The Oracle Paths Chapter 1230: Twice the Jake, Twice the Doom

Beneath the enormous spread of the Titan Tree Anthace, where its leaves hid the heavens entirely, a plain-looking group of three remained still on an elevated limb, observing the turmoil ripping apart Lustris right underneath them.

The heart of the city had transformed into a blazing inferno long ago. The horde of beasts surging up from below had crushed the few elite guards that were left.

Structures that once shone with Lumyst glow were now reduced to sizzling wreckage. Bodies sprawled across the roads like shattered toys, some yet moving faintly, partially devoured and left unfinished by the diverted hunters. Whole neighborhoods vanished under waves of meat and blaze. Viewed from high up, the metropolis resembled a fading lifeform—veins of fire, throbs of brutality, its last pulse faltering.

The wails from the ordinary people could send chills down your spine—babies wrapped in their cloths, panicked parents, and barely alive seniors all joined in a chorus of dread. Elites and plebeians dropped their pretenses, reverting to pure self-preservation—yelling, fleeing, thrashing like the vulnerable victims they became. Their hunters, twisted and horrifying mutants, struggled to pick a starting point, overwhelmed by the feast of fear and gore.

The creatures showed their joy with sharp chirps, deafening cries, or deep rumbles that echoed in the torso like the snarl of an old monster—each noise creepier than the previous.

Light Paladins and Corebearers, far more common in this place than elsewhere, struggled just to stay breathing. To the residents, this otherworldly assault felt like an unending bad dream.

Yet unlike a typical nightmare, escape was impossible here.

In usual times, the Celestial, the sole fixed member of the Radiant Conclave, or perhaps even a Titan, would have seized control of the safeguards. However, this event felt wrong somehow. Not one of them had appeared yet. People with inside info knew the city held just one Celestial and the Titan Anthace at present. That could justify the missing ones, but what exactly were the pair already there up to?

The protection setup of the giant tree—trustworthy up to this point—had oddly fallen completely quiet. And their top commander, expected to shred foes at the forefront, was instead locked in what appeared to be a talk with an outsider whose aura matched—perhaps surpassed—his very own.

That idea by itself served as ultimate terror fodder.

While everyday citizens witnessed mere disorder and fright, the three Oracle Knights dispatched to guard the White City interpreted this doomsday view in a wholly unique way.

Jake, meant to be distant from this spot and about to step into their snare, was present already—unharmed and intact. And Cho Min Ho, expected sooner, had arrived delayed and overlooked the trap cue they had settled on.

With the Celestial leading the fight, Anthace providing aid, and four Oracle Knights supporting, they ought to have subdued Jake. It wouldn't have been simple, but feasible nonetheless.

Naturally, they had no real plan to depend on Cho Min Ho or his group. As a Participant from the rival side, he couldn't deliberately aid in arranging and joining a setup to eliminate one of his so-called partners. His Trial Score would plummet.

No one was deceived. All understood they were exploiting one another—but that worked fine. Both parties figured they held the control, that they'd emerge victorious once play concluded.

For instance, if Cho Min Ho had pinned Jake in another location, he would have faced the swarm from the three Oracle Knights. And truthfully, perhaps that's his secret wish? Hard to say with him.

Ultimately, the whole affair had spiraled into disorder. First, the Celestial failed to clash with Jake immediately and opted for dialogue with their prime foe instead. Second, these fiends, spawned from that vile Black Lumyst, had erupted from the earth in vast quantities, nullifying every meticulously crafted strategy.

And third... Cho Min Ho now found himself utterly incapable of assisting in their supposed trap—or even serving as bait instead of Jake. Their partner had attempted cleverness, choosing to observe the frenzy from afar. Yet the swelling monster count dragged him into the fray against his will.

They lacked full details on the slaughter raging underground, but Rogen and the rest of the Myrtharian Nerds remained embroiled in combat deep down. From the faint signals they detected, it appeared those beasts had hit their breaking point.

The initial surge of monsters posed danger mainly to regular Players and natives. Since then, both their quantity and power had exploded—and their emergence areas had widened accordingly. Cho Min Ho and his team believed themselves secure on the city's edges. Reality proved the outbreak ignored limits or permission.

Positioned on their perch far above the urban sprawl, the three Oracle Knights originating from the alternate Mirror Universe could merely observe these unexpected turns, their expressions growing grim with worry.

