Building harem town 5, p.27
Building Harem Town 5, page 27
I used his stupid monologue as a chance to leap toward him, and he only just managed to stumble out of the way. His black fringe flopped around, and his dark eyes were wide as he steadied himself.
I didn’t know if Luke had a set amount of time he could be down here for, like I did, but I doubted he’d have a greater time allowance than me. After all, he was a young god, but I didn’t want to take any chances, and I knew the countdown clock was on for killing the scrawny, evil fucker.
Luke started to snarl at me like some rabid dog, and he bared his teeth and made quick, threatening moves with his axe from a few feet away.
I didn’t flinch, and that seemed to piss him off more and more every second.
“I really thought you would be more impressive,” Luke sneered, and I raised an eyebrow. “You know, the mighty Jack. Oooh, Jack is the god everyone needs to defeat! Jack is the one to end all others. Ha! I don’t think so!”
I didn’t have a clue what the hell he was talking about, but I wanted him to give me as much information as possible before I had to kill him.
The one to end all others? What the fuck did that mean?
“So you’re scared of me, too?” I shrugged nonchalantly. “That makes sense. Is that why you and all the other gods attempt to hurt my people?”
“I’m not scared of you!” Luke snapped. “Just because we’re all trying to kill you doesn’t mean it’s because we’re scared. It’s because we don’t care what legends say, we’re making our own destinies.”
Legends?
Luke made a pathetic attempt at swinging his axe my way, but he seemed too nervous to actually step close enough for it to hit.
I knew I didn’t have time to make much use of this back-and-forth, and I glanced at my surroundings near the hill and the lake. With the clock already ticking, there was no clever play here other than using my natural instincts, strength, and intelligence.
I gripped the golden hilt of my sword and watched Luke’s feet to determine where he would move next. He didn’t even try to be clever, and just as he went to step right, I jumped to his unguarded left and swung my blade.
He yelled with shock and tripped as he tried to jump out of the way. As he stumbled, he managed to move his axe just in time to block me, and silver sparks flew around us as our weapons collided again. The same thunderous echo rang out over the forest, but this time, I was ready for it and didn’t even flinch. More adrenaline coursed through me, and the sound of our godly weapons gave me a high more potent than anything I’d ever experienced before.
I was thriving in this battle already, and I could feel Luke becoming more distressed.
Then Luke did the most ungodly thing I could have imagined. He turned on his skinny heels and raced away from me and toward the lake. I was startled, but I wasted no time before bolting after him. I was a hell of a lot faster than him, and he yelped when he glanced over his shoulder to see me gaining on him.
I grinned from ear to ear as our eyes met, and his fear only made my legs pump faster and faster as I pursued the bastard who had dared to jump at my woman.
There wasn’t an instruction manual on how to destroy a god, but I knew I wouldn’t think twice about it when the moment came. I was pretty sure my blade would need to stab into his head or chest to do the job, maybe a quick slice of the arm would even work, but I had a feeling it had to be a move that would kill a mortal man, too.
And I was more than happy to do the deed.
“Stop running, you coward!” I yelled as Luke neared the lake. “Stand and fight like a god.”
“I’m not scared!” Luke screamed. “I’m wearing you out!”
“Dude,” I groaned. “I’m literally a fucking god and twice as ripped as you! You’re not going to wear me out with a little waterside jog, you dumbfuck.”
“I’m not dumb!” The young god skidded to a halt beside the water and turned around to face me with a grin. He held his axe up and waited by the lake as I took a few steps to catch up.
I was sick of this childish shit, and I didn’t slow down as I raised my sword.
Luke’s eyes widened, and he seemed to be taken by surprise that I was just going for it. I hurtled right at the greasy bastard, and I brought my blade down with as much strength as I could.
The Wrath of Jack hit Luke’s arm, and he let out a blood-curdling howl as gray smoke curled from the wound.
