Guardians of Terraria II: The World of Calamity

Episode 32.4 - Roar of the Jungle Dragon

This is my message to my master:

This is a fight you cannot win.

I think that past your great disasters,

Their victory stirs below your skin.

Yharon teleported above her, charging straight down. She was hit, but she'd basically been on full health and didn't have any potion sickness, so she shrugged off the blow by drinking a Supreme Healing Potion. Yharon had started with 2.5 million health, but thanks to their more powerful weapons this fight was going much faster than the Devourer.

Yharon teleported again, this time flying towards Sid. He breathed out a ring of fire, then seemed to grab one end of the circle and slung it towards him before charging again. Sid flew upwards, keeping as far from Yharon as he could.

If you proceed, I will not blame you;

I will move forth and win your war.

But if I should die before you continue,

You shall have heard my final dying roar.

Sid could almost hear boss music in the air as his summons worked to tear away what was left of Yharon's health. He continued to dodge and keep away.

Until... the dragon fell.

His body crashed into the jungle floor like an airplane, a final ring of fire bursting out from his corpse.

***

Yharim just stared coldly out at the Nexus jungle.

He could feel that his companion had perished.

Like the Jungle Dragon had warned, the remaining two Guardians had proved to be too strong even for him.

Their arrival was inevitable.

Yharim needed to prepare.

He turned around, looking to where he wanted to travel, concentrating on his Normality Relocator. He phased about a hundred blocks forward at the speed of light, arriving at the base of an immense dark monolith, fifty blocks in diameter, and hundreds tall.

Five of these towers had been erected in the Nexus, positioned in key locations. It had taken his soldiers weeks of construction, but they were nearing completion.

Soon... he could fulfil his destiny. Achieve the true meaning of his existence.

He ascended the tower, flying into a chamber containing four teleporters. He stepped on one, warping to an identical room inside one of the other towers. There, standing on the balcony and looking over the Forest Village far below, was a brown-haired figure dressed in glowing orange armour.

"William," Yharim spoke.

The warrior turned around.

"The time nears. I thought it prudent to return to you the weapon I once had to take from you."

Across Yharim's hands was a familiar cosmic-blue blade.

The Zenith.

William hesitantly took it. "Would I even need this?" he asked, thinking about real life. Nothing like the Zenith existed in real life, surely? It was just a video game weapon, on equal footing to the weakest Copper Shortsword.

"We may face one last battle before we can reach the real world," Yharim said. "Or are you referring to... some other weapon in your possession?"

William hesitated, before reaching into his inventory and drawing out a long, wicked red curved sword.

"The Murasama," Yharim said. "One of Draedon's proudest creations, though it was irksome when he chose to hide it from me."

"I thought he... worked for you?" William asked.

"Draedon is an enigma, not truly working for me. The creations he chooses to provide for me are built from resources that my army provides, but to him are seen more as returning the favour. But I digress. I am well aware of your prowess with the blade. Not many can bring a knife to a fight involving guns, magic and monsters, and come out unscathed each time."

William stared into his own reflection in the Murasama's blade.

Physically, he may have always been unscathed, but mentally? He wasn't so sure.

A part of him was pained to see what Yharim had done to their world. Those five dark towers. Not to mention all the camps and other structures the soldiers had built, along with razing entire forests for wood but giving little care for said environment.

Before Yharim, William had built the villages in different biomes to take advantage of the pylons they provided, but aside from that had always endeavoured to keep as much of the world in its natural state as possible. It had felt right that way.

Now, Yharim had rendered the world barely recognisable. The Ice Tower was an eyesore right in front of the wall where the Battle of the Dungeon had taken place. The Jungle Tower was positioned almost exactly over where the Lihzahrd Temple was situated underground. The two other towers were located in Forest biomes, twin monoliths rising above otherwise peaceful and splendiferous landscapes.

And he felt remorseful at how he'd hurt Robyn. But somehow... he wasn't sure if she could ever understand how he felt. How he'd just wanted the fighting to stop. The death, to stop. Not to mention what those visions of his real life had shown him.

If he had that, waiting for him... was being with Robyn even right?

Maybe it was for the best. That she be left behind. That they went their separate ways.

"What will be this 'last battle' you are talking about?" he asked.

Yharim seemed to hesitate. William could never read any of his facial expressions through that helmet of his, so he could never really tell what he was thinking.

"Your fellow Guardians."

Those lyrics are legendary. So is voting.