Leftover Levels Up - Part V: Multiverse Finale

   Leftover entered the throne room at last. The walls, ceiling, floors, and furniture were all made of gold - the throne itself the most sparkling and gaudy of all. On that very throne sat this dimension's version of Hugh, who was fully armored, much like the Hugh of Leftover's world. This Hugh did not wear a dark helmet though, but a clear see through one that showcased his malicious smirk.

   "Ah, we meet again Lenny Overature from another dimension! I thank you for traveling the multiverse to see me. I look forward to killing another version of you on this day."

   "Funny, I thought you might make good practice for when I face my own universe's Hugh." Leftover replied confidently as he summoned his yellow helmet with the toothy smile design into his hand by thought. He donned the helmet, which generated body armor of his own. He then summoned his sword, and charged at Hugh to destroy him and his throne.

   "You seem to have forgotten how I killed the real you earlier." Hugh snickered, as an orange tentacle popped out of his back and began chasing Leftover. No matter how far Leftover fled, the tentacle seemed to stretch endlessly.

   "Thanks to the modifications my brethren made on me, I have a weapon that will target you until you have been impaled. My tentacle will cut through any material, including your armor. And even if you left my castle and travelled across the ocean, the tentacle will keep pursuing you."

   "Nasty, yet impressive." Leftover commented coolly. "And if I remember correctly, the tentacle also carries a deadly poison as well?"

   "You remember that, eh? Your mind is almost as sharp as the former king's, although you would have been better off running away and not getting involved, as you will soon share the same fate: death by impalment or poisoning."

   "And it would appear that you lack the sharpness of the Hugh from my own world, which believe me, I hate to admit. You seem to have forgotten what I did to your tentacle before. It may be able to cut me down, even with armor. But I also cut through it before, and will do so again."

   Leftover sprinted over to Hugh's back and sliced off the tentacle. Hugh screamed in pain, then grinned sinisterly at his foe.

   "You may have stopped my modification, but I will regrow it soon enough. Face it Lenny, no version of you in any world will defeat me!"

   "Wrong. I will destroy you, the you from my dimension, and any Hugh that threatens a better world. I will bring about a world where the innocent are truly protected, and your death will be the first step toward that."

   Leftover and Hugh clashed swords rapidly and aggressively. Both were highly skilled, but Leftover had the upper hand in the duel. Once one of his strikes knocked Hugh's sword out of his hand, Leftover quickly punched Hugh's clear helmet. The helmet shattered and Hugh's armor disappeared, leaving golden robes as his only protection. Leftover shoved Hugh to the ground, then pointed his blade at his neck.

   "In all honesty Hugh, this was disappointing. I hope the real you back home gives me a better finale, but I'm not expecting much from him either."

   "Who said it was over?" Hugh smiled, despite the perilous situation he was in. "Actually, the timing is perfect!"

   Before Leftover could make the finishing strike, he felt his body falling, as if he had been pushed. Where he was standing previously Willy now stood, an orange tentacle impaling him in the chest. Willy gripped the tentacle just outside of where it had torn through him, causing the tentacle to revert back into Hugh. Hugh screamed as his arms and legs also disappeared into his body, and his body shrank and thinned out until he was nothing more than a worm.

   "Grab the worm before he escapes!" Anti-Hero screamed, who was standing by the entrance alongside Janet and Hypnorc. Leftover raced over to the worm version of Hugh and scooped him up while the others attended to Willy.

   "Willy...." Anti-Hero sobbed as she supported him in her arms. "So you were the one that had to give their life in the end."

   "It was worth it, to free our kingdom from Hugh's treachery." Willy smiled weakly. "As long as he is trapped in that form, I will be his last kill."

   "Willy, I'm sorry." Leftover lamented. "If I had fought better, I would have stopped Hugh before he had the chance to use his modification again."

   "You did fine, my friend." Willy grinned. "You had Hugh distracted enough for Janet to toss me between you both while I was in my worm form. One touch was all I needed, and you gave me that opening."

   "Everyone was part of this victory." Hypnorc added. "Willy, Anti-Hero, and myself were paramount in taking care of Hugh's soldiers in order to get this far. Janet even came back to us, and helped me to survive my own battle with Nostrel."

   "I thought I was alone and had to submit to being Hugh's tool." Janet reflected. "Anti-Hero, who I know as my best friend Kari, and everyone else here showed me that I could not only break free, but could also become part of a movement that would make a difference."

   "So listen to everyone here Lenny, no matter what you think, you won today." Willy continued. "You trusted us and joined our cause, and we took down the tyrant. I hope you can do the same with your own allies when you go home."

   "I will Willy, I swear it." Leftover vowed. "But first, we celebrate your sacrifice today. I will make sure Prosperity knows what you accomplished."

   "No thanks." Willy laughed weakly, his time about to run out. "Just give the whole team credit, and that will be enough of an honor to me. Kari, Janet, Hypnorc.... take care of this beautiful country for me...."

