Episode 1050 Summit (5)
Antias, the Beast King who had come ignoring Deus’s ban on contact, mentioned ‘God’. His ferocious pupils split vertically.A gaze stained with intense interest.He made no attempt to hide the primal wildness emanating from his very life force.
Verden thought.
He’s testing the waters.
As you have heard, Antias’s conjectures lack any substantial basis. It is entirely subjective. He formulates hypotheses based on his senses and verifies them through the other person’s reaction. Ifa criminal were to use this method, it would be no different from simply guessing, but if the subject is Antias, it is a different story.
A natural intuition that identifies the follower of fate hidden within the crowd by means of displeasure.
Just as the intuition of a transcendent being serves as powerful evidence, Antias’s instinct must exist in a supernatural realm that cannot be judged by common sense.
Even so, to think I would go so far as to consider the possibility that I might be a god. I wonder if I am free from prejudice, or if I have virtually no framework for thinking.
What would it have been like if it were Verden himself?
Even though he may have established it as one of the many hypotheses in his head, he probably wasn’t convinced enough to come here to prove it.
I cannot claim to know much about beastmen, but the Beast King, the pinnacle of them all, was on a completely different level compared to other beastmen, both physically and rationally.
however…….
I had already heard plenty of about Antias’s sensory abilities through Isabella. When biological reactions needed to be hidden without a single flaw, he could certainly conceal them.Just as he had deceived the Bohemian Magic Tower, Verden was quite a competent liar.
It wasn’t just Adrian, but Isabella was also skilled in that regard.She was a demon.Her body was not that of an ordinary human, and if she used the magic of erosion on herself, she could bring involuntary muscles under her control.
She also prepared a countermeasure, using as a foundation the experience of having fragments of emotion read in the gaze of the King of Water when the Allied Nations were rooting out traitors.
The flow of thought happened in an instant.
“If the World Tree is not a god, then no one can be called a god.”
Ambiguity where the truth cannot be determined.
Antias raised his eyebrows at the tone that suggested he had faced the World Tree in person. With a face that looked like a mix of a wolf and a lion, an exclamation of admiration soon escaped from between his sharp teeth.
Hoho.
Antias’s eyes scrutinized the members of Verden’s party until they reached Alpha and Beta. Naturally, the creatures without any biological tissue provided Antias with not even the slightest bit of information.
Antias looked at Verden again.
“Isn’t the fact that you conceal it so nonchalantly proof that you are a god?”“Nonsense is just a matter of your own interpretation. No matter what I answer, you will assume it as you please.”“You are right. Even a sweet fruit becomes a poisonous weed if chewed with a bitter mouth. Even if it is the truth, if it is a lie to me, it is ultimately a lie.”
Antias rested his chin on his hand, citing a beastkin proverb as a habit. He sat with one elbow resting on his leg and lowered his upper body halfway, yet Adrian still had to look up at him.
“But what would the Luas religion think? Those fanatics who love Luas.”
Adrian barely managed to suppress the urge to draw his light sword.
Verden responded calmly.
“If the newcomers believe that, the international alliance will surely collapse. Even if it is a lie, if you testify, the Saintess will not be able to ignore it either.”“If I run my mouth, a great catastrophe will ensue.”“Do you desire division?”
A subdued voice.
“Go ahead and try. I’ll kill you before then.”
If Antias truly interferes, the United Nations cannot be formed. In other words, from Verden’s perspective, Antias and the Followers of Fate are the same kind of scoundrels, so he simply defines them as enemies accordingly.
“indeed.”
Antias laughed loudly.
The snowy mountains shook at the mere sound of laughter, snowflakes rose, and a blizzard raged.Isabella closed her hearing for a moment.
“I have never experienced what death is. To be honest, I have quite a deep interest in that. Besides, we live in a world without death.”
With the complete resurrection of the ancient king, death has vanished from the continent. It is a situation where even if one’s organs spill out, death does not occur. Aheadless fish thrashes about all day long even after coming ashore.
“Of course, indirect death is possible. But bringing the Alliance Leader’s head would be a much higher-dimensional form of death than that.”
Even though the power of the Old King was affecting the entire continent, Verden annihilated his followers. Tearel contributed to this in a different way.Indeed.There are many aspects to death. The conventional death is not the whole story. Verden acquired Draven’s knowledge and came to understand this concept more deeply.
“Anyway. There is no need to be so defensive. I will not reveal to anyone the fact that you are a god. The Luas religion will not be able to reach my hypothesis. Even though you received power from a god, you have never witnessed that being, so could you even suspect that another god exists right before your eyes? The limits of imagination are like blindness.”
Antias tapped his temple and asserted that he would not reveal the answer he had found himself. It was difficult to understand his ulterior motive.
