CHAPTER 109: BEST FRIENDS

MICHAEL ELDRITCH

8 DAYS AGO

The skies are already dark. The serenity of the night does not calm me any longer. Even though I have escaped from Alterra’s dragon knights, I couldn’t guarantee my safety. I have seen how Lothar Pendragon commit suicide to annihilate my entire fleet, and now I only have this airship as my safe haven. Correction, this place is not safe anymore. It has been infiltrated by my worst enemy which was once my best friend; Xenon Wingate.

I’m in the command room, together with my remaining admiral and captain of the ship. We are being guarded by the finest dragon knights from the three countries, together with the most powerful White Ghosts that trained and pledged their loyalty to Elysia. It is painful for me to admit that the world, which was once under my power, has now turned against me. All my authorities with this diamond crown I’m wearing now only extends to the walls of this airship. We have a goal of reaching Elysia’s capital as fast as possible to seek for refuge.

In these control rooms where I’m confined, there are several screens that control all the wall cameras inside the airship. All the soldiers, White Ghosts, and magic knights went to their battle stations to confront the lone enemy that has boarded the ship. 

At the very deck of this vessel is a man who is wearing dirty prison clothes. His black hair swayed as the night breeze pass through him. His eyes, which is a bizarre combination of Eye of Deus and Curse of Necross are like beasts glare that is ready for the hunt. His long sharp and pointy ears indicate that he is limitlessly absorbing mana from the air.

“I’m here, Eldritch! I’m fucking here! Show yourself!” Xenon shouted at the camera. 

I felt that I had to respond somehow to my guest, so I grabbed the mic and talked to him. “Xenon, my friend. You should not have come here. Lothar Pendragon is dead. You don’t even have your dragonoid bitch with you. This place is filled with the finest soldiers of Elysia, and you can never make out of this place alive.”

With the admiral’s signal through his radio, he commanded the White Ghosts nearby Xenon to unleash a rocket launcher straight to his face. 

The White Ghost immediately revealed himself next to Xenon and fired a missile at point-blank. In the nick of time, Xenon managed to block the rocket with his right arm. Due to the explosion, his arms were blown completely off. However, he seemed to be not feeling any pain at all.

“Forge!” Angered, Xenon materialized a sword on his remaining left arm and slashed through the White Ghost in half. Blood sprayed all over the area, staining the dirty face of my best friend.

“You’re going to die here, Xenon!” I laughed hysterically. “The next attack would blow your head off!”

Several White Ghosts immediately appeared on the scene to ambush the lone enemy. They all shouted “Forge!” to create rocket launchers on their shoulders and aimed. There are about twelve of them, and it will be clear that not a cell of Xenon’s body would be left if he caught all the blast.

However, Xenon has an ace on his sleeve. His rainbow eye glowed, and his mutilated right arm grew dark root-like tendrils that rushed through the White Ghosts. The tendril pierced my soldier’s heart one by one like a barbecue, and once Xenon concluded that they are already dead, he withdrew the tendril back to his right arm. The tendril that looked like biomass reshaped itself into a new normal right arm for Xenon to use.

“I’m sorry, but right now, I won’t be going to the afterlife.” Xenon laughed. “You go first.”

“You’re nuts! You accepted Necross’ contract and became an undead yourself!?” I cried out loud. “You sold your soul just to have your revenge on me!? Hahaha! You’re absurdly ridiculous!”

“Yeah. Laugh all you want, because that will be your last.” Xenon waved at the camera. Then he rushed through the front door and charged in with superior strength. He blasted right through the entrance using his brute force and enhanced strength of his bloodline magic: Avenger’s Wrath.

“Admiral, destroy him at any cost!” I commanded the highest military personnel I had left.

“Yes, your highness!” The admiral saluted. Then he focused his job on the radio and executed all the battle tactics he had in mind.

I remained on my seat, worrying, and scared. My knees are shaking, and my hand is vibrating. For the first time in my life, I have felt fear. I am a genius. Emperor Michael Eldritch is a child prodigy. I have planned everything in my life ever since I was a teen. I planned for the mutiny of my father. I planned for world domination. I planned for the empire’s fall. But one thing I could not plan is a single variable that is my best friend, Xenon Wingate. I have killed him and delivered him to hell. But he always comes back to life and crawls his way back to the surface. Now that he’s possessing Eye of Deus, Curse of Necross, and Elform, I could no longer think of a solution on how to eliminate this cockroach.