   Willy died with a smile on his face, and the party spent some time mourning his departure before exiting with his body. They returned to the forest where the body of their Lenny Overature had been hidden, and they gave both of their fallen comrades a proper burial. Once this was completed, a portal pulsating vibrant colors opened before them.

   "This would appear to be my ride home." Leftover smiled. "I will accept the donation of this pet worm, and remove his stench from your dimension. He can witness me when I defeat the Hugh of my world, with the help of my allies that you have all inspired me to entrust once again. Don't tell your people that he is technically alive, as they will never see him again anyway. All you need to say is that Hugh is gone, for good."

   "As far as addressing our people, I don't suppose we could convince you to stay?" Hypnorc asked, resisting the temptation to hypnotize Leftover into sticking around. "We lost our king, and I can't think of anyone that would take care of our country better than another King Lenny."

   Leftover felt very tempted by the offer. His multiverse allies were heroic vs their villainous counterparts back home. No one here seemed to mind his silhouette form, which he had to hide in his own world. He wasn't tainted by having to play the role of villain in this world to achieve what he believed to be the greater good. But yet, he knew he couldn't stay.

   "I appreciate it, I truly do. But I must protect the people of my own world from its Hugh. Besides, I know this Prosperity is in wonderful hands with all of you. Your world will be just fine, and it is up to me to make sure that my own world shares the same fate."

*****

   Leftover found himself back in the movie theater in his own dimension, and he turned back to look at the portal he had just come through, seeing regular exit doors once again. Applauding in the audience of one was the man that had originally sent him through the multiverse, the gatekeeper known as Multan.

   "I take it you were entertained by the show?" Leftover said in a tone that was a mix of triumphant and irritated.

   "You and the other stars were fantastic." Multan gushed. "However, I would not have recommended bringing the antagonist home with you, even if he is simply a worm now."

   "That world will be better off without him, iust like this one will be once the real Hugh is gone. Besides, there is something I want to test out with this one. Now, I have earned a special ability for contributing to the show you just enjoyed, correct?"

   "You certainly have." Multan answered warmly. "Step forward and receive your upgrade."

*****

   "Welcome home fellas!" Willy sneered as he sat on the throne in the royal castle of the Prosperity Leftover was accustomed to.

   "You fool, why aren't you disguised as the king?" Hypnorc snarled. "We are trying to keep up an appearance here."

   "Relax, if anyone put up a stink I would just turn them into a worm." Willy laughed. "Besides, my disguise just wore off. CCC left already, said he had more clients to deal with. Tam told me to watch the throne, said he had something to attend to."

   "Did he say what was pressing enough to leave the kingdom I was entrusting to him in my absence?" Leftover asked with annoyance, already missing his much more likeable allies from the multiverse. He then remembered that Tam wanted him dead too, and kicked himself for thinking that Tam would be a good choice to leave in charge during his multiverse trip.

   "Well, while you two were up to whatever it was you were scheming in the North Pole, your old friend Lifer apparently made a comeback. Tam went to confront that kid that was Lifer before to see if he somehow managed to trick the Reflection Dimension into allowing him to return with his life creating powers."

   "Lifer huh, that is unexpected." Leftover pondered. "I suppose that isn't a bad reason to run off after all. You are actually the man I wanted to see anyway Willy. I need you to test something for me. I would like you to touch this worm and see if you can turn him back into his original form."

   "Um, okay?" Willy remarked as he approached Leftover and took the worm that he was holding. The worm reverted back into the multiverse Hugh, who smirked maliciously at the trio in his presence.

   "Willy, make him a worm again!" Leftover ordered quickly.

   Willy touched Hugh again, and Hugh screamed as he transformed back into a worm once more.

   "Nice, so although another version of Willy turned him into a worm, our version's powers work the same." Leftover said excitedly. "Fascinating!"

   "Was that Hugh?" Willy asked incredulously. "He seemed a lot different from the Hugh around here.... what were you two doing in the North Pole again?"

   "Let's all get a drink Willy." Leftover laughed. "I would like to hear a report from Hypnorc about what he was up to, and I also have quite the story to tell."

*****

Prior stories from the "Leftover Levels Up/Multiverse" arc:

- A Non-Hypnotic Suggestion - https://theprose.com/post/475973/a-non-hypnotic-suggestion

- Leftover Levels Up - Part I: Entering The Multiverse - https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/41d2fe/

- Leftover Levels Up - Part II: Old/New Friends & Foes - https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/2qk4yo/

- Leftover Levels Up - Part III: Multiverse Showdown! Anti-Hero vs Janet - https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/azurfp/

- Leftover Levels Up - Part IV: A Scent of Danger - Nostrel Attacks! - https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/llqvl3/

- Multiverse Allies: A Fairy Tale Trap - https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/95mcgm/

- Multiverse Allies: Willy's Survival Tale - https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/77w0nl/