Chapter 250: Nephilim, Part 1

The room was quiet. The halls were empty, yet Gabriel knew fully well that they were here. He'd close his eyes as he recalled his moments with them. How he was afraid of everyone back in his home, forcing himself to run away into the woods, never wanting to be seen again. He can recall how cold and lonely it was to reside among the trees, using his own clothes as a blanket, the leaves as his pillows, the roots as his roof to protect him. He can recall on the brink of dawn a shout was heard, and feeling himself be afraid of the wild. He can recall his hope coming back when he saw the Goblins for the very first time. He began to hear the holes being made within the walls. It was time. He opened his eyes and began to run straight towards one of them, a staff member waiting to see if he can meet with such a man.

SHIKK!!

No hesitation. He found the slit and tore the member's face clean off, yet something was different. Despite having such screams, alerting every other member within the hotel, Gabriel would notice that, once they shifted back to his people, they gave a faint smile, tears swelling in their eyes, happy that they were given such peace. Such a face would make Gabriel cry once more, yet he kept going. He was evading every single hole that spontaneously spawned around him, whether it was on the floor, on the walls, or up above. Each staff member tried to attack him, but Gabriel somehow got faster than them, striking at their faces to expose the slit further and rip it off. He ran, and ran, and ran, constantly attacking the staff one at a time, the mask being removed entirely, letting them die as their usual form, not wanting them to suffer in such a cursed body. He made his way up the stairs as he'd continue such a genocide on his own people, closing his eyes and mourning as he freed them.

More memories came to him, a personal happy place as he continued the assault. He remembered the first time he visited their village, eating at one of their crops, wishing to stay in such a wonderland and help his new friends. He remembered playing with wooden swords alongside the other children, showcasing his expert skills in wielding such a fake blade. He remembered struggling as he fished for the first time, needing help in handling the rod due to how weak he was, physically. He remembered setting the tables and silverware, dancing with his peers, enjoying party after party hosted by the very goblins. It was a sanctuary for him, a home he never wanted to let go. It is what developed his interest in ruling over them, not because he wanted to be a king, but because he loved them as his own family. When he opened his eyes again, he would notice the extreme amount of blood on the halls, some even on his body and tattered trash he wore proudly. He would notice more holes being made, with the staff members now frightened. He took a deep breath as he kept running, continuing his murder. Every face he tore off, every mask that he removed to let his people be themselves again, felt like torture.

His regret lingered on more and more as he scaled up the building, his pain visible on his face. Before long, he would finally reach to the top of the hotel, the last room he needed to be in. The last room to combat his biggest sin. With his bloodied hands, he blasted open the door, his energy surging across his body, almost uncanny even. As he walked across the last hallway, he can hear voices. His very own. "I don't want to be king! I don't wanna, I don't wanna! I'm scared! Please..." It would speak. He looked through his peripheral vision at the source, seeing images appear beside him. Images of himself as a child, no less than seven, crying and pleading with his face covered in a pillow. Two silhouettes were behind the child: his Parents.

"You're going to have to be a king either way! We're not immortal, my son. At some point, you will have to take the throne-" The King would state, but the boy would interrupt.

"You've seen what Kings and Queens are like! You've seen them try to hurt people or get away with being lazy! You've seen them try to hurt people because they can! What if I end up doing that? I don't wanna be a king if it means I end up hurting people by accident! It's scary! I don't wanna, I don't wanna!" The pleas made by him would soften the King, having him sit down and pat him on the back.

"My son....Such fear is meaningless. I can tell just by looking at you that you aren't going to be any of the sort. You don't need to worry about such a fear plaguing your mind." His words would make the child raise his head, showing his sniveling self, snot coming down his nose and a look of despair in his eyes.

"Y-You really mean it...?" The boy asked, to which the Mother would kneel down as well, a handkerchief on her hands, wiping away the snot.

"We mean it. You are going to be a great king, one day. You may not have seen it, but your words show you have a heart as lovely as everyone else. For that alone...we are so proud of you." The Mother's voice was the last thing he heard before reaching the door, his face being stern as he opens it, seeing the beast before him.

The Man merely stared down towards the monster before him. The Monster that took his people. The Boss was clearly trying to be desperate, rummaging through any documents to try and solve the crisis, before noticing the man by his doorway. The glass in his hand fell off, shattering on the ground. He wasn't prepared to face him once more, his mind still fresh from such a horrid stare towards his very core. "You..." He'd begin "You have taken so much. You have harmed so many.....so many of my people. You have witnessed their faces as their life grew forfeit, and yet, you keep taking. No more....No more. I have let down my people with my choices. I have let down my people with my actions. I have let down my people with my foolish belief that they can come back. I have let so many people down with my incompetence, clinging onto a fantasy that keeps cursing me, a bad dream that I can just wake up from..."

"BUT THAT'S JUST WHAT IT IS! A FANTASY! AN ILLUSION TO DETATCH ME FROM REALITY!!"

The Prince, nay, the King, began to walk forward. He kept his voice as loud as he can, pushing the Boss back more and more, reaching for a contract and arming himself. The King continued with his speech "No More.....No more!! NO MORE, I TELL YOU!!! NO MORE!! NO MORE WILL YOU TAKE ANOTHER LIFE! NO MORE WILL YOU TAKE ANOTHER'S INNOCENCE! I DO NOT WISH TO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE SOMETHING LIKE YOU CAN FEAST AND FEAST, THEIR HUNGER NEVER QUENCHED! NO MORE WILL I LET A MONSTER LIKE YOU CONTINUE TO STAY! NO MORE WILL I ALLOW A MONSTER LIKE YOU CONTINUE TO RAVAGE AND PILLAGE THEIR HOPES!! THEIR DREAMS!! THEIR WISHES!!! THEIR JOY, EVEN!!!!"

"AS KING, IT IS MY SWORN DUTY....TO ERASE YOU FROM THIS EARTH, YOU FORSAKENED ANIMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!!"

KA-BOOM!!!

An explosion of pure, unbridled energy, flooding the room and ripping half of the building asunder, watching it disintegrate into rubble and ash, the sun shining down on the King. A Shockwave pushing the gargantuan beast back in its sheer force alone. An output almost equivalent to half of the entire world, still growing higher and higher, a stance being taken as he continued his words of pure power. "I AM GABRIEL MAKARIN! THE KING OF HOPE! THE KING OF DREAMS! FOR MY PEOPLE, FOR THEIR INNOCENCE, FOR THEIR JOY, FOR THEIR KINDNESS STILL PRESERVED WITHIN THEIR HEARTS, I WILL CARRY THEIR BURDEN UPON MY SHOULDERS!! FOR HERETICAL BASTARDS LIKE YOURSELF, THEIR IS ONE TITLE YOU SHALL CALL UPON ME!"

"YOUR MA!JE!STY!!!!!"

His magic soared beyond the very clouds, his voice booming in pride, before quieting himself and preparing to fight. "It is time....to end this Fantasy. We will wake up soon...Beast..."