The Ballad of Crystl

CHAPTER 4: HOW DID IT END UP LIKE THIS?

We fought through a harder level battle against the cannibals of the seventh layer. They were formidable and ferocious. Unlike those at sixth level who showed signs of fear, these cannibals showed less to no fear at all. They were able to injure a lot of us reapers and nearly killed some. I was able to escape through with minor scratches. We arrived at the safe zone and immediately treated the wounded. While treating the wounded, Prince Caine and the other masters decided to scout the area to capture an eighth layer cannibal.

"They did you good, Umid." I looked at him while his arm is being stitched back together. "You almost lost an arm..."

"This is n-nothing compared to t-the others," he struggled to speak. "You l-look like y-you were having f-fun..."

"I will only have fun when I get back to reaping souls outside this verse..."

While taking a look at the others, all of us were suddenly wrapped tightly with golden chains as we heard somebody scream. It was like a death scream because it was really dreadful to listen to. We were all confused, and then we were met by a powerful shockwave. I fell on the ground and then I heard someone screaming again with a sudden stop.

Shockingly, I saw Prince Caine and the other masters brutally injuring all of us reapers bound and unable to move. I finally realized that these were the binders of Master Evva. I took a look at all of the traitors, but I can't find Master Condy with them. Then, Prince Caine tossed master's lifeless body in front of me.

"There you are," he grinned. "I'll show you my true ability... I am the God Eater..." He drained the soul of my master in one go as he lit up. "He shouldn't have died if only he agreed to my plans. But his death has been calculated because I needed his ability to become a weapon master... and now, I need yours so that I can create my own weaponry and become the weapon god!"

I was engulfed by fear and I panicked...

I could no longer understand what he was telling me...

How did I end up like this?

There was blood everywhere and I was on the ground. The entire team was decimated by those traitors. Everybody I know in the squad is gone and my master has fallen. I can't move my body and all I could do was lie on the ground until the boss of the traitors approached me. He grabbed me and lifted me up as I approach death. For a god of death like me, dying is not a part of my résumé. Once a god dies, there is no reincarnation, there is no soul, and there is no second chance, just oblivion...

"Time to suck up your soul," he started to drain my life out. "I can feel it... your abilities are so amazing! Now, it's time for you to disappear..."

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"That's the last of them," Master Evva surveyed the area. "We have to go back and make something up for this so that the public would never know."

"Let's make sure," Master Precy started looking for survivors. "I don't want to be a criminal..."

"There's no point in becoming a criminal if the boss was a part of this," Master Subli started to stretch out. "How do you feel, your highness?"

"I feel so powerful," the damned prince grinned. "I am near the hyper god state that my father has been telling me!"

I can still hear them... but I am no longer here... physically... why am I still here if I was already gone?

Master is dead... my fellow reapers as well... we were all betrayed... we were all used for this expedition...

I can feel it... I am still alive... but something is keeping me alive... is it my thirst for vengeance?

But I feel that I am no longer the same as my previous self...

I need to take revenge...

"Do you feel that?" Evva felt something different.

"It must've been the power of our prince," Master Subli felt it as well, "or is it from the cannibals of this layer?"

"I can feel it here," the prince looked around, "but this is a safe zone..."

"It's getting stronger," Precy felt his knees shaking... "There!"

A sudden explosion occurred and they were all thrown away from the safe zone into the eighth layer. A bright light was expelled towards the sky as numerous cannibals from the eighth layer fled in fear that they disperse into oblivion. The traitors were shocked as well as they were repelled away. As the lights dimmed, there I was standing...

"That's Crystl," Evva shook in fear. "I thought you've consumed him!"

"But that's what I did and you saw me!" the prince stood up.

I raised both of my arms and pointed it all towards them. My arms, instead of calling out weapons, transformed into the weapons I wanted to have, heat-seeking missiles. I've gained a new ability... the weaponair. I hit the three masters accurately at the same time as they were all caught by surprise and were thrown further into the darkness of the eighth layer.

"T-this is impossible," Caine used my previous ability to manifest a gigantic blade. "You're supposed to be dead!"

I crossed my bazooka arms as they transformed into two sharp swords. My lower extremities transformed into swords as well and my head and torso hardened, "THIS IS THE LAND OF THE DEAD, YOU IMBECILE!!!"

The prince, seeing that I was accelerating towards him, used the ability I once had and manifested two swords as he yelled, "HOW DID IT END UP LIKE THIS?!"