Book Three – Chapter Eleven – Part Seven – Shattering the Collar

Instead of using a sword or spear to stab her enemies, Servi opted to use the two ribs in her hands. Their range wasn't that much longer than a dagger, and they weren’t that durable since they weren't attached to her, but they were infinite. If she ever needed a replacement, all she had to do was jab her hand into her partially healed chest and pull another one out.

She avoided a blow from behind without looking, twisting on her heel and dropping to the bloody ground. It was a Kobold with a club. He was joined by a pair of Dwarves wielding rusty poles. She met their direct attacks head-on with her forehead, which was crushed in the process, but her hands never stopped waving around her weapons. She shattered it against their arms and legs, then used Telekinesis to tear her remaining ribs out of her body. Like a barrage of missiles, they launched right out of her chest, leaving behind 24 holes that quickly healed up.

“YES!!! DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!!!!!! DIE BY THE MAD DOG!!! ROT IN HELL FOR A THOUSAND FUCKING YEARS!!! I’LL BE THERE SOON TO FUCKING KILL YOU AGAIN!!!!”

In a second, 24 souls joined with the others inside her ring. But she wasn’t done. Servi continued to launch her organic projectiles out of her chest. She giggled and shouted in anticipation of the burning pain of her brain cooking itself to death as it withstood the mental strain...but it never came. It seemed that the five projectile restriction no longer existed for this ‘Mad Dog Servi.’ Was the so-called ‘collar’ the reason behind the limit in the first place? If that was the case, then Itarr briefly wondered what other limits were broken?

After a solid sixty seconds of launching her ribs like a missile, she stopped, but it wasn't because of pain.

It was her laughter. By the time the seventh set of ribs launched out, the Monotonia-dependent warriors finally snapped free of their drugged stupours. Servi's enemies finally realized the girl holding her own against thousands of skills was so far and beyond out of their league that it was suicide to make eye contact. Yes, the terror Servi emitted overpowered those who sold their emotions to Monotonia. She forced them to remember the true meaning of terror.

So they ran, running for the curved walls of metal keeping them trapped like livestock. For the cowards to get there, they needed to pass by the impending Venti Aquas. One of which was encased in both flame and ice. That was a significant obstacle in and of itself, but the Mad Dog wasn’t going to let her prey die in such a pathetic way.

For the first time in a while, she had no skills to absorb and no attacks to dodge. Those free moments made it possible for the Mad Dog to get her bearings and prepare for the finale. Using every last bit of Skill Energy she had, Servi created over 3,000 Fulgur Spikes.

Just one was enough to distort the sky as it appeared from what looked like a hole in the fabric of reality. But 3,000 black objects filled with spikes, all which were as tall as two Kobolds and as wide as six Dwarves, and appearing at the same time? It seemed as if reality was ablaze with smoke. The sun-like Lux Spheres were hazy and fuzzy like they existed in a different dimension.

Just the air pressure from one was enough to scatter smoke. The combined force from 3,000 effortlessly pushed the Venti Aquas off track. Like a pinball, 50 tornados bounced around the entrapped space at such a speed that they covered 70 or 80 kilometers per hour in a space that was only 15 kilometers in diameter.

But what use was a bomb without the spark to light it?

Servi remembered she had a few skill potions stored away in the ring, so she took those out and hastily drank them.  That did so little to help her, so she started to toss every potion she had into her mouth, chewing the glass if it meant that delicious blue liquid would flow to her stomach that much faster. Still, she had to wait for it to naturally refill because potions weren't designed to work with someone like Servi, whose Skill Energy Reservoir was almost a bottomless pit. It took about ten minutes for her to have enough Skill Energy to use Niadiabola ten times.

Red clouds appeared in the sky, hidden behind the slowly descending Fulgur Spikes. Since Fulgur Spike needed outside assistance for its true potential to be realized, Servi believed Niadiabola was the best choice because it could attack by itself without any commands. All ten started small and insignificant, like a worm, but they soon grew to a respectable size. Within seconds, they fired off fire-infused lightning like clockwork.

But was ten enough? The Mad Dog certainly didn’t think so.

She sat down on the ground and used Niadiabola every time she had just enough Skill Energy. Soon, the sky was filled with ominous red clouds, but Servi never stopped pumping them out. The light the 100 Lux Spheres gave off didn’t even reach her eyes anymore, the clouds were just that thick.

And the lightning! With the number of Niadiabola running wild, there were 100 to 150 sharp flashes of light every second. Each bolt carried enough power to flash-fry a dragon, while highlighting the growing destruction. Any unfortunate bastard struck by one didn’t have a chance in hell of surviving.

