind skill or even cut off the head entirely and evolve into a race with only one head.
Of course, some Twinhead Ogres also tried to find another solution… which was what Jake thought this Twinhead Ogre was doing. He had managed to split himself in two and was now working on a grand ritual, perhaps with the purpose of making it a permanent thing, allowing the two of them to exist independently.
To clarify, this was impossible.
They only had one Truesoul. Which also gave Jake another thought.
“If they are a split Twinhead Ogre, they will have to meet up once in a while. Seeing as the Twinhead Ogre is level 330, they will probably have to meet up physically every month to a month and a half to maintain their split state,” Jake shared with their party. “Oh, and also, while the split doesn’t halve their power but allows each to maintain most of the main body, the combined version of the two will be even more powerful than them separate, even if they fight together.”
“So we think the event boss of this floor is the merged Twinhead Ogre?” the Sword Saint asked clarifyingly.
“Sure as hell fits the criteria,” Jake answered. “Now, killing just one of them would result in the permanent deaths of both in their current state, so that would be the easy way to beat this floor. To unlock the event boss, we likely need them to merge, but I think the two of them are legitimately competing in some way to kill the other and absorb their twin permanently.”
“I assume that means-“
“Yep, Sylphie and I are headed to the other capital city to confirm… and this time, I’m not gonna give myself away too soon but find some actual evidence to this theory.”
Comments
Zach Newman
Thanks for the chapter
Endless Nature
Thanks for the chapter
Micah Molina
I remember at some point Villy talked about One-Step, about how many gods have a version of it. But was also, unaware of any one actually maxed it out to a divine level. At the time, I thought this was an open foreshadow that, if no one has, Jake would probably be the one to do it. Edit: you add that to what Arnold once thought about, you can't outrun the hunter. So Jake being the one to take One Step to new heights, fits his themed path.
Olof Karlsson
Thanks for the chapter!
Ty Cooper
I really wish Jake would mod out one step. I know he want to walk a path of purity with it but dang. Well hell I feel that way about a lot of the viper skills. Touch of the Hunter is going to be amazing. I get it with those as they offer a lot of good. Maybe that is one of the steps to godhood, make them your own or something.
Arden Burrell
I'm really ready for nevermore to be done. I honestly wish it ended when Jake got 105%. Especially this final level being multiple chapters. If it was one paragraph i woud be happy. Don't get me wrong, I like nevermore, but I'm ready to leave. Especially when I know zogath will have some amazing arc transition chapters.
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
Bobby B
Zogarth is a genius. If he follows the Nevermore trend of stretching out details he could spend 3 books just catching up with everything that happened during Jake’s time in Nevermore. BRILLIANT $$$
Bobby B
I agree Palmer. While details ARE important, much will be lost or irrelevant in the greater multiverse. I believe there is a huge foundation for many more books outside of Nevermore. Granted a lot of great things happened for everyone involved in Nevermore that will definitely spice up everything to follow. It just seems strange that the next 3 books will be all Nevermore. Is what it is. TFTC
Silent Otter
I think the Temlat arc in particular has some of the most important and impactful influence on Jake's character growth that we've seen so far. It's kinda the first time he's had negative consequences to his actions that he hasn't 'overcome' or been able to explain away. Also, we know that while we may think everything that happens in Nevermore has no consequence outside of the dungeon, Jake has shown he holds a different ideology, at least somewhat. This is shown with what happened with Rick the Troll. Additionally, if we only ever got lore dumps regarding things that had a direct impact on the greater storyline, the story would end up feeling less well rounded and full (in my opinion). I think it also goes with Jake's personality to know random facts? All that is to say - Having extra info is almost never a bad thing in these stories. We are all just junkies starving for their fix. Zog is essentially forcibly edging us. What a bully.