His arm had a gash in it, but it didn’t bleed. The trail of smoke was the only thing that came out of his body, and I watched as Luke’s face distorted into a manic grin.
Then he swung his axe at my head, but I blocked him with my sword in less than a second. The thunder that followed the blades connecting was already background noise to me, but Luke winced at the sound, and I couldn’t help grinning from his weakness.
It was like with every hit of my sword, I gained more energy and power. I felt like the whole forest was alive with godly energy, and I felt utterly fucking unstoppable.
“You bastard!” Luke screamed. “This is my forest! You don’t belong here! Get the fuck out of my land!”
“It’s not yours,” I spat. “It never was. You’re not even the main god around these parts, are you? You’re just a little puppet for Ethan.”
“How dare you?” Luke hissed. “I could call on Ethan, and he would be here in seconds. I just wanted to be the one to kill you myself. I don’t know what will happen to you afterwards, but hopefully you get to watch helplessly from some afterlife as I torture and kill all your followers.”
I spun around as Luke made a slow dive at me, and I hit his axe so hard that he almost fell backward into the lake while the thunderous clap rent the air.
“Why do you do it?” I demanded. “What’s the point in terrorizing all these people you want to follow you? They fucking hate you.”
“They fear me!” he breathed as he pushed his floppy hair back. “The Reaper of Skulzzz--”
“Is a stupid name,” I interrupted. “Seriously, it sounds like something a little boy would come up with when he was playing soldier with his friends.”
“It’s better than your title!” Luke hissed. “Ones and zeros? What kind of shit is that? What does that even mean? Something from back on--”
I brought my sword down on his knee before I could process what he was saying, and he howled with pain as more smoke poured from his wound.
As he writhed on the spot, I only just caught up with his words.
Something back on… was he going to say Earth?
There had to be enough time to squeeze a bit more information from this bastard before I ended him.
“How did you even become a god?” I spat. “I bet you were just as pathetic in the past.”
I hoped that was enough to prompt him to reveal where the hell he came from, and I held my breath as I waited for the confirmation.
“I was a god in the past, too!” Luke snarled. “Those assholes on Earth just couldn’t see it, but now everyone can. Now they know!”
I tried to hide the shock from my face. He had just confirmed that he came from the same planet as me back in his old life. But what the fuck did that mean? Did every god come from Earth? Were we all once humans, and how the hell did we get here?
“I doubt you were anybody special on Earth,” I said as I looked down on the scrawny fuck. “I can’t believe you actually made it to being a god.”
“I made it because my old family were as impressive as I was!” Luke shouted. “My father might have paid for me, but I’m the one who became great! The Reaper of Skulzzz built himself up to be the feared god you see before you!”
My mind was racing at a million miles an hour. Did he just that his dad… paid for him to become a god?
That couldn’t be right, he must have meant something else.
Maybe.
Either way, it was almost sad that my only interaction with another god was a hateful, violent encounter. But maybe that’s what most gods were like. Ethan certainly was, and Tobias didn’t even seem to exist.
My mind reeled as I tried to process all this in the heat of my duel, but then Aleia swooped past my line of sight waving her pocket watch in the air. Her green eyes were wide with urgency, and I realized she’d been timing my visit for me.
And apparently, there wasn’t enough time left to talk. I had to kill this evil god who had hurt so many people and tried to hurt the ones I loved.
Luke seemed to realize that his placement next to the lake was stupid, and he made a dive to his left to try and escape.
I stuck out my leg as he jumped, and his foot caught on my knee before he crashed onto the ground. Then I brought my sword up, and Luke just managed to roll out of the way as I crashed the blade down onto the ground.
He made a swing with his axe toward my ankle, but I easily stepped out of the way. Luke fumbled as he tried to stand up, and I raised my sword up over him once more. As I brought the weapon down, he managed to swing his axe just in time to block the blow.
“You’re going to die,” I said bluntly, and Luke tried to roll away.
