Out Of Reach Part 6
[ Deviants' Realm ]
" We lost him, great! "
" Without our anchor, now we need to find another replacement or even deploy more minions in order to prepare for our arrival. " one of the Deviant Monarchs says, representing Greed.
" Adrian Waterson is our greatest asset yet somehow this 'Ragna Kent' kid, was it? "
" He just came and overpowered him, even when he already managed to combine most of our powers. " the Deviant Monarch, representing Gluttony replies to him.
" Oh great, we need to start from scratch again... "
" Adrian was our greatest result, to think he would collaborate with us this far... " said the Deviant Monarch, representing Lust.
" So, did you manage to take back his Soul, after all, you should've had the hold over his Sin Core, didn't you? "
" We lost it. " said both the representative of Greed and Gluttony.
" The blast must've wiped it out... "
" That blast that gives chills to our very spirit, it remains us to that blast unleashed by the Ki User Adrian faced, the one I sensed to be the survivor of the 'Hive Stinger' Clan... " he explains.
" A survivor? from that human Martial Arts Clan...? "
" You know that this mustn't take lightly if there are some humans that had their Original Power (Ki) within them. "
" We must purge the remains, even every record of their existence. "
" For if the humans managed to gain the power to harm us, internally, then it could be one hell of a problem. " the Lust representative says.
" Agreed... "
" Let us do things using our minions, for now... "
" For we are not ready to invade that Diviners' Realm... "
...
( Meanwhile.)
In the wreckage of Ragna's blast...
" Kuhh, kuokkhh... " Adrian coughs as he already drains everything he had to regenerate, no energy remains inside him.
" Hmph... " Adrian tries so hard, raising his hands and reaching the skies in his sprawled state, he can't move his legs, only his right hand, the one he used to take everything from many people.
As Adrian moves, he then suddenly remembers something, something deep within his mind.
( Years ago. )
[ Trinia's Divine Festival. ]
" Doctor..., look the gods are here? " young Adrian says as he sees the Olympians in the event, descending from their Pantheon to meet all of the people.
Aphrodite, Ares, Artemis, Hermes, and Poseidon. They were all the Olympian gods that entered the event.
Seeing that, the doctor who adopted Adrian since his birth decided to take him away, but Adrian was already gone, he instinctively entered the crowd to see the gods.
" Gods, thank goodness, you're all here! WHOA!!! " the people chant as they see their Divine Protectors.
As the people chant, they began to treat their gods well as they continue to even interview them.
" Wow, the gods publicly answering the humans' questions? " Adrian says as many raise their hand to tell their questions, it's something to do in the Divine Event.
As Adrian comes in, he sees that it is time for Poseidon to answer some mortal questions which made Adrian excited.
" Wow, it's time for Poseidon, the most powerful of the Olympus to answer! " Adrian says, raising his hand, he remembers the past interview that inspires him*, Poseidon's interview regarding the strong.
" Only the strong who can reach everything, reach everything they desire with their every whim... " Adrian remembers the very line.
As he remembered that, his hand sign then get's noticed by Poseidon somehow, for he then picks him out of everyone. Feeling that luck is with him right now, Adrian then quickly asks what he should do to reach everything they want.
" Reach everything you want, you asked. " Poseidon rubs his chin.
" Yeah, everything... " Adrian says as he's getting highlighted with the stage lights that pin into his location, he also recalls Poseidon's line that he remembered, making Poseidon giggle.
" This child, look at him, he dares to enter this festival with ragged-tailored clothes," they said to Adrian as he asks it.
While the people murmur about it, Poseidon goes silent as he rubs his chin, processing Adrian's question.
" Reach everything you want, huh... " Poseidon processes the answer in his Divine Brain.
" Kukuku... " Poseidon silently says, which was looked upon by Aphrodite, who was with him at that time.
"( Poseidon, you better not be... )" Aphrodite says in her mind while looking sharply at him, wondering what will Poseidon answer.
As she thinks of this, suddenly Poseidon bursts out of laughter.