Palmer Evans
There’s just certain things like spending half a chapter explaining Twinheaded Ogre lore that will probably never become relevant to the story after Nevermore. Laying the groundwork with lore, side characters, etc. is perfectly fine since that groundwork can be harvested down the line for a big payout, but a bunch of the substance of the Nevermore chapters seems to probably be fairly self contained. For instance, the investment into Temlat’s character. I do think your points on us being starved for other povs is true and I’m definitely looking forward to that, but I just think there’s been a hefty opportunity cost associated with the sheer length of Nevermore.
Captain the Red Beard
Complaints all the way down.
Ral
Plot twist it is a triplets head ogre!
TKOva
I don't think he'll kill EH but for sure it's going to ruin El hakkans rise to power by literally making it so his own people hate him for manipulating them.
Arkenian
I mean, don't be too impatient. This floor this week, cliff the rewards, and probably rewards and catchup with others/consolidation/God chats next two weeks, and then the next arc gets more serious
Cursadderr
Thanks for the chappy!
Cursadderr
Glad i wasnt the only one with this thought lol
Ty Cooper
I mean weapons and armor need so repairs or replacements. I would not think everyone would be decked out in good accessories like Jake and team.
Ty Cooper
I am going to laugh so hard if William steals the kill on Cheeto's planet. I know it won't happen but would be funny.
Ty Cooper
With grades come years.
Ty Cooper
I agree. I think Nevermore is a big foundation for what is to come. There is so much that Nevermore has given us so much to look forward too. Plus I think it will be much better on audible. It can seem daunting a chapter a day, because we love the story so much we want to keep reading. That means it's caught us.
Silent Otter
I think people are gonna be grateful for Nevermore in the end honestly. I think something that ruins a progression story is the MC growing too fast. Even if you use big time skips, it can devalue the struggle if every book advances a grade. I think the payoff after Nevermore is gonna be more than worth it. Not to mention that one thing the Nevermore arc has given us is a desire for ANY other points-of-view. Early Miranda chapters, for example, were much less interesting at the time. Whereas now, we could get a week of chapters that didn't even focus on Jake directly, and it'd be great. Personally, I'm in it for the long haul. And thinking that at some point this story is gonna end, does not make for happy thoughts. So I'll take whatever background lore or world building we get. And as others have pointed out, reading this piece-meal is really what makes it feel so long. Also, Zog posts a chapter EVERY DAY, other than weekends. Every. Day. I'll catch whatever he's throw'n to keep that pace.
Josh Hietpas
Severe time dilation so its only been a handful of years in the real world. Plus they are D, maybe C, grade at this point so they should be big chillin on years to live.
Johnny_B
Also C-grade hawks probably have a way longer livespan
Shannon Bryce
Time dilation in nevermore. 50 years isn't 50 years.
Scion
people complaining about others complaining about others complaing about others complaing.
Scion
time dialation, only been 3-5 years outside.
TKOva
I think the Cheeto fight is closer than we expect. Especially with what homeboy is doing on his planet that if we're honest is concerning that he's worried about the Karma on the planet being so fucked up. And we know that's EHs planet and we know that it's EHs bloodline fucking it up. And there will be a reckoning.
Jason Hardman
Cho'gal in another guise, although likely less dumb 😁
KenTX325
Yes, we have a lot of story lines and characters that are going nowhere till we get out of Nevermore. I miss Villy interactions, Sandy, and others. We have a prima war to plan, chosen stuff to do, places to visit. I think EH confrontation is way off. Needs to start thinking about B grade.
Chloe
I think some of us are more interested in the family stories that have kept going. And then the Artimis romance. Cheetoes are... 2ndary to me when other character updates and romance are available.
Chloe
50 years at Nevermore. And this mention of the Fort has me thinking... Just occurred to me how are Sylphie's parents? Jake's parents? Hawks don't live forever. And that got me wondering how about what happened to Jake's valley and the troll in the cave therein? Going to be a neat bit of catching up.
TKOva
Mm I honestly don't think so. Because even cheeto man knows he can't fight him straight up. He can barely keep up with the sword saint. But honestly I feel Jake isn't gonna fight cheeto. I think that's gonna end up being a rematch with the sword saint. No I think Jake is gonna have to contend with someone different overall. Maybe even the god himself. Weakened obviously. But I think Jake is gonna kick Mr ima make a story out of yous ass while the viper sits there sipping tea and watching the bloody good show happening.
CinnamonHawk263
Yeah pretty much, nevermore has been going for 200 plus chapters and as enjoyable as it has been we want see some more plot and finally see this arch come to close with the leader board.
Josh Hietpas
Thanks for the chapter! Great as always! One smol little thing, there are two “it”s in the last sentence of the third paragraph. No big deal, just thought i would let ya know so editing for the book down the line is easier. Again, thanks for the chapter g
Daermon
This is something I have been thinking about for a while. It is hard to understand the relative power levels of the “new universe”. I am guessing it is going to be something like a hard counter that makes that fight hard. Like in strait up combat Jake wins add in bloodlines and now Jake needs to grow in order to temper his mind.
TKOva
Honestly I feel the nevermore complaints stem from everyone wanting to see what Jake does to Cheeto Prime and his God. Because we know how Jake works. And will Jake be pushed to his extremes? Yea sure. But is Cheeto Boy on his level in combat? No fucking way not even close. If Jake uses his boost. Cheeto is so fucked. Even Valdemar couldn't beat him and he had no idea what it did. We barely do. But we know Jake will savor that fight for everything it's for.
TwistedVanity
Thank you
TKOva
Wrong type of Ork. But I understand the confusion.
Decibel790
The plot thickens. Tftc!
Comments are the place for people to post comments about their individual views on the content they pay for. Just live and let live, stop complaining about others so much.
Marcus Evenett
I 100% agree let the author tell their story it is their story after all. But I personally believe that all of nevermore is ultimately pointless. Other than the bits with the gods in it all nevermore has been is a fancy time skip.
Clark Price
Sayonf this every chapter isn't going to do anything. The gang is back together like people wanted and people still complain lol.
Captain the Red Beard
Tyftc!
Osamaru Ta
Plot twist, this floor actually makes all the rewards in the rest of Nevermore hahahahha
Osamaru Ta
I mean, that's true I guess. They're set dressing, essentially.
Xarow
They are NPC’s they will never make sense and produce weapons until they bury themselves XD
joel southard
Nice thank you for the chapter
KenTX325
A good last fight and some more levels is nice, but please don’t stretch this out. I think most of us are done with Nevermore.
Xarow
Thank you for a good chapter. Felt far more in touch with the story today. People need to stop moaning about Nevermore. If you have a problem, take a personal break and get a summery catch up later. Let the story be told as the author wants it not to match your attention span.
Mohammed Sheekh
trying to be as patient as possible, just please wrap this whole arc up zog please, if only I could warn my past self about this arc
Osamaru Ta
Why would the " weapon industry be in full swing" if there were so few people left to USE them?
Kevin M. Schwaller
love the subtle Ogre Magi cameo here😁👌🏻 tftc
John Balman
All that school work is paying off LoL
Chris
Hittin stuff is fun. Hah aha ha ha ha!
Matthias
tftc
BerciTheBeast
TFTC!
Yaldabaoth
WooooHoooo!? LessssGOOOOOOOO!?!?!
CinnamonHawk263
Yeah Zog is being a bit of a bastard by teasing the end a few chapters ago only to draw out this last floor.
JJB4345_80_815
Friendly possible edit: "Jake sure as hell wasn’t doing to stay back to experience it." I believe that the word "doing" is supposed to be "going"
JJB4345_80_815
Yes, thank you for the chappy, Zogarth!
Valhazstromoz
Makes me wish zog would introduce the orc race and their divine pantheon of WAAAAAAGH!!
Naotsugu97
Cheers!
Burkes
Kinda want this floor to be done with and wrap up Nevermore ngl.
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
The Dyslexic Cloud
tftc