I kicked him in the ribcage, and he fell onto his back again. This time, I stepped on his wrist that held his weapon, and he howled in pain.
Then I swung the Wrath of Jack down with all my strength and cut right through his axe-wielding arm’s elbow in one blow, and Luke was separated from his forearm and hand as he screamed.
Smoke billowed out of the wound, and his sliced arm vanished in a cloud of gray smoke. He swung his body over to try and grab his axe with his other hand, but I kicked his chest and pressed him back down into the dirt with my foot.
“You are not a god,” I hissed down at Luke as he struggled under my foot. “Gods are meant to serve their people. To love the ones who worship them. That’s why you failed, and why every other god like you will fail against me, too.”
Luke gurgled something, and his eyes bulged as I raised the Wrath of Jack up over his chest and pointed it just above my foot.
“Goodbye, Luke,” I whispered. “I win.”
I slammed my golden blade down into the young god’s chest, and there was a piercing, shrill sound that filled the whole clearing. The noise penetrated my eardrums and felt like it was echoing around my skull. A bright, golden light shone out over the forest, and for a second, that was the only thing I could see. The body below me became suddenly soft, and my foot slammed down as Luke’s physical being vanished. I looked down to see the god had gone, and his axe had disappeared, too.
I had done it.
I had destroyed Luke.
A message appeared in front of my line of sight, and I had never been happier to read one.
Level Up!
Restoration of forest enchantments achieved!
Gods Destroyed: 1
Bonus Reward: Visit followers in physical form for 12 hours
There was a silent and still moment in the clearing. I kept staring down at where he had been, expecting him to reappear in a cloud of gray smoke. I listened out for the echo of his voice, or to hear his annoying entrance song in the distance.
Nothing happened. Luke didn’t come back, and he didn’t speak to me in his godly form, either. I looked down at the Wrath of Jack, and I felt a slow grin spread over my face.
My holy weapon had just stabbed Luke through the heart.
He was gone.
The forest was free.
“Jack!”
I was snapped out of my thoughts as Aleia hurtled down from the sky and knocked me over onto the ground as she planted kisses on my face. I laughed and grabbed her by the waist as I pulled her in for a deep kiss. Then I jumped to my feet and took her up with me as the entire clearing erupted with explosive cheers and laughter.
“Jack killed Luke!”
“The forest is free!”
“He did it! All hail Jack!”
I grinned from ear to ear as I stayed in my physical body and clutched onto Aleia’s hand as my whole army of followers descended around me.
The priestesses raced over first, and they flung themselves onto me with excited shrieks.
“You fucking did it!” Nicola yelled before she planted a kiss on me.
“My lord!” Penelope cried. “You defeated Luke! You freed the woods!”
“We won!” Celeste screamed as she jumped up and down. “Jack! You did it!”
“We did it!” I announced as I tried to hold all four of my women at once as they showered me with kisses and squeezes.
I tried to greet everyone who came up to me, but there were so many voices and faces that I had to make do with general shouting and excitement.
The gnomes were going fucking wild and jumping on top of each other as they threw their blades in the air. Balabar was practically beating his chest, and Elowise was doing some kind of mad dance as Wilfrim clapped.
The elves were hugging in a big group, and even the imps were having a quiet little party of their own at the side. Lurk and the orcs were the loudest by far, and they yelled words I didn’t know into the air as they jumped around the clearing.
I had never felt as alive and as powerful as I did in that moment, but I kept looking down at the spot where Luke had been.
“He’s gone.” Nicola grinned as she followed my gaze. “And he’s not coming back.”
Layla the bear hurried over to join the fun, and I laughed as she gave me three big licks on the face, one from each head.
“Hi,” I chuckled as I stroked her middle head. “You were a big help today! Thanks for everything, and for taking care of Nicola.”
“We help each other out.” The brunette smiled at the three-headed bear. “I have to say that this is the strongest army I could have imagined for us. We don’t exactly all look like we fit together, but we work so well as a team.”