“What is your true intention in seeking me out?”“Curiosity. I wondered what biologically distinguishes you from me. Even now, as I observe you, I cannot help but feel that there is something beyond my comprehension.”
Antias continued speaking, showing a curious reaction.At the same time, the topic changed.
“And, separate from this, I have a matter to discuss.”“A matter to discuss.”“There are broadly two purposes for seizing power: greed, or a sense of duty. Verden, you are the latter. Your scathing criticism and relentless pressure on the Ruas Theocracy demonstrates that this war is worth it; this implies you intend to take the lead, doesn’t it?”
The huge tail sways.
“For a being with a mission to want to lead the war command implies that there is a compelling reason for it and confidence that they can perform better than others, and nine times out of ten, that confidence stems from intelligence.”“…….”“Was it Barcazel? The beastman who drove the Saint into seclusion.”
The two leaders’ eyes met.
“I need information about him.”“The Holy Kingdom said he died after a fierce battle with the Saint.”“There is a saying that every beast is alive until it is kicked. Then you should have at least brought back the corpse.”
As expected, Antias was different from other beastmen. He was arrogant yet never complacent, and while he was called the greatest physically, he possessed superior intelligence and knowledge.
“The purpose of information is.”“Hunting.”
Antias clenched his fist with his empty hand. Even the slight recoil of that body was enough to cause the ground he was sitting on to shake, unable to withstand the pressure.
“Aside from myself, he is the first beastman capable of standing against the Saint, so at that level, he is worth hunting. Since he aided the Glory of the Corpse, he will surely reveal himself soon once the war begins.”
The conversation resulted in negotiations.
“I will ‘fully’ support Eon’s ascension to the leadership of the Alliance. In return, you must track Barcazel’s whereabouts in real time and report them to me, and I would like you to reflect the opinions of the Beastmen to some extent in the war.”“To what extent?”“I will leave it to your discretion.”
Only then did Verden and his party understand the reason why Antias had personally visited.
Preemption
Along with his personal ambition, Antias intends to solidify the position of the Beastmen through Verden before the World Alliance is officially established.
As the King.
Adrian was momentarily speechless, as she was the epitome of a perfectly normal being. It was distinctly different from the side of her that had deliberately, deliberately, deliberately provoked the Saintess and caused chaos at the World Conference.
Verden’s hesitation was brief.
“I’ll accept it.”“Good.”
Verden provided detailed information about Barcazel on the spot.
The Beastman of Massacre.The Beast King of a Distant Era.
This was something Draven had heard directly from Barcazel and Grimmel. Antias let out a deep laugh at the information that Barcazel was the ancient Beast King.He seemed quite satisfied, as the prey was a bigger catch than he had expected.
Shortly after the conversation ended, it was time for Antias to return to his camp.
Verden questioned the figure from behind.
“What do you think of this war?”“He who has no teeth will not survive the winter.”
Antias expressed his views on the current trends of the world, including war.
The world will become a battleground of elimination and evolution.
As Antias quickly descended the hill with such wide strides…he glanced sideways at Verden, a god of something, Adrian who had defeated Mauler, Isabella who had transcended humanity, and Alpha and Beta, who could not be explained by modern magical civilization.
It looks like a scene from a myth.
As expected, my intuition was right.
The closer one gets to Verden, the faster the rusty boredom will peel away. Antias’s blood boiled. He could assert it.
The era of peace is fading.
The age of barbarism has begun.
* * *
“……I apologize for causing you trouble.”“Please do not say such things, Saint.”
Romanus personally healed Leonhardt’s wounds with a miracle. As he finished wiping away the blood, a young man with a clean appearance returned.Of course, he also reattached the arms of the Inquisitors who had been retaliated against by Adrian.
“I have been deeply moved by the words of the Divine. In the series of events, the Theocracy of Luas ultimately failed to fulfill its duties, and we are in a position where we must never make excuses, no matter what situation we face. If we do not demonstrate that we are making amends at this summit, it would be tantamount to us ourselves tarnishing the Goddess’s radiance.”“I…….”
Leonhardt struggled to part his lips.
“Is there anything I can take responsibility for?”“Let’s take responsibility together. Together.”“Ah…”
Leonhardt’s face brightened. While others were trying to evade responsibility, he wanted to take responsibility in one way or another.Romanus realized once again that protecting the young saint was not the only solution. To become an adult, one must go through growing pains.
“…the strange sensation each of us felt the moment we faced the Divine. It is highly likely that this is the power of the Divine having reached the 8th Rank. Since only the three of us among the attendees reacted, it would be best to understand this situation as the Divine’s ploy.”“Still, as time passes, I seem to be getting used to it little by little. It doesn’t bother me at all now.”“The Divine might have withdrawn its power. It would mean that the situation unfolded exactly as it wanted.”
