Episode 1028 Intellectual Conflict (2)
Silence hangs over the inescapable prison where only sound can pass.Is this underground or above ground?Having always traveled with all senses cut off, there is no way to know.
“…….”
Trapped in the Arnach Empire’s magical straitjacket, Lunesica Anternoa sat helplessly in a corner with her forehead resting on her knees.She was physically and mentally exhausted to the point where restraint was practically unnecessary.
There are clear signs of being beaten all over his face.
The Theocracy of Luas organized the Order of Holy Law, which had been established during the subjugation of the Great Demon. I had never faced them directly before, but now I had come face-to-face with them. Theywere indeed fanatics.Since I had insulted Luas, the torture disguised as an interrogation was truly merciless. However, such physical pain was nothing compared to this.
Thump… … thump… … .
The excruciating pain, as if one’s very existence were shattering, was something even a transcendent being who had lived for over 800 years while struggling to breathe life into the outside could not endure.
Now, I can clearly feel the dark red magical power firmly rooted in my soul. This is an incurable poison. I dare to assert it. There is no deadly poison more vicious than this. For it is a power that defiled even the body of an ancient king who had overcome death.
My breath trembled for a moment.
Instinctively, anxiety intensified as he never knew when Verden’s inherent magical power might awaken again and attempt to trigger a soul seizure.He would rather endure the torture of having his arms and legs severed every day. His internal pain had surpassed the upper limit of external suffering.
“At least the Empire… as if they had some kind of realization, interfered with my soul to bring stability, but in the end, it was nothing more than a temporary measure.”
Lunesica guessed her limits.
It will be hard to endure the next few days.
If the soul ultimately loses its original form and shatters into pieces, it will lose its transcendence. It will either die instantly or become a wreck. The result will be one of the two.Whatever happens, the transcendent being of the magical realm named Lunesica Anternoa is finished. It was an end that was both fitting and unfitting for the second servant of the Glory of the Dead.
“……Would it have been better if I had died with Danjang?”
Although her attachment to life was extremely strong as she still pursued her ideals as a transcendent being, Luneska had become frail enough to harbor such thoughts, however ridiculous they may seem. It might be the effect of gradually losing her transcendence.She had even given up counting how much time had passed in her mind.
“Cough, cough!”
The blood mixed with the cough soaked the straitjacket.
It was then.
───Hahahahahahaha! Do you have any more interrogations to ask? Or are you finally planning to execute me? I hope that’s quite stimulating! At this rate, I’m going to die of boredom!
The laughter of an arrogant and fierce dwarf echoes loudly through the prison.
The worst dwarf on earth, Grimmel Gromfar.The prisoner of carnage, Barcazel.
Ancient beings into whom souls were breathed after an unofficial transcendent being from an unknown organization delivered corpse fragments and Draben and Lunesika restored their bodies by consuming the souls stored in the Animus.
While living as a prisoner of war, information from the outside inevitably comes in.Even amidst harsh interrogation, one’s ears remain open.
‘… … Grimmel, who had drawn the public’s attention for His Majesty’s resurrection, had both hands severed by Verden, and Barcazel suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Saint. However, the Saint is not safe either.’
The details regarding the Saint are speculation.Of course, they are closer to certainty.If the Saint were intact, she would have led Lunesica’s interrogation long ago. She is a minion of God even more fanatical than the Holy Order.
“Besides, Verden… he didn’t observe the interrogation even once. He isn’t the type of person to just sit by. Has he still not recovered? Then again, it did look like he had crossed his limit that day.”
I vividly remember the super-tier magic that killed Draven and Lunesika, and destroyed the islands of the Hiaremar Inland Sea by standing against His Majesty.I lost consciousness in the middle and did not see the results, but it was a power exceeding the 7th tier, and a firepower difficult to handle as a 7th-tier transcendent.
At that time, it seemed that His Majesty was in danger, but eventually, the Gate of Death opened. His Majesty is unharmed. The Xerion Empire reigns, and the immortal world that was never achieved before will soon arrive.
Although it was highly likely that Lunesica would never see that world, she let out a small laugh at the fact that she had come close enough to reach her wish.Was it entrusting her ideals?Her loyalty to Emperor Xerion was no less than that of Arnark’s sword.
anyway.
“Judging by the sound of Grimmel’s voice, he’s being moved out of the prison… Has the interrogation started again? He hasn’t gotten a single piece of information, yet he never gets tired of it.”
If Grimmel’s voice was heard again, it was Luneska’s turn next. It had always been that way. She leaned her head against the wall like a condemned prisoner awaiting death.
‘… … ?’
However, familiar footsteps reached my ears sooner than expected. It was puzzling. The disruption of the routine meant there was a change in the situation. Sincethe interrogation was completely ineffective, were they planning to simply drag me to a square and symