Chapter 329: Josh Defeated!!!

The little girl happily grinned, void of worries. She believed! As long as Josh came to save her, she would be fine. 

What was her basis for such conviction? None whatsoever! This is what it meant to have faith. She could already feel the fear monster weakening as it could not take over her mind. No, it was her resolve that was becoming impenetrable! 

Yep, it wouldn't pose any threat from now on. That's what she believed. 

"H̶o̵w̸ ̴i̶s̸ ̸t̶h̶i̶s̸ ̴p̸o̸s̷s̶i̴b̷l̴e̵?̸!̷ ̵."

The monster cried out in shock. She couldn't help but giggle at hearing how perplexed the thing was. This was to be expected: it didn't know Josh MF Malum!

But she didn't have time to educate it that the formless creature became distracted, turning toward the outside world. 

"W̷h̶o̶ ̸i̶s̷ ̴t̴h̷i̴s̷?̸ ̷." 

"A̸n̵ ̴i̸n̸t̵r̷u̵d̸e̶r̷?̶!̸." 

Was he here already? Hehe, as expected of him. He sure was fast! 

"I̷ ̷w̴i̵l̶l̴ ̷d̶e̸s̵t̶r̴o̶y̴ ̸y̶o̷u̴ ̶w̵h̸e̶n̷ ̸I̶ ̴c̶o̵m̴e̸ ̵b̴a̷c̸k̶ ̶."

"Sure, sure, whatever. It's not like you'll be able to defeat my guardian angel! He's the most powerful of them all!" She bragged happily. 

"G̴R̶R̵R̴" The being of chaos grumbled as it left for combat. 

Yet, a second after it was gone, the little girl slumped to the ground, exhausted from lack of mana. She barely had the time to create herself a bed of light that she closed her eyes, starting to doze off. 

Her last conscious thought was that her friends from Gemini and her colleagues from Immortal would probably go crazy if they learned where she was sleeping, haha. 

She was just so tired…. 

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She slowly awoke to a discordant cavernous voice, one tinted with pure malice. For a second, she wondered where she was, but then it all came back. The monster had come back. 

"M̴u̵h̴a̵h̸a̷h̵a̷h̴a̶h̴a̶" 

"S̵l̵e̶e̴p̴i̴n̵g̷?̸ ̴H̵o̴w̴ ̸f̴o̴o̷l̷i̴s̵h̷!" 

"L̸o̴o̷k̵ ̴w̵h̷o̷ ̶I̷ ̵g̵r̵a̶b̵b̸e̷d̴ ̵w̴h̵i̶l̵e̶ ̴y̸o̵u̶ ̶w̴e̸r̴e̵ ̶s̶l̷u̶m̴b̷e̶r̸i̵n̴g̷!̸ ̵."

"M̴u̵h̴a̵h̸a̷h̵a̷h̴a̶h̴a̶" 

The creature's laughter resounded all around as its tentacle slowly brought something forward, no someone. 

It was a young man with blond hair that seemed relatively innocent. He was held in a cross shape position akin to a live sacrifice. He seemed totally out of it and mumbled in his sleep. "Sushi? Sure, I can make some, but I don't promise anything—" 

She couldn't help but shake her head. This naive guy had already succumbed to this place's spell. What a lightweight! Still, who the heck would be dreaming about food in such a place? What a weirdo! 

Then again, she would have suffered the same fate had she not known Josh. She truly was lucky... 

The voice resounded once more: 

"H̸o̷w̷ ̶i̶s̷ ̷i̶t̶,̸ ̷d̵o̷e̶s̸ ̷i̷t̶ ̶h̸u̵r̵t̸,̵ ̵d̸o̷ ̸y̷o̵u̷ ̷f̶e̶e̷l̷ ̶d̵e̸s̸p̴a̸i̶r̶?̶!̷ ̴."

"?" 

She couldn't help but feel puzzled. What was this thing talking about? Why would she care about this random man? Sure it was sad that he was stuck here with her and probably already gone….but still. 

The creature seemed to realize that something was amiss as it roared: 

"W̴h̵y̷ ̶a̶r̷e̵n̸'̸t̶ ̴y̷o̷u̴ ̸r̷e̷a̴c̵t̶i̸n̴g̴?̴ ̷Y̶o̴u̴r̶ ̷s̵a̵v̷i̸o̶r̸ ̷h̶a̶s̸ ̶b̶e̸e̴n̶ ̸d̵e̸f̸e̸a̷t̷e̸d̸!̷ ̴."

At this point, the situation felt so strange that any last remaining trace of fear in her heart disappeared. "My savior?" She instinctively uttered, completely confused. 

She had never seen this man in her life! 

"T̸r̸y̴i̷n̴g̴ ̶t̴o̵ ̶b̴l̸u̶f̸f̸,̵ ̴a̸r̸e̶ ̷y̷o̸u̸?̷ ̷I̴ ̶h̷e̷a̵r̶d̸ ̶h̷i̷m̴ ̵s̴a̷y̵ ̷h̵e̵'̶d̷ ̷s̵a̷v̷e̴ ̸y̵o̴u̵.̴ ̸I̷ ̴s̸h̴a̶l̷l̸ ̸n̴o̶t̵ ̷b̷e̴ ̶f̴o̴o̷l̵e̷d̸!̵."

What was she even supposed to do? Should she play along and beg for the man's life? Perhaps it would buy a bit of time as the creature reveled in her "despair." Sadly, acting was far from her strong suit. 

The little girl took so long to decide upon a course of action that the monster finally realized that something was indeed wrong with this scene. If this wasn't the man that she had waited for, then who was this? 

"I̷t̷ ̴d̸o̷e̵s̵n̵'̶t̷ ̷m̵a̷k̵e̷ ̶s̸e̸n̷s̴e̶.̵.̴.̸."

After a few seconds, the creature suddenly erupted into laughter as it seemed to have a flash of insight. 

"M̴u̵h̴a̵h̸a̷h̵a̷h̴a̶h̴a̶" 

"A̴h̶!̶ ̴T̶h̵i̶s̶ ̵i̴s̴ ̴i̴t̶!̵ ̵T̶h̸i̷s̵ ̴e̴x̶p̵l̵a̴i̵n̴s̸ ̸e̶v̶e̷r̷y̷t̴h̵i̷n̵g̴!̶ ̸"

"H̵i̵s̴ ̶a̵p̶p̵e̷a̵r̸a̵n̶c̴e̴ ̴i̶s̷ ̵d̸i̶s̶g̴u̸i̶s̸e̸d̴.̶ ̴N̵o̶w̵ ̸g̶a̴z̸e̸ ̷u̸p̶o̷n̷ ̴h̷i̷s̴ ̵t̴r̸u̷e̴ ̸f̴o̷r̶m̶!̷ ̷"

A black tentacle slowly reached for the man and began to open his shirt, revealing a bloodied chest with tentacles passing through each shoulder akin to spears.

Then it slowly grabbed a strange medallion, carefully removing it from the man's neck. As soon as it left it, the man's appearance returned to one that the little girl instantly recognized as she gasped. 

Dark hair, a young yet experienced face, a guy that looked so ordinary as he peacefully slept. Josh?! "What?!" She couldn't help but stare at his features with longing. This was the face of her guardian angel. 

The monster saw her reaction and happily shouted: 

"B̴e̴ ̸f̷i̴l̴l̴e̸d̷ ̷w̸i̴t̸h̶ ̵d̸e̷s̸p̷a̵i̴r̴ ̷a̶s̵ ̸y̸o̸u̴ ̷s̷e̷e̴ ̷h̵i̸m̷ ̵f̵a̸l̴l̸ ̵p̴r̸e̴y̶ ̸t̶o̵ ̶m̶y̷-̷-̷ ̸"— …only to be interrupted by a crystalline laugh. 

"Pfft— hahaha! Nice try, evil monster! As if the real Josh would ever get defeated by the likes of you!" She giggled from the bottom of her heart. 

She didn't even doubt her reasoning a single second. In her mind, Josh was invincible and wouldn't fall so easily without a fight.

The dark entity felt at a complete loss for the first time in its existence. Ever since it had fused with that god fragment, it had happily bullied mortals, corrupting them and causing their demise. 

There had been a minor incident where it had been temporarily sealed, but it had already escaped. Now, it had no clue how to deal with this situation.

"T̷h̷i̷s̸ ̸i̴s̶ ̸t̶h̶i̵s̴ ̴m̵a̸n̶'̶s̶ ̷t̸r̶u̶e̴ ̵a̴p̵p̷e̷a̴r̴a̵n̶c̵e̶.̷.̸.̴" It uttered weakly. 

"No way! Either Josh has a doppelgänger, or you're lying! Tch— as expected of a villain, trying to trick me!" She argued with her small, high-pitched voice. 

The monster could only stare at her with complete exasperation. What the hell was this?! Why wouldn't this child believe the truth?! 

What made it worse was that its power was based on corruption. Its direct attack power was pretty much nil. It had to attack the mental flaws of its targets to win a fight. It usually wasn't an issue, but now…

The monster had no choice but to turn its gaze toward the man. It would focus on him and make him breathe his last in that beautiful dream of his... 

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Josh was happily mincing the raw flesh in thin strips, the little one grinning beside him. 

"You're doing a good master chef Malum! At this rate, this Empress will hire you to be her cook!" The little one uttered playful words of praise. 

"Oh, is that so? Is the job even paid well?" he raised an eyebrow while shooting her an inquisitive glare. 

"Oh oh oh! Of course! This Empress is the true Empress in this entire land. I am the one that protects this realm from the flying barbarians, the miming miscreants, the—"

"Get to the point, Empress true Empress…." Josh joked. 

"It's just true Empress! Plus, you haven't even listened to the best part! I was about to share how beautiful, smart and beloved by my subject I am! Do not interrupt me anymore for—"

Josh flashed her a show me the money gesture. 

"Humph, alright. If you accept to become my chef, this beautiful and beloved Empress shall gift you a whole castle full of riches!" She grandly gestured with her arms wide. 

"So, what's the difference between a castle and a whole castle?" Also, wouldn't that be a bit too big? Wouldn't mowing the lawn take an eternity?" Josh couldn't help but remark. 

"Of course, this will be the servants' job!" She argued back. 

"Oh? So it's a whole castle with riches, servants, anything else?" 

"A pool! One filled with the most beautiful and delicious fish in existence!" 

"Oh? Like?" 

"The most mystical of fishes like rainbow trouts, pink dolphins, magical lobsters, transforming whales, and even a leviathan or two!" She happily enumerated. 

"Is this all going to fit in there? At this point, you might as well add a few Kraken." 

"Ah, the pool is actually a dimensional realm that is bigger inside than outside! The Kraken is a good idea..." 

"So…is the castle the same or just that pool?" 

"Ah?! Of course, the castle is the same! I shall not be a scrooge Empress! I — Ah! Be careful, Josh. A surprise attack!" She cried out loud. 

That's when a slender arm embraced his waist as a soft body glued itself to his back. Then a gentle warm breath reached his ears before a flurry of kisses landed on his neck. A hand slowly caressed his cheek as a finisher, turning it toward the attacker. 

She decisively reached for his breath, stealing it away. Her delicate and beautiful face magnified, her tongue intertwining with his. After a kiss that seemed to last an eternity but felt like a second, she finally released him. 

"Morning, my love." She gently whispered, nestling her head on his shoulder. 

This was what it meant to be alive. It wasn't about power, money, or anything like that. As long as he could feel this, he'd be happy. 

"Ah, vixen, you've put a spell on him again! You're stopping him from making sushi. This is a mortal sin! Just you wait. When I am older, I'll steal him away!" The little one pouted, making ridiculous promises as usual. 

For some reason, Josh felt that today was even more wonderful than usual. How many moments like this one had they shared? Too many to count! Each was special and made his soul quiver in joy….but this one…

He felt as if he would lose it if he glanced away. How very peculiar…His hands busied themselves with preparing the ingredients while the sticky rice cooked. 

"Sushi, sushi, sushi!" The little one clamored happily in the back, playing cheerleader.

She seemed demanding, but she would accept anything he served her with a radiant smile, even if it turned out to be an abomination. Hell, the more messed up the final product and the more she'd giggle as she ate it. 

Another dinner scene, a fleeting and happy one…wait, why had the term fleeting come to his mind? 

That's when his lover began gently caressing his chest, all until her hands came into contact with a small medallion. She raised a delicate eyebrow:

"คՇ What's this, my love? Since when do you have this medallion?" She whispered sweetly. 

"It's a gift from my sworn brother, hence the lettering AT. I wonder what he's up to recently. Knowing him, he probably came up with new challenges, haha," He instinctively and truthfully replied. 

That's when it happened. The room lost its warmth, the world lost its color, and her gentle face lost any trace of affection. All that remained was a cold, harsh, and utterly fake lie. 

"Get rid of it. It has no place in our home. It's disgraceful." She uttered with a cold smile. 

That's when he remembered everything: his loss, the Tower, and even the creature that had entrapped his mind here. 

Before, it had only been his memories playing on a loop, but it had finally made a move on him. It was trying to break his mind. As he was assaulted by the power of a god (fragmented), Josh only sighed: 

"Ah…Goddamnit. Fucking shadowy bullshit creature. Won't even let me reminisce in peace!" 

That's when he slowly opened his eyes. He was back...

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[A/N] Are you all ready for a mass release?! ???? It's not today...

Creator's Thought

Sometimes, the smallest random action can leave an incredible mark on someone. This is especially so for one's fans. They will put you on a pedestal and revere you when you're in fact only a human of flesh, blood, and way too much killing intent.