The Fulgur Spikes were charged. Then they were supercharged. Then they were charged again, and again, and again. Blue particles erupted from each of the descending spikes, flooding the atmosphere with something that was simply 'otherworldly.'  Just a single one was powerful enough to take down an area equal to 1/10th the size of Arcton.

And Servi had 3,000 of them for a domed area with a radius of 15-kilometers. The destructive power of something so monstrous was impossible to calculate. Itarr knew that. Such simple Metal Walls couldn’t defend against that, which was why she went against Servi’s wishes for the final time. She had express orders to focus on Momo’s safety.

In a way, I am keeping her safe. Unfortunately, it’s keeping her protected from you. Servi, that’s why you ran out of Skill Energy so fast after you created those Fulgur Spikes. I used a large portion of our Skill Energy in reinforcing the outer walls with 4,000 Judas Shields, and I used whatever was left to send the metal dome down into the ground. I'm still using what I can, but I'll leave the rest, so use it as you see fit...

I don’t know how deep the walls went, but I hope it’s far enough.

It’s funny. If we didn’t kill that spirit and absorb her soul, then I wouldn’t have had any Skill Energy left to do what you told me. I guess every little bit counts, huh?

Servi, I promise you that this Mad Dog won’t ever come out again. I’ll tell you the whole truth of what I’ve done, and then I'll fix you... You can punish me accordingly. But until that time comes, I must keep our best friend safe.

The scene was something that would be right at home for the end of the world. The Niadiabola lightning strikes corrupted the other 49 Venti Aquas, giving them the power of both fire and electricity. Scattering waves of flames rushed in the distance, but their crimson didn’t compare to the evil clouds in the sky filled with hundreds of thousands of blue particles. It was like the Gods of Fire clashed against the Gods of Wind, who waged war against the Gods of Lightning. The three elements tried to battle for supremacy, killing thousands along the way.

And Servi, the conductor behind the apocalypse happening right in front of her, couldn’t have been prouder. Her cute mouth turned into a smile, and she laid down on the blood-soaked ground. It squelched under her weight, squirting out more of that crimson Servi loved so much. Folding her arms behind her head, she stared at the pretty lightning, it's red hue perfectly matching her unblinking eyes.

“It’s done,” she said. “Well, it’s almost done. Mosie, once these Fulgur Spikes fall to the ground, the Mafia will be no more. I had hoped to give the Sakdu more of a beating, but I’d settle for him dying alone and afraid. Hahaha!!! I won the game, you fucking jackass. YOU NEVER STOOD A CHANCE AGAINST THE MAD DOG!!!! YOU NEVER STOOD A FUCKING CHANCE!!!!!”

All at once, the Fulgur Spikes glowed an otherworldly azure. Even more blue particles, thicker than the last wave, covered the skies, intermingling with the red clouds from Niadiabola. The two armies of opposing charged particles created an unnatural phenomenon. The blue mist from Fulgur Spike actively clashed with the charged Niadiabolas, creating an uncontrollable, rampaging fury of lightning that served to further energize the Fulgur Spikes. In short, it was the most dangerous feedback loop ever to have been created. The Niadiabolas became supercharged, which increased its lightning production, and that benefited Fulgur Spike. The thing was, however, that the amount of energy gained was more than what was lost. In theory, it was infinite as long as there was an endless source of oxygen to keep it sustained. Servi didn't know it, but she was so close to creating a perpetually infinite source of energy. The hardest part was getting it all set up and in motion, and harvesting it was an entirely different problem that needed to be solved. Only Servi had the absurd amount of resources to solve the first problem, but the second one was out of her league.

But with such a massive amount of energy being injected into an already bloated army's worth of Fulgur Spikes, it needed an outlet. Suddenly, they descended at a rapid pace, assisted by gravity. Servi felt a jittering jolt in her heart, much like what accompanied seeing something so miraculous that it couldn’t be believed. “YOU HEAR ME?!?! I AM THE MAD DOG, AND THERE IS NO ONE STRONGER THAN ME!!! I’LL KILL EVERY FUCKING BODY WHO DARES TO CHALLENGE ME!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA—”

Fulgur Spike was a skill that sent a wave of deadly lightning out from where it landed. But the things that fell was so overcharged to the point of exploding on capacity alone that they channeled all of the excess energy and effectively transformed into nothing more than simple bombs.

In that sense, it was a highly destructive bomb created from the unintended consequences of using a deadly skill to charge an equally dangerous ability.

When it landed, it would forgo its original instructions and simply explode, producing a simple explosion that far exceeded any bomb or Fulgur Spike that had been used in the past.

