The Conquerors Path
chapter-770

Third Person POV:

'I need to make a choice'

Austin thought as he looked at the scenes in front of him, the current him standing within a range of water that seemed miles on miles away, nothing else providing the perfect alignment of where he was, but that was not the end, the world around him twisted as another figure merged in front of him.

Austin looked at the other 'Austin' that came in front of him, the two of them looking at each other, one Austin being the normal one, the current mindset that rules the body, a mindset that was created from the normal mask the true 'Austin' had made, the two of them being the same yet different.

Austin had a normal characteristic, everything that made him normal, but also with the added talents that were blessed on him, while the other 'Austin' was the hollowed-out self that didn't feel anything from the stupid things he did, an emotionless monster that would hunt to kill and do everything he wants without feeling a twinge.

"Let me take over; I can do better than what you are doing, your stupid guilt is holding you back from truly achieving greatness."

'Austin' spoke, his cold, unmoving eyes focused on the man in front of him, to which Austin replied.

"That may be true, but it is only now I can say that I am living, it is only now that I feel alive, it is only now that I feel human."

His reply made 'Austin' chuckle, his gaze only turning colder as he replied.

"Human? What's good about even being human? Just people we can control, toys we can break and play with as we like, they are nothing to us, for we are similar to the power of gods?!"

Madness was being leaked from the body of this 'Austin' as he spoke of this, a madness that was covering into originality too, to which Austin looked on with a calm gaze as he spoke.

"I have seen Gods, and I have even fucked one too, and let me tell you, we are not gods, we are not even close to them in power or mind."

His reply irritated 'Austin' whose gaze turned darker, the madness around only getting deeper, the madness that is born from the gaze of a God complex that never went away, the two of them have opposing views on what is to be done and the two of them must choose who shall take the world forward in their own ways.

"We are still not complete, don't you know that there are two more whom we have to fight against!? Staying strong is the best way, isn't it?"

'Austin' asked, controlling the madness around him, the sky above darkening to his words, the whole world they were standing on being of water and the sky above reflecting it, waves being created all around, the water rocking back and forth, the situation boiling over as neither of them was willing to take a step back.

"If I give in to you, you will destroy everything I have built. You will hurt them just for your amusement to see how much it would take to break them, and that is not something I can allow."

Austin spoke, his words hitting at the truth as the other 'Austin' smirked, a deep, dark desire in his eyes as he replied.

"Won't it be fun to see it? Their eyes filled with despair as we break them one by one, testing the limits of their so-called love for us, wouldn't that be the ultimate manipulation?!"

His words shifted the whole realm into a darker path, everything cracking and breaking at the situation as Austin looked forth with a calm gaze as he spoke.

"No, it's not, father taught us to be better than that."

The word "father" had its effect as 'Austin' turned silent for a moment. For all their differences and all their hate, the one thing the two of them shared is the respect and care for the man they call father, for he taught them to adapt and rather than throwing them away, he cared and loved them as his own. His teachings were the principles that kept his evil away, but that doesn't seem to be working much longer.

"You know, I was almost being removed from your body. The more we played the game, the more I had begun to become faint and useless, but the moment the soul essence of that younger Austin joined with us, everything changed! I got stronger and more powerful! Enough to even take away control!"

As he shouted this, 'Austin' turned silent for a moment, the man clutching his hands to feel the power in it, a moment of silence falling between them as he continued.

"And I almost succeeded, too, the moment you had awakened in this body and went into that shock of mental fall, I had taken my chance to take over you, and I had almost won! If it wasn't for that damn system that had blocked me out!"

His anger was ever-present as he shouted this, the world shifting into a darker presence, a sublime darkness as tsunamis started to be created within this world, the eyes of Austin flashing with an understanding from those words as he spoke.

"You are still dodging the question, what would father think?"

He pushed forth against the cover 'Austin' had tried to make but failed, the other 'Austin' looking deeply at the true Austin, their gaze clashing as 'Austin' spoke.

"You know what? I don't care what that man thinks now. Even if he says it's for us, what he did from a young age was brainwash us, using his understanding to place those principles in us such that we will always be under the control of his own principles, and with that essence of growth, I no longer have to pay heed to them! I AM FREE!"

His shout shifted everything around, Austin feeling a pang in his body as that madness started to take control of his body. The system had tried to give him as much time as possible, keeping this darkness of his at bay while placing the key as the most difficult one to find. It was supporting him and helping him from behind.

"The wish you made then to get rid of Shira's status as the 'heroine' made it weaker! Now, having given me the chance to escape, you led me to freedom and slowly influenced you! And I did it perfectly, too!"

His words made Austin narrow his eyes, the truth of why his mind was getting colder and more ruthless being revealed, the things he did to Tria being far above the principles of good his father had taught him, and if it was the original him, he would have never done it, to destroy a full mind for just his own goal when she hadn't done anything against him not being his style at all.

'I could have found out several different ways to use her, even kill that guy and keep her happy at the same time, yet I went for the easiest and ruthless answer, that wasn't me...'

The thought widened Austin's eyes as the other 'Austin' smirked, seeing the scene in front of him.

"Yes, that's right, I was the one that was influencing you! From then on, guiding your actions into a much darker path! Paths that should have been taken! Paths that would have given us the best control and easier manipulations! You are the fool for not seeing it; I was slowly getting control over you, too!"

This 'Austin' poured out a lot of information that Austin was beginning to see, things he had missed, his mind working at hyper-drive as the situations started to join against each other.

It would seem that this 'Austin' has been influencing him, slowly corrupting him and trying to take over the control he so much wanted, and at that right juncture where he was falling, Luna came to him. It was the truth that ironically had set him free and showed him what was happening. If she hadn't, there was no telling how much darker he would have become.

'I didn't feel or see it at all.'

"You were lucky that pet of yours came to you in time, if not a few more weeks, and I would have gotten enough power to take over, but this is good with this face-to-face meeting. I would be satisfied feeling and seeing your despair as you will cease to exist."

The 'Austin' word was filled with malice as the full force of his mental might set forth, the

force of his wrath he had created from being locked away and hidden, the scene that had made him stronger now helping him in this aggressive takeover, destroying everything that came in front of him, and Austin took the brunt of it all.

The mental world they were in slowly dyed black, darkness setting in, the hollow feeling he was so used to covering over right now Austin was on the losing end.