" Kuahahahahah! "
" It's alright, all of you, it's alright! " Poseidon tells them.
" This kid's question is amazing, to think he would remember what I said in my previous interview, I'm very proud! " Poseidon tells Adrian.
" Yes kid, if you remembered that line of mine, then indeed that only the strongest of us should deserve anything they tried to reach in their lives. "
" Just like me, I've defeated many monsters, giants, and titans to attain world peace back then. "
" With my strength, I created the peace I wanted, the peace you're all in right now. "
" Only the strong survive every war and only the strong should deserve their peace. " Poseidon gives another line, another line that slowly grows Adrian's ambition.
" The strong... " Adrian says as he looked so happy.
" Yes, kid... "
" Do you want to become strong? " Poseidon says as Adrian nods that time, he nods so hard as he wants to follow Poseidon's footsteps.
" I see, then... " Poseidon says as he then offers his hand, asking Adrian to get closer.
" Here's some Gift for you, in order for you to become stronger. " Poseidon says, creating a Gift Core, a Tier V Gift Core for Adrian.
" Wow, he gets a Tier V Gift Core from Poseidon himself? " the people shouted as they see it.
As they shout, Poseidon inserts it into Adrian's body.
" Use it well, train with it... "
" Use it to obtain everything you want to reach, use it to reach the deepest of depths you want to achieve. "
" And once you're strong enough, reach me anytime to prove your strength... " Poseidon says to young Adrian with a smile.
...
" Strong... enough... " Adrian says as he remembers it, he still raises his hand, trying to reach the highest reach as much as possible.
As he tries to wake up, reaching the above with only his own hands, he begins to remember his time training the Gift he received from Poseidon.
[ Divine Gift: Neptune Storm Form ]
" Oh, my this is so great... " Adrian trains it.
" I can't wait to show Lord Poseidon of my results... " Adrian says as he was then called by the doctors who adopted him.
" What, what did you say!? " Adrian could only ask as the doctor says and reveals something to him, something that shocked him and made him happy at the same time.
" I see, I'm... "
" Adrian please listen, I know this truth must be cruel to you, but... "
" No, this is good... " Adrian says as he slowly releases the Gift.
[ Neptune Storm ]
" This is the best thing you doctors could give me in my whole life! "
" My origin! I knew I was special in the first place! " Adrian says as he tells who he hates the doctors for keeping him in the dark for too long.
" Adrian, wai-! " you doctors better die faster.
" For I hate liars! " Adrian says as he unleashes his Gifts upon them.
Years after, Adrian began harnessing his skills, and he slowly increase his wealth and carrier in Trinia in order to see Poseidon again. He was so close at the time, but.
[ God Hunter Tournament: ]
" Adrian Waterson, Raiden Wilson, and Randall Wilson down! "
" Winner, Tristan Torrent, Yukino Fubuki, and Victoria Volta! "
Adrian's group was defeated at that time, in the Tournament's 3v3 match against those other Tier V where Adrian lost to Yukino as she completely freezes him in the final round.
" Dam...mit! " Adrian says as he then sees Poseidon.
When he sees him, Adrian smiled as he sees the god again, he tries to wave within the freezing ice, trying to wave his hands on Poseidon in order for the god to recognize him, but as he does that.
" He lost, what a loser... " Poseidon says after he was asked for a comment from Hunter Association Leader, Hayden Wayne.
" Guess my mortal grandson Tristan here is at least more useful! " Poseidon comments on Tristan's water Gift.
" Even if the Tier III User Raiden Wilson almost managed to give him some difficulties... "
" Tristan manages to wipe out him, immediately. " Poseidon quotes, shocking Adrian who can at least hear him while still being warmed by the commissioners from Yukino's ice.
" Wha... " Adrian was shocked to hear it as he then listens to the next question.
" I see, so then tell me why Adrian's team lost today, Lord Poseidon, you think that Adrian is strong back then, didn't he? "
" He also had two Gifts in his body despite it was recorded that he had struggled on unleashing both of them... "
" Do you have any- "
" I do have! " Poseidon says.