And under their surface poise, another force stirred—intense strain. Their poise was fracturing. Even Shadrex, typically distant and enigmatic, had fallen utterly silent. Caelum's teeth ground with audible strain. Weiss shifted restlessly—behavior alien to her.

"Shadrex," Weiss whispered, irritation threading her tone as she breathed out hard. "Seems your foresight isn't holding up like before. Lustris faces a total annihilation risk that might wreck our Primary Objective completely. But you claimed there was a chance of success if we stuck to your scheme, right? Didn't you foresee Jake getting cornered and overwhelmed by a swarm of fighters—including us and the Celestial?"

Hidden within the foliage's dim veil, the enigmatic visionary released an uncommon breath that revealed inner tiredness. At their stature, slumber and relaxation were relics. Any hint of fatigue stood out sharply.

"I never said I knew the outcome exactly," Shadrex muttered. "I just glimpse potential paths ahead. They're always murky. All remains open to reading, and nothing solidifies until it happens for real."

The figure dubbed the Oracle now experienced only utter weariness. He'd never felt this beaten down prior. Damn, he hadn't even uttered prophetic verses lately—a stark indicator of his decline.

"Still... I'm sure we'll end up the victors once it's over. Jake might disrupt the steadiness of my sights, but that's precisely why we crafted an ironclad fallback. They forfeited their Oracle Hacker—we retain ours. And frankly, even this sudden monster surge aids us. If Jake seeks complete triumph, he'll need not just to seize Lustris but to shield it too. What's the point of claiming a devastated city if all its people get consumed?"

No part of this Trial had unfolded predictably. They'd shifted from obstacles to outright calamities. But often, hidden within ruin lay a chance.

Even long after gaining his ability, Shadrex marveled at how destiny invariably shaped his prophecies into truth, despite every indicator suggesting otherwise.

Typically, their Oracle Paths offered him scant flexibility. Yet with their Oracle Hacker's aid, he'd at last unleashed his talents fully. And toward what? This very instant.

Next to him, Caelum, the Titan of Vrax, mirrored that same grim hopefulness. He'd even expended their supreme Faction Skill—'Protector'—to restore his prestige and subtly claim Dusken alone. But his duplicate wound up aiding the adversaries in safeguarding the city.

The twist stung deeply. This entire Trial played like a cruel prank—and he formed the ridiculous butt of it.

Clenching his jaws, the aggressive giant barked in resentment,

"Wonderful. He's right there below us. Big whoop. So what do we do about it? While the Celestial and Anthace linger chatting like friends, we're trapped waiting."

The group had been assigned to block Lustris's fall. However, the anticipated foe hadn't acted at all, as a separate force neared total erasure of the place. The true danger shone obvious, yet admitting it would shatter their disguise—and destroy their final shot at striking the initial mark.

And right as they believed matters couldn't worsen further... Weiss's face contorted. Her deep eyes bulged with unmasked fear.

Weiss—the steadiest and most strategic of them. Her extreme response terrified the pair.

"I-It can't be..." the azure-hued extraterrestrial stuttered, clearly rattled.

Shadrex and Caelum exchanged glances—and immediately spotted the matching horror. Whatever could break the Mind Weaver, her calm demeanor, wasn't mere trouble. It qualified as pure dread material. A standard setback wouldn't shake her.

Weiss had planted a vicious surprise for the Jake battling elsewhere.

"What is it? Don't say he ignored the truce and struck at th—"

Too shocked to reply, she merely lifted two of her medusa-like appendages and touched them to her allies' brows, flooding them with a surge of Spirit Power loaded with overwhelming information.

"Look for yourself."

For entities of their caliber, absorbing that knowledge required mere moments. Their faces, though, locked in place at once—colorless as remains buried for centuries in the earth.

"...Holy fu—"

Shadrex barely noted Caelum's furious yell beside him, nor the flecks of saliva hitting his skin. His focus narrowed completely, his torso tightened, air fled his lungs.

Where exactly had they faltered? He understood it clearly now.

They'd committed one deadly error: They'd ignored specific scenarios... Since inwardly, they deemed them unattainable.

Which Jake proved authentic, and which the copy? No longer relevant.

Fate had already struck them hard:

Both Jakes possessed unbelievable might. Far beyond any of theirs.