Chapter 265.

  Avinash gets the report of the invasion. "This was bound to happen." Said Suresh in a meeting called by the king.

  "Yes. But it couldn't happen at the worst timing." Said Avinash. "Usually, we would be overwhelming this force, but we have to play this more carefully. Suresh, Bajrang, drive them out of the city. We'll think of what to do next after that."

  "Understood." Said both of them.

  The opposing forces seem to have a free run of the city. Once they appeared in the market district, they started to spread out and converged on the residential areas.

  But this free run ends soon enough, once the wards are activated. The army appears, being prepared and more organized and equipped to handle this invasion, unlike the police force, which was out of its depth.

  The invaders tried to use the buildings to entrench their position and solidify their captured area, but they could not enter any of the shops or houses present in their stronghold. Therefore, they became targets of the military of the king, who had no such restrictions. The enemy was routed through the market district, where they began their campaign. Once they were pushed out of the city, the buriers were put up to prevent their entry.

  Suresh and Bajrang, being the leaders of these operations, saw them gather outside the city from the edge of the city. They had a glimpse of a man who appeared in another portal, a man who looked way too familiar. Once the buriers were up, they left to report to the king.

  "We drove them out of the city with minimal damage, but we couldn't kill them all. They didn't break ranks." Informed Bajrang.

  "Not only that, it appears their leader is an alternative to you." Said Suresh. "We only saw him briefly, but we are certain that is the case."

  "Troubling." Said Avinash. "Prepare for a siege. Secure our supply route." He gave more such standard orders while waiting for a break to destroy the opposing force.

  He conquered the universe.

  Well, most of the known universe that is. Some backwater planets that are inhabited by self-absorbed species prone to destroying each other do not matter. Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, Orcs, they all were brought to heel before him. It all became boring.

  'What would Hatori say?' He thought to himself one day.

  His greatest rival, his best general, the man who rejected the throne. The man who broke the Elves at the cost of his own life, the only man he could call his equal.

  He would probably say something like, "You need a new game plus."

  This entire area is cleared up. Now he needs to unlock a new area, where he can restart his conquering. Bring back the thrill of war, the uncertainty of winning or losing, the challenges of tactics, strategies, and logistics, and outright fighting with the opposing king.

  "But the universe is the end all, and be all." He sighed.

  Until it wasn't.

  There was a rebellion in the Elven colony. They got into their heads that, together with the old enemies who called themselves gods, they could overthrow him. Naturally, it failed miserably, resulting in the complete annihilation of both.

  There, he acquired the broken jewel, which opened his way to the alternate realities. At first, he was not sure whether he should venture out or not, but when alternates started to appear in his own reality, he understood that it was possible to cross the boundary and restart his game at a scale never seen before.

  "The best part, it won't ever end." He realized.

  So, he waged multiple wars upon various realities. Some fought fiercely, some offered some resistance and surrendered afterwards. Their forces merged with his own, and then he came across a reality where Earth is populated, and his own alternate is the king.

  "To win the world, you must conquer yourself." He said to himself.

  Thus, the invasion of the City of Throne. He knew that it won't be easy, given his own alternate is in charge here. He was proven right when his battalion was routed and pushed outside.

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  The portal opened, and Avinash, the conqueror of realities, walked out of that portal to oversee this operation by himself. His alternate deserves nothing less than his full effort.

  Avinash gets the news about the return of Josh and Raven. The high-strung soldiers nearly blasted them before Raven managed to calm them down.

  "So, what happened to your quest?" He asked when they arrived at his castle.

  "Let's just say we hit a snag." Said Josh.

  "We were attacked. We barely escaped with our lives. Samay teleported us out of danger. Hatori was struck with something from which he has not yet recovered. James and Shin are looking after him, and we have decided to return after we heard about the invasion." Said Raven, providing the full report in a few words.

  Avinash sighed. "It must be quite a problem that even a sorcerer decided to retreat rather than fight." He said to them. He appreciated their return, more than they realized. He needs some serious firepower to deal with the problem that has landed on his lap.

  "Later." Said Raven. "What is going on here?"

  "Apparently, some crazy version of me decided to attack our city to conquer this planet? Reality? Take your pick. I don't claim to understand that madman. He has an entire army of his own, part of which is pushed outside of the city. I need to finish them off and kill him to stop this threat. I don't think this will stop unless I kill him." Explained Avinash.

  "Has he made any declaration of challenge to you?" Asked Josh.

  "Not yet. Bajrang and Suresh saw a glimpse of him from a distance once they pushed his forces outside after their sudden invasion." Said Avinash.

  "Have you disabled teleportation in the city?" Asked Raven.

  "Yes. Surprisingly, Hatori's paranoia was right, just like previous times. His runes stopped any further incursions in the city from other realities, or outside teleportations from our own." Said Avinash.

  "They weren't tested." Reminded Josh.

  "True. But we have to work with what we have. I have put my own wardcrafters in charge of maintaining his system. Multiple teams are working to monitor his system round the clock." Said Avinash.

  All three of them shook their heads. Hatori alone would have been enough to handle that system on his own.

  "Anyway, let me plan with Suresh and Bajrang." Said Raven. "Since the city is under our control, and their siege is not completely enclosing us, we have some room to maneuver. Though I do think we should gather some forces outside as well."

  "I'll do that." Josh volunteered. "I am certain I can gather enough people outside for our needs. We can't do much until Hatori recovers. He was the only one who could handle the monster we ran into in the first place."

  "Experience." Said Raven. "It is all about experience. We'll get to his level one of these days."

  After saying that, they took leave of the king to perform their tasks to keep the heart of their country protected.

  The haunting melody was familiar. Hatori felt that it was on the nose. So, what if he liked and continues to like anime? That doesn't give some alternate shmuck of his friend the right to use that theme against him.

  As the chanting reached the higher notes and then lulls a little, a chill goes up his spine. He could not move, no matter how hard he tries. His magic did not respond. The hair on his body stood up, and his thoughts come to a halt.

  Hatori wakes up. He had the strangest dream. Apparently, he made a deal with a rogue death god, and together they brought the universe to its knees. But this was a villainous role. Just when they were about to die, Hatori woke up.

  However, he is shocked to experience the loss of his eyesight. His eye sockets are empty, just like they used to be in his childhood. His arms and legs also feel soft and small compared to his adult self.

  "Hatori, wake up!" Said a familiar voice.

  A voice he has not heard in the last twenty years.

  "Mother?"

  here.