Chương 160: 73 - DO WE LIVE ON

"These should do for now." After Ellie had picked up T'balt off the beach, they landed on the street so that T'balt could pick up a pair of khakis off of one of the fallen hunters. It felt appropriate since all his clothes had been incinerated because of their attack. He also stole the man's really uncomfortable dress shoes but left his even less comfortable-looking furry shirt. At least his junk wasn't out anymore.

Ellie, with her wings still extended, looked over all the wreckage inside the city for the first time. Seeing the bodies and their homes destroyed close up, she looked like she wanted to cry but steeled herself enough to hold it in.

"You okay?" T'balt asked her. She hesitated to answer. And then she put a hand on her stomach.

"I can't help but wonder if our child is really worth all this. I mean, so many people dead and everything we've built—""Hey," T'balt cut her off.

"The people here weren't just fighting for me. They fought to protect their homes and what they believed in. Don't look for a way to blame yourself…" She avoided his intense gaze at her.

"Yeah, but… you can go back and change…" she trailed off.

"You wouldn't remember this, but it was you that wanted me to be careful playing God. Well, this time I have to live with my choices… just like the rest of you." He cupped her cheek in his hand, trying to reassure her. She took his hand back, but there was a slight tremble in her grip.

"T'balt…" German came through in his head.

"What is it, German?" He spoke it out loud. Ellie stared at him, confused, having yet to be properly exposed to German's ability.

"It didn't work," German said.

"What do you mean, it didn't work!?"

"Corlander is still alive, and Tyene is…" She could hardly breathe. She could hardly think. There was so much pain that even her vision was blurring. Or was that the poison still in her? It didn't matter. Tyene screamed on the ground, holding the bleeding, stunted mess that was formerly her arm. It was just a stub, the rest of it lifeless on the ground, finger still on the trigger of Vienna's pistol.

Then suddenly her arm, where the bone, blood, and muscle tissue helplessly hung out of her, caught fire, burning and searing her with white-hot pain. Corlander had his hand pointed at it, standing, finally letting his now bare feet touch the ground.

"You people are bothersome. It's a shame I can't let you die. But you don't need all your limbs to live, do you?" The fire had cauterized the wound, stopping the bleeding and yet multiplying the pain. Tyene lay on the ground, her body failing to follow her commands. It was twitching uncontrollably, falling to the poison and forcing her to spit up strange greenish bloody bile.

"Fuck you…" she forced out. It was the last bit of defiance in her, trying to do at least some damage.

"You think you're worth something now? You're still the same piece of shit that no one could ever love. My mother didn't. Because she knew there wasn't a shred of human soul in you. You were nothing but a paycheck." Though much of her body had succumbed to numbness, there was another searing pain. This time it was her right leg, bursting into blood and detaching just below her knee. Corlander, in a flick of anger, cut that off too. Then, switching back to his perceived control, he cauterized it as well.

Tyene felt seconds away from passing out, if not passing away.

"None of that matters," Corlander said.

"All that matters is my collection, my life's work. To make meaning of it… Give me the loot thief."

"I'd die first…" Corlander reared the large golden broadsword with one hand.

"Stop!" he heard in his mind.

"I know how you felt about what happened to Charlette. Are you certain this is what you want to do to her daughter? You'd destroy what remained of your family with your own hands?" This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Corlander paused.

"No, German, you had your chance to advise me. There is no family. ONLY ME! That's all there ever was." Though that hesitation was all German sought. In that moment, several Gracelandians ran into the opening, leaping from behind buildings for a coordinated attack. David, Lila, anyone who could still fight.

"Attention! All those who can still fight, converge on the market square. Corlander has returned. We can kill him if everyone attacks at once." That was the message he had sent out. But he knew it was a lie. He just couldn't stand to hear Tyene's screams any longer. They didn't stand a chance. Corlander just toyed with them, killing, maiming, with whatever loot he thought to use. There were bones, light, poisons, explosions, all deadly. Because he knew none of them were Redeemers.

David managed to narrowly survive thanks to the protection of his aura loot, but even he was haphazardly tossed aside in Corlander's assault. Lila hid herself, activating her prayer loot to heal anyone still alive, which were only a handful of people. Ellie had T'balt by the arm, flying him over the scene. What he saw horrified him. The remaining Gracelandians were getting eviscerated. Vienna was dead. Cannon was still lifeless on the ground. Tyene was… He had to get to Tyene.