It went without saying, but Servi died the moment the first one dropped. She was reduced to something even less than ash. All of her atoms and cells simply disappeared. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise because she wasn’t conscious for the finale. There just wasn’t enough time in between explosions that allowed True Immortality to get that far along.

To say the ground rumbled would be an understatement.

One could go as far as saying that the world simply ended. That technically wouldn’t have been an understatement, either, considering that, for all intents and purposes, the world trapped in the dome died.

The topmost layer of dirt, soil, rock, and whatever else was incinerated in the heat produced by the first bomb. When the second Fulgur Spike hit the ground, another massive layer of earth disappeared without a trace. But more than that, the impact and force sent strong shockwaves through the planet’s core since it couldn't escape. Those who lived in Canary felt the ground shake as if there was a sudden earthquake. Those in Arcton suffered far worse. A majority of the weaker buildings crumbled and collapsed, crushing all who took shelter within them.

Ah, but there were still 2,998 that had yet to explode. Whatever effects the first two caused were about increased by a factor of 1,500.

For three solid minutes, the ground rumbled, sending sharp cracks throughout the planet’s surface. The Metal Walls deep in the planet's core did what they could to defend against the destruction, but Itarr had to hastily reconstruct them. Even still, she couldn’t entirely contain it all.

That damage even spread to the border towns in Westera and Keywater, located some thousands of kilometers away. Servi's actions also caused hundreds of thousands of dupla in damages to Lando's port towns near the sea. Freak tsunamis destroyed most of the towns, tremendous tidal waves washed away a large number of boats, and a few thousand people died from the flash flooding alone. Out in the sea, however, the damage was more extensive with trading boats and naval ships being whisked away to the deep, dark, blue beyond. Whirlpools sprung to life, greedily sucking down anything that dared to pass them by.

Oddly enough, Canary somehow avoided the majority of the damage. Other than a few fallen houses in the slums, the city emerged unscathed. The reason was simple, and that was because of its location. Because of the distance and angle the domed area was at compared to Canary’s location, the shockwaves happened to pass by the town, but they did cause a few hundred dupla worth of damage. The same couldn’t have been said for Arcton. The remaining decrepit houses couldn’t take the shock and fell. Even a large part of the wall keeping Arcton and New Arcton separated fell, finally tearing down the simple thing that divided the two. The building that suffered the least amount of damage was the Warden office, oddly enough. It was the only building built with a firm foundation in mind.

In a sense, the caged world inside the dome ceased to exist. It was like every aspect of a fully functional habitat was destroyed when the bombs dropped. Even the ravenous Venti Aquas and Niadiabolas were removed from existence by Fulgur Spike's imposing power. If they hadn't, Itarr would've stepped to erase whatever survived.

Sometime after the last one had gone off, Servi found realized she was in a void-like area. If she looked up, or what she thought was up by bending her neck, she saw nothing but darkness. It was the same result when she looked down, left, and to the right.

She brought a hand to her face and touched her cheek. Soft and warm, she ran it down her chest while lightly cupping her bare breasts. She obviously felt her hand and body, so she must have been be alive, right? Next, she licked it. The taste of dirt filled her mouth. Spitting it out, she then lightly scratched her arm. Servi went through the motions of testing out her various senses. In the end, everything passed but sight. In that case, she figured it must’ve been nighttime. If not that, then perhaps she emerged in a place that had no sun? Thinking on the subject of bright objects in the sky, Servi briefly wondered why her supercharged Lux Spheres weren’t giving off any light before realizing that they were destroyed.

A quick Lux Sphere later, and Servi made a startling discovery.

She was in a cave or cavern. Nothing but gray rocks surrounded her from all sides. A dusty freak breeze sent dust barreling towards her. It tickled her nose, and she cutely sneezed a few times to clear her sinuses. When she looked up, there was still only darkness. Even with a helpful light, she couldn't make out what was above her?

Suddenly, she saw her ID appear from nowhere. Words were being written on it, and Servi read them after moving the Lux Sphere over to it.

Servi. Are you confused? Itarr wrote.

“Yeah. I am,” Servi said. She maneuvered the Lux Sphere around her general area and looked down. Even though she already knew she was naked, Servi wished a little bit of clothing survived. While Itarr explained the situation to Servi, the girl moved to cover herself with what little apparel remained in her ring. There was sure to be a shopping trip in the future, but at the moment, such trivial concerns had no place in her life. “What happened after they fell? Where am I? How long was I out?”