“I agree.” I smiled and chuckled. “I think I’ll keep you all around.”
I glanced up at the sky, and I felt my smile fall slightly as I caught a glimpse of the orange storm over the mountains. It was still a dark, swirling mass of anger, and I knew I would have to fight Ethan in the same way soon.
Luke had been a warm-up for a much bigger threat, and I couldn’t even imagine what dangers hid in those hills.
I had been taken by surprise by some of the creatures in Luke’s army, and I had no doubt there were things far worse beyond the forest. Maybe I would need another weapon to destroy Ethan, or maybe the Wrath of Jack was all I needed by my side. Well, that and my followers, of course.
I pulled my gaze away from the orange storm as Grez strode over to hug me, and I laughed as the yellow-haired elf babbled about how amazing it was to watch me fight.
A sea of happy faces surrounded me, and I knew that I didn’t need to worry about Ethan or his Squall Sprites at that moment. I had a victory to celebrate, and plenty of hours in my physical form to do so. It was a night for excitement and fun, and I put all other thoughts from my mind as I started to lead the group away from the corpse-ridden clearing.
It was time to celebrate.
Chapter 19
As we left the clearing behind us, the forest felt alive. All around us there were birds singing louder than ever before, and the leaves were shining so brightly that they sparkled under the sun.
Animals like rabbits, deer, and a whole bunch of other creatures I barely recognized ran around us as if they didn’t fear being close to me.
As if they knew I would guard this forest well.
My women were all over me as we enjoyed the stroll back to the fortress, and they had clearly lost all cares about being seen as modest.
“You looked soooo good,” Nicola pouted. “Stabbing that idiot right in the chest? With your boot right at his throat!”
The brunette made a groaning noise and ran her hand down my arm, and she squeezed every muscle as she went.
“I keep seeing it again in my mind,” Celeste gushed. “My favorite part was when you chopped off his arm, and it just vanished!”
“Where do you think it went?” Penelope asked eagerly. “Where did he go? What happens to gods when they die, Jack?”
“I have no idea,” I chuckled. “But I’m glad he won’t be stepping foot in this forest again.”
“I thought all gods would be handsome,” Aleia mused as she fluttered around us. “I was certainly wrong.”
“Yeah.” I smirked. “He wasn’t exactly doing himself any favors with that hair and eyeliner. Not that I expected much more than we got, judging by his stupid name.”
The gnomes had begun picking leaves around the pathway as we walked. They chattered away excitedly and carefully carried piles of greenery in their hands.
“We can make ointment again!” Jemmy cried happily. “Oh, Jack, I don’t know how we can ever thank you!”
“Good thing we can make more,” Lurk grunted. “I used the last of mine on a fucking bear.”
Layla gave the orc a lick on his bald head, and he smiled just a little.
A group of deer ran alongside us for a while, and it seemed like everything in the forest was celebrating with us. With so much merriment surrounding us all, it took no time at all to reach the fortress, and Allam hurried ahead to open the doorway.
“Everyone, get in!” he called. “Tonight, we are going to have a party!”
There was a cheer throughout the crowd, and everyone piled into the square as the sun began to set.
I spent a good few minutes receiving endless pats on the back, bows, and offers of whatever goods I needed.
“Thank you, everyone!” I called. “This victory was only possible because each and every one of you fought like hell. I can never thank you enough for being on this journey with me, but tonight, I want you to have the best night of your lives. We destroyed Luke!”
Everyone cheered, and the gnomes got to work handing out cups and goblets, and then they brought out a whole pub’s worth of bottles.
“These were being kept for a special occasion,” Jemmy laughed. “I can’t think of any night more deserving than tonight!”
The bottles began to pop open, and two gnomes brought out guitars. They played an upbeat, cheery tune that was infinitely more pleasant to hear than Luke’s entrance song, and drinks were poured into everyone’s cups.