Xenon Wingate is unstoppable. He just proceeds to walk casually, even with the threat looming around him. He’s making use of his immortality that he got from the undead. He keeps on catching sword stabs, bullets, and more rockets, but no matter how many times you cut, pierce, or blast a part of his body, it would just grow back. 

Throughout the camera, I have seen my dragon knights, military men, and White Ghost got slaughtered mercilessly. I saw their skulls explode like tomatoes in a mere stomp of Xenon’s foot. I saw their throats getting split by Xenon’s swords, and I also saw their eyes burst because of Xenon’s bullets. I can hear dying screams that begs for mercy from the man who has the eye of God and the devil. 

Xenon is a one-man army, and he’s quickly paving his way to me.

As I watch him rampaging on screen, the chills on my spine are getting colder. The admiral who is also commandeering my soldiers is now in a state of panic as he is sweating non-stop. When he realized that he’s completely out of men, he immediately equipped himself with a machine gun from the locker.

“Your highness, it is no longer safe here. You have to go to the safe room.” The admiral said.

“You don’t have to tell me, dumbass!” I shouted out loud. “Listen, do all you have to do in order to kill that man!”

I did not wait for my soldier’s answer. I immediately went to the safe room and locked myself inside. The walls of this room are filled with reinforced steel, so Xenon will have a hard time opening it. Even if he is able to locate me, I’ll be ready to face and eliminate him with my magic.

“Uraaaaah!” The admiral’s shout echoes in the command room. There were several gunshot noises that echoed, and then I heard some blood splattering on the walls and on the ground. 

Then there was silence. Everything was without noise for three minutes. For this opportunity, I have charged all my magical energy ready to unleash everything I have at my ultimate adversary.

Suddenly, I heard a voice. A humming voice that desperately attempted to calm the grim and dark situation that I am in.

“When I was a boy, my mother told me~” It was Xenon’s voice. “Find a best friend who will trust and love me~”

The valve on my safe room started to turn. I think Xenon really took his time to decipher the passcode of this room, as he’s not really planning on destroying the door but to make a proper entrance.

“Hey, Mike! Come out now! People are dead! Do you want to build a Psychic Amplifier?” Xenon’s playful voice made it through the gaps of the door. As the iron door creaked, the ultimate enemy revealed himself, fully covered with blood.

Grabbing this split second of an opportunity, I immediately charged my right hand with dark energy and charged towards Xenon. It was a perfect ambush as my right arm which is engulfed with Heartstopper Curse has made its way to his chest. With my power, I squeezed his heart to burst for the second time.

“Ouch. I guess this is really heart-touching. Get it?” Xenon has this wide devilish grin on his face. He seemed like he’s not hurt at all. His rainbow eye glowed as he stared back at me. “Come on, laugh at my jokes just like a real best friend would do!”

I gritted my teeth. I felt that something was off with his heart, as it is not beating in the first place. As I have thought, Heartstopper Curse would no longer affect him because he has become undead. Seeing that my most deadly attack is futile, I withdrew my hand from his heart and focused my magic on my eyes. 

A red pulse echoed as I activated the Eye of Deus. “Michael Eldritch commands you to die!”

However, my psychic amplifying abilities did not work. Xenon’s crimson eye with black sclera glowed, completely dispelling the powers of my Eye of Deus. There is no way I can kill or mind-control him as long as he is possessing both eyes.

Xenon stepped in front, and I stepped back. His unholy eyes and satanic smirk at me immediately injected fear into every nerve in my body. Because of this intense feeling of danger, my bladder burst out, making me pee on my white royal pants.

“Come on, my best friend. We have a lot of things to discuss.” Xenon said.

“Why won’t you kill me and just get over it?” I raised my voice even if my jaws are shaking.

“No.” Xenon laughed. “Hahaha! No! Of course, I won’t kill you. Not now. There are a proper time and place for you to die. It would be an insult to all the people you have punished if I would just let you go to the afterlife immediately.”

Suddenly, Xenon raised his fist and make a full-force right hook to break my nose. The power of the punch made the back of my head crash on the wall, making me dizzy enough to pass out.

“I’ll let you feel hell in this world just before you go to the real one.” Xenon said.