Don’t panic, but it's been about three minutes since your body was regenerated. And it's been around five since the last Fulgur Spike went off. To say you were killed wouldn’t even begin to cover it. I was so afraid that True Immortality couldn’t do anything to bring you back, but I was so happy when I saw you had started to reform!

“Forget about me.” Servi scoffed at Itarr’s futile worries. “Where’s Momo? Is she safe? I told you to keep her safe!”

She’s fine, Servi. The Metal Walls held up. Itarr failed to mention the extra precautions she took to lessen the damage.

“Good. Then where am I?” Servi demanded. She plopped down on the ground and noticed it was pleasantly warm to the touch.

I think you’re in a big hole. You did use a lot of Fulgur Spikes, and they were all massively overcharged... The explosions couldn’t travel up past the dome, so most of the energy was directed downward. I think that was further multiplied by the curvature of the walls. I think the energy traveled up it, but since it wouldn't escape, it continued until it smashed into the ground... It was like a shovel, I guess? I don't really know to explain it... I don’t know how deep you are, but it must be at least 3,000 kilometers. Those Fulgur Spikes were absurdly powerful, so it wouldn't to surprise me if a single one left a kilometer-deep crater behind... And there were 3,000 of them... But that's just an estimate, and I don't know how far we truly are...

“That’s impossible.” Servi put a hand to her chin. “The temperature is supposed to be over 3,000 degrees Celsius once someone reaches that far down... That would mean we're just after the mantle? Or maybe we're right at the very edge of it...? If that’s true, then why haven't I started melting? Skin can't survive a temperature that hot.” Servi rolled over and pressed her face against the ground. It was warm; that much was as true as anything, but it wasn’t hotter than a piece of chicken being left to cool in the air for five minutes after being snatched from a pot of bubbling oil.  How do I know what the mantle is? I... No, that's just common knowledge, right? Yeah, that has to be it.

Mantle? I don’t know what that is, but Servi does. No, there’s no use in asking about it because that’s not important.

Then the smell of burning cloth reached Servi’s nose. Her head turned towards her arms, and she saw the sleeves of her blouse were on fire. She ripped them off, along with her burning shoes and pants, and realized there must be some truth to Itarr’s explanation after seeing the lack of burn marks.

Servi. Do you remember anything about the battle?

“I do. I remember it perfectly,” Servi replied. Servi returned to sitting on the ground in her birthday suit. The warm surface warmed her bottom and legs.

Then do you remember everything you did as the Mad Dog?

“Yeah. Why do you ask? What does that have to do with anything?!” Servi’s sudden tone change highlighted her irritability. She didn’t want to be led around in circles. Only immediate answers would satisfy her the way she was now.

Then you remember how you controlled more than five items at once with Telekinesis? I think your body is finally adapting to my power. Your clothes are catching fire because it’s so hot, but it only feels warm for you! That’s what I’m trying to say!!!

As if to test out Itarr’s little theory, Servi dug into her skin and ripped out four ribs. She met far more resistance than she expected, and it almost felt like scratching a hole through stone with a rubber mallet. “Maybe you’re right. I could barely open a hole in my chest,” said the girl holding four bloody ribs. “I can still feel the pain, but it’s pretty much dulled.” When her hands tried to enter her chest for the last time and plucked out the fifth rib, she really had to struggle. When she did manage to make a hole, it just vanished.

And I feel that regeneration is quicker as well.

Servi snapped her curved bones in half for a total of eight and leisurely flew them around the dark cave. After twenty seconds, she realized her head wasn’t hurting at all. “What’s my new limit?”

I don’t know. That’s something we need to experiment on. But I think we have more pressing matters!!! Momo! Let’s go get her!

“You’re right. Let’s not keep our Momo waiting anymore.” Servi smiled, sending Itarr into a flutter as she internally cheered. The current Servi reminded the Goddess about everything she loved about the girl with red eyes. If only that could stay. She thought.

Servi, I also managed to capture Sakdu and that Elf. Oh, and I got Carrie as well. They're asleep via Kaasuvuoto.  I figured you wanted to—

“Fuck yeah! Thanks, Itarr! I love you!” Servi hopped around, throwing her fist into the air. Suddenly, she bent down and jumped with all of her strength. The ground immediately started to rumble and collapse the moment she left solid footing, and before she knew it, she was five kilometers higher. It was so surprising that it caught her off guard, and she flailed around as if she had two left feet. Itarr then explained via ID.

You’re most welcome, Servi! I love you as well! Oh, remember, you absorbed the souls of everyone you killed in that battle. There were a lot of people, around 15,000 souls were absorbed. Most of those were Elves and Singi, and their souls give you more agility and speed when compared to Koena and Kobold's souls. That, coupled with the upgrades you gave to Absorption, really increased your physical attributes by a significant amount. For the first time, Itarr was truly happy with the way things were going.