She was the only one with loot that could even stand a chance in this fight.

"Ellie, Tyene!" he commanded. Without hesitation, she swooped down with the speed of a diving hawk, and while Corlander was distracted, T'balt was able to grab the remains of Tyene and pull her away. Ellie continued to fly until they were at a good distance away. She hid them in one of the clinic buildings, knowing they wouldn't be safe outside if Corlander looked for them. T'balt gently laid Tyene down on one of the beds. She was still conscious, but barely.

The skin had closed over the top of the holes, leaving two nubs.

"Is there anything else I can do?" Ellie asked.

"No," T'balt answered.

"I think Lila's prayer healed her as much as she could be. I need you to get somewhere safe. I can't afford for you to get involved more than you already have."

"But—""Ellie!" She felt no choice but to nod at the stiffness in his tone. Quietly, she backed off, left the building, and flew away. T'balt looked upon Tyene, a deep sense of guilt overwhelming him.

"I'm sorry this happened to you." She didn't say anything, but her eyes glazed over at him.

"I won't ask you to do anything more. Give me the loot thief… I'll figure this out." She suddenly grabbed him by the wrist, squeezing him and shaking her head.

"No… you're not taking this any further. I'm dying, T'balt. This is done. I need you to find something in this damn clinic that'll kill me."

"What?"

"What did you expect? Vienna is dead. I've got two missing limbs. Even if you do somehow kill Corlander, I'm not going on like this."

"It doesn't have to be that way. I'm sure we can find something to give you back your arm and—""Regrow limbs? Have you ever seen it happen before?"

"That doesn't mean—""GIVE IT UP!" She snapped.

"We lost. Time to reset and try again." He pulled his arm away from her, standing straight up.

"No. It isn't over until this iteration kills me." She laid her head back on the bed, utterly exhausted by all this.

"It doesn't mean anything… it'll happen sooner or later regardless." T'balt shook his head.

"I realized what happened to you, Redeemers. You all just do whatever you want and never have to really face the consequences for it. Why would we? We're Gods to everyone else. But that's exactly why none of it means a damn. We're not living like people anymore… One chance. That's what you said before we started this fight. That's what we were missing. The one chance. One chance to do the human thing and overcome loss. Not just pretend it never happened." Tyene turned her.

At first T'balt thought she was blowing him off, but then he saw the tears welling up in her eyes…

"I made a promise, T'balt. I can't let her go."

"Yeah…" he lowered his head.

"We fuck up sometimes. That's part of it. All I'm asking… is that you let me finish my fuck up." David was the last left standing of those who attacked Corlander. The winged man relentlessly attacked David with every element he could think of: fire, water, ice, shadow. And all he could do was sit there and hold his ground. Though David was sure the man could've killed him by now. The attacks were wide-area and pinpointed, long-rangeattacks.

It was less like Corlander was trying to kill him and more like he was testing the durability of the aura loot. Which was why there was a pleased look on his face when David continued standing as the gravity around him had been increased tenfold.

"Hmmm. That should make a fine addition to my collection."

"You are devil…" Corlander coked his head, and the eyes on his arms blinked in unison.

"Am I?" David looked down at his own hands, feeling a strange sensation in them. That's when he saw the skin peeling back off of his fingers, as easily as if they were potato skins. Several layers continued to peel and flay away until the bones were exposed and he was forced to yell for the pain to stop. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, suddenly blinding him as he felt the same peeling start happening to the rest of his body.

"DAVID!" Lila had yelled his name, and he was suddenly able to see again. She had come out from her hiding, seeing him yelling at nothing, and he realized that it was all just a trick of the mind. In reality, Corlander was directly above him, sword reared and seconds away from removing his head. But he was saved by the Redeemer, wielding the Collector's own sword. Corlander floated back in retreat, getting a sense of the new powers that opposed him. Time dilation and the mirror loot.

However, the third slot was taken by the second chance, leaving just the two. Though T'balt stood firm, shirtless and resolute.

"You won't steal anymore of my future from me."