" The reason why Waterson, there... lose..., is not because that he lacks the Gifts, but... " Poseidon menacingly smiles, mocking Adrian with his very expression as he literally sees this.
" Because his friends are losers. "
" And when you make friends with losers, then congratulations, you're one of them. "
" What a waste... "
" For once with potential, he already wasted it hence... "
" Making him lose and looked weak... "
" In my eyes, weaklings are too lucky to even be born, they don't deserve to be... "
" Don't deserve to be born, don't deserve to grow, don't deserve to reach everything they wanted, it's out of their reach if the weaklings stay weak. "
" And this Tournament just proves it, that's all! " Poseidon says as he leaves.
"( No! )" Adrian tries to move his hand within the freezing ice, trying to reach leaving Poseidon helplessly as he was subdued inside and unbreakable fate.
...
" Ah... ( I can't reach it... )" Adrian says as he still raises his hand, while he's at it, his body slowly shatters as the damage began to spread around him.
While he slowly feels it, Adrian then realized that there's a big shadow that comes over him, he sees the owner coming in, now in pants, as he uses some of the
" It must've been sad for you, to lose everything, 'God of Gifts'? " Ragna sarcastically asks as he arrives at his place.
" It should've been great for you to have many Gifts..., but sadly you lose so painfully... " Ragna says to him.
" You... ahh... " Adrian's body is already half-shattered, the shattered parts begin to be evaporated.
As Adrian looks up at Ragna who was defeated, both of the two then just went silent, as both didn't know how to express their current feelings about the battle, right until...
" Something I couldn't reach... " Adrian says which surprised Ragna for a bit.
" Out of my reach, the thing I couldn't obtain in... "
" This life. " Adrian says as he remembers it, as he slowly shatters.
" Even if I worked hard... I " Adrian then looks at Ragna's sharp right eye, he looks at the crimson eye that stares at him.
" Hmph... " Adrian swallows what he wants to say next and then tells.
" Brat... " Adrian says as his body almost gets shattered.
" You better become strong, stronger, become the strongest... " Adrian says.
" In this world of gods and demons, only the strongest that will reach... " the shatters begin to reach Adrian's face after some time. At that moment Adrian remembers his time with Raiden and Randall, his time when still gaining more power.
" ... and obtain..., maintain... "
" Everything they desire... " Adrian says as his body completely shatters, the wind wipes his very dust out of the earth as the guy who entitled himself as the 'God of Gifts' dies in shatters, turned into specks of dust in the wind, ending his almighty status and achievements in his life.
" Persistence 'till the end, or should I say, stubbornness... " Ragna says as he sees his enemy in the dust.
He looks at it in silence, as if he sees this before at some point.
" How ironic, the self-proclaimed 'God of Gifts' ends his life while losing everything as death takes everything from him. "
" Even his spirit. " Ragna says as he sees Adrian's Soul gets sucked into the skies.
< Adrian's Spirit is getting sucked into the [Universal Reboot Device] per its protocol, the bzzt... bzzt... >
" I know, that part... "
" I've seen it before the 'Twelve Eye's hiatus, System... "
" Instead of that, show me the results... "
< (!) Message (!) >
< Story Quest [Abyss Tower] Completed >
< Rewards: >
< +300.000 EXPs >
< +200.000 EXPs >
< All Status +30 >
< Reward Box (S) (x1) >
...
< Congratulations You Leveled Up >
Ragna hears this as he sees that from Adrian's soul, come up millions of souls that he consumed using his Sin Ability for years, as all of them are gone alongside him.
" So they all return to 'it'. huh? "
" It seems I can see it now, where we all go after we die... "
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Extra:
* Poseidon's quote: Read Chapter 206: Out Of Reach Part 4
Adrian's soul and the other souls of everyone he consumed over the years is being returned to the [Universal Reboot Device] like all Souls in this Universe should be.
Who knows what happens to his Soul?
Besides, it seems I can finally end this antagonist's career, I hope this doesn't enrages you as I move on. Thank you.