But the Goddess knew what sorrowful event awaited her in the next hour or two. But until she had to face the sins of her past and consequences, she wanted to make precious memories with the girl she loved. Servi’s hatred could come later, but basking in her happiness was all Itarr wanted to do.

Servi eventually righted herself with Air Step platforms and caught her balance, aligning herself with her head pointed towards what she thought was the ceiling. “All of that strength is no good if my arms keep breaking.”

While that is still a concern for the time being, I’m positive that you can use far more of your strength before something breaks. It won’t be like when lifted that warehouse you twisted into a sword using Telekinesis and tried to wield it. I don't think your body is that durable yet, but you can probably handle something about half that size.

“I get what you mean, Itarr. It’ll be fun not having to deal with broken bones so often!” A genuine giggle of happiness emerged from Servi’s voice as she quickly searched through her ring. Her reservoir of clothing was dangerously close to running out, but she did manage to find a green shirt and a pair of pink shorts long enough to cover her knees. They were opposing colors, something that would send a fashionista into cardiac arrest, but the beauty of two best friends coming together eclipsed whatever fashion laws Servi broke. At first, she had forgotten about how her other clothes burned from the intense heat and wondered why it wasn’t. Itarr then spoke and said she was absorbing the air around her body to prevent them from catching fire.

Servi thanked her, which prompted Itarr to ask about shoes. The girl didn’t know why, but she said she preferred to go barefoot for a bit. “Maybe it’ll be good if I felt the grass beneath my feet and between my toes,” she answered.

Servi, I think that battle also increased your familiarity with our ring. Do you remember? You absorbed those incoming skills almost as fast as I could.

“I do remember that. I don’t know how I did it, though. I can’t explain it, but while I was fighting, it felt like everything just clicked and started to make sense. The clouds had disappeared from my eyes, and I felt everything.” Servi stared at her hand and kissed her red ring. Instantly, Itarr felt warm and loved again. Truly, she vastly enjoyed the little affectionate moment she and her beloved shared.

Do you think you can still do it?

“I feel like I can. I mean, if the knowledge and know-how suddenly shows up, it doesn't make any sense for it to totally disappear, would it?”

Internally, Itarr surmised that it was likely to happen that way. Once she fixed her mistakes and hopefully locked the Mad Dog away forever, would Servi’s sudden understanding of the ring go with it? And what about her body’s increased durability? Itarr was sure of the former’s disappearance, but she wasn’t totally sure about the latter. It wouldn’t make sense for a stick to pierce a piece of armor body if, moments before, it had blocked a sword, would it?

But even still, Itarr’s guesses could be wrong, and in the first place, that only relied on her ability to seal away the Mad Dog by righting her mistakes. But would the Mad Dog go away when all was said or done? What if its taste for freedom overpowered her attempts at ridding Servi of it?

Now that she had the chance, Itarr asked about a name Servi uttered before she took her own head.

“I just screamed whatever came into my mind. I don’t think Navi has any special meaning. But I guess I do feel angry now that I’ve said that name. Do you think it might be a clue about my memory?”

It could be. At the same time, it couldn’t. I’m not in a position to say.

“Hmm… I’ll keep it in the back of my mind. I kinda want to do everything I can to erase that name from my mind, though. I just feel so... irritated...”

After 300 momentous hops, Servi still hadn’t reached the halfway point. It was also quiet. Too quiet. At the depths she was at, it was lonely and afraid. She’d doubt there was another living thing within 1,500 kilometers. The loneliness reminded Servi of how she felt when Momo ran away from her out of fright. In a way, it was the perfect representation of the dread that filled her up. Shaking her head, Servi refused to allow negative thoughts to cloud her mind when she was so close to her ultimate goal.

After another 300 leaps, Servi believed she had emerged from the hole because a giant chunk of metal fell in front of her, narrowly missing by a hairsbreadth. She only saw it because the light from her Lux Sphere faintly flickered off its metallic edge. Cursing her inability to see even a meter in front of her, she summoned ten more Lux Spheres. After spreading them about evenly, she glanced up at the heavens to see who dared to attack her.

Of course, it wasn’t a person that did the throwing; it was her very own construction. The Metal Walls keeping the dome intact had been weakened from the barrage of explosions, and it was only natural for them to crumble after accomplishing their mission. As Servi expertly absorbed the slabs that would have hit her, the sun finally had the chance to bless the girl with red eyes with visual proof of her destructive tantrum.