The cause of everything was their unconscious perception of Verden’s true nature, but as Antias had anticipated, they failed to connect Verden with God at all.
“I do not know what the Divine… will demand at the summit. However, one thing is clear: we owe a debt to the Divine, and only by repaying it can we speak on equal footing.”“…….”“No more impulsiveness.”“I will bear that in mind, Pope.”“As long as you do not directly blaspheme the Goddess, exercise restraint regardless of what others say. Absolutely nothing more than this.”“…….”“Do you understand, Saint?”“…….”“Saint? Ersetia?”“Ah.”
Ersetia belatedly lifted her head and soon nodded.
“Understood, Your Holiness. I will keep myself in check.”
Why am I so anxious?
Romanus let out a sigh inwardly. Whether or not she knew his feelings, Ersetia was sitting on the frozen rock, stroking the corner of her mouth.
“… … those eyes.”
An indescribable feeling.
Verden was the first person to use physical force against her in that way.
* * *
“You said you were going to the deep sea, so why are you coming with the leader of Eon?”“A lot has happened.”“Just what kind of things?”“Something extremely important.”
Salber, the head of the Adventurer’s Guild headquarters, shook his head in resignation at Tearel’s nonchalant attitude.Still, it wasn’t so bad. Afterall, the Transcendent of the Adventurer’s Guild, who had left to pursue ideals in a time of crisis, had returned. Salber soon felt his heart broaden.
“Ah, but more importantly, the war countermeasures the Adventurer’s Guild devised this time are…….”“Wait.”
Tearel took light steps and approached the adventurer leaning against the wall. The man, completely covered in full armor with not a single ounce of skin exposed, moved his head slightly.
The terror of demons.
The only adventurer venturing into the Demon Realm to kill a dragon.
“What… is going on…?”“Are you a seed?”“…??”
The fear of the demon showed a rare sign of absurdity.
“It’s not a seed…… it’s a person…….”“If you don’t know, that’s fine.”
Tearel turned her back nonchalantly, as if she were no longer interested. However, her interest was already fixed on him.
Seed of Resistance. I think it is the Apostle’s Adversary.
As Tearel knew, the only being strong enough to fight a dragon and obsessed with it like a madman was the Fear of the Demon.
Thearel developed a suspicion of the resistor.
* * *
The one-hour recess declared by Deus passed in the blink of an eye. Then, everyone gathered again in the meeting room prepared in Prohas.
Eon and the Luas religion faced each other, but neither side showed an emotional attitude.
“If you damage this meeting room again or disrupt the proceedings through a clash, I will restrict your right to speak depending on the severity.”“Understood.”“I understand.”
Verden and the Pope answered at the same time.
Deus said.
“Then, before we resume the summit, let me address one thing.”“…….”“King Anthias. You ignored the ban and made contact with Eon.”
Antias nodded without making excuses.
“But?”“The King of Water is stripped of his right to speak.”
* * *
Meanwhile, Gargant.
Ignacia was lost in meditation all day with her magic open.Although she had to temporarily suspend her research on directly crossing the fourth dimension because her disciple Silis was attending a summit, her mind was already filled with various magical studies.
Directly crossing the fourth dimension is not everything.
First, let’s connect!
The demon’s hand seen through the fourth dimension—there must surely be an intelligent being within it. Ignacia, the transcendent being of illusion, intended to use dreams.Dreams are a collection of illusions, and most intelligent beings dream. Whether demons also dream is unknown, but one cannot know without trying.
It was then.
“Huh?”
──… … ────… … .
Something was grasped within her mind. It was so faint that she poured all her strength into concentrating her mind to grasp that thread.Sweat trickled down.Veins bulged on her forehead.Although she manifested the concept of the Demonic Way in this way, her mind ultimately failed to connect with it.
However, the darkness was felt.
Their presence is much greater than mine.
Ignacia is a complete transcendent being. How many beings are there with a presence more clearly than her? Especially among the demons.
“Surely not…… the Great Demon?”
I had recently scoured every book about demons, so I remembered the information on the Great Demons. Only one of them was connected to the darkness.
‘The Archdemon of Darkness, Noxias.’
A Great Demon is in the hands of a giant demon? And it’s even connected to Verden? Ignacia trembled with a tingling sensation.
‘If only we went a little further, just a little bit more, it feels like we could at least exchange words through dreams…!’
If she cooperates with the Archdemon to create a passage, Ignacia might achieve her goal sooner than planned.She immediately resumed her research.
In the back of my mind… I thought that demons might inadvertently appear on the continent on a massive scale. After all, that is the nature of connections.A large-scale demonic crisis could occur due to the passage she created.
At this, Ignacia smiled broadly.
Who cares!
