"[End Magic: Diminishing Return]."
Using this Magic was a form of last resort for Legris.
It had a simple purpose, though it was layered in so many complex strata that it made it difficult to stop, even with all the time in the world.
The Spell would consume everything from the inside out—like an implosion.
The difference between this and other Magics was that its effects had an instantaneous effect on a wide range.
In just one moment, everything would diminish and return to Legris.
'I didn't want to resort to this because of how much power it requires, but…'
At this point, Legris wanted to get the fight over with.
He didn't like that Jared had pushed him to such an extent, but with this, the winner was inevitable.
~VWUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSHHHHHH!!!~
The entire realm he occupied was consumed by the [Diminishing Return], and everything was swallowed into him.
It was all over.
'That was pretty easy.' Legris thought to himself, now floating in an endless void.
There was no Jared, no Kuzon, no other member of the annoying team that kept getting in his way.
He had successfully gotten rid of them all.
"Hehehe… hahaha… hahahahahaha!!!"
Legris gave a hearty laughter in the void, his face contorting in a mix of pleasure and malevolence.
'Is there a chance they could have survived, though…?'
Once again, he had a look around him and noticed that nothing existed around.
… Nothing in the Constellation Realm.
'All the Branches will start getting affected, and it's only a matter of time before they're all gone.'
Of course, Legris knew this couldn't be the end.
No. It was just the beginning.
'Since I've gotten rid of them, I should proceed to the next phase of my plan.'
Legris clasped both of his hands together and mumbled a few things.
Even though this place was now like this, it was once a mighty trunk that led straight down to the source of the Tree.
The ROOT! n--O1n
"Now, to open a path…"
Legris spread out his two hands, and blackish fluids began to manifest around him.
They swirled, contorting the world around them as they ate through space-time and reality.
In no time, a swirling portal had formed right in front of Legris.
"Perfect." He whispered in satisfaction as he neared the portal.
He gave one final glance to the ruined world around him, his warped smile remaining on his malevolent face.
'You gave me more of a challenge than expected, Jared… but it was all for nothing.'
Inevitably, it was all going to lead to this result.
'And now, preparations for my next opponent…' Legris immersed himself in the darkness, ready to soon see light.
'… Aether herself.'
***********
"Looks like Legris has proceeded to the ROOT."
I sat, now appearing in my new and improved base form. My eyes were on the eleven people who were now standing in front of me.
My allies… my friends.
"Every signature of him in this reality has been eradicated." I added, a small sigh escaping my lips.
The group sent themselves peculiar stares, and also looked at me with confused faces.
"Shouldn't we go after him? I mean… can we just let him go and—?!" Kuzon protested, but I quickly raised my hand to stop him.
"… And how do you propose we do that"
Once I asked the question, silence fell in the room.
'I'm not trying to be a dick or anything, but there's the fact that none of them can beat him. Even me…'
The only reason we were all alive right now was due to the precaution I had taken in my fight with Legris earlier.
… Way before he used that final Spell he utilized.
'I separated a portion of the Constellation Realm from the rest of reality and stretched it to the nigh infinity so it seemed like we were still in the same Constellation Realm.'
Most of our fight took place in that new realm.
'The moment he used that End Magic of his, everything there was consumed. My avatar was also destroyed.'
Fortunately, I wasn't limited to that form, else I would be a goner. If I didn't take that precaution early on, everyone here would be dead too.
That told me one thing.
'We need to be more tactful in our approach to Legris.'
"I have no idea how to stop him…" Kuzon admitted, once again drawing my attention to him.
Surprisingly, he had no pained or sad reaction on his face. Instead, I found a smile spreading.
"… But I know you know, Jared."
The moment I heard this, I was forced to smile as well.
"You spent so long away from us. The least you could have done in that time is figure out how to win, right?"
I was amazed, but also amused, by the kind of confidence that Kuzon was displaying.
He seemed so sure that I had it all figured out.
'Well… he's not wrong.'
"You're right. I do have a plan." I nodded, closing my eyes a little.
Everyone was staring at me with varying expressions. There was a lot to talk about, but seemingly no time to say anything due to the current situation.
I found that to be wrong.
"Before anything, I want to commend you all. This entire situation escalated beyond my expectations, and you all did well to control it until I arrived."
Everyone had grown far beyond my expectations.
It was absurd.
"Of course, I know it's not all good news. I am well aware of the deaths of Gawain and Z'ark."
Once I said the, the faces in the crowd grew mellow
Who could blame them? I certainly couldn't.
"When I first appeared in this reality, I noticed the Constellations set up a temporary measure to make sure the effects of their nonexistence don't bleed into all of reality." I added, deciding not to address their deep-seated sorrow.
"I have fixed it permanently. Nothing in our reality or outside it will be altered due to their demise."
It was a very complex process, since I had to alter a lot about their existence and past contributions, but I was able to do it thanks to being boundless.
'And as a Grand Constellation that isn't bound by the Unwritten Laws, it was possible.'
That was the good news—that we didn't have to worry about reality unraveling because of the demise of our comrades.
Now, it was time for the bad news.
"The threat that Legris poses to us is nothing to scoff at. It's the real deal."
It was pointless saying this to everyone, since they already knew the full extent of his power.
However, they didn't fully comprehend what he was planning to do.
I did.
"It might seem like I'm being lackadaisical about things, but even right now my mind is calculating a lot of variables." I told them, slowly rising to my feet.
"If we fail to stop Legris… all of existence—both Aether and Nether Trees—will cease to exist."
Everything we knew to be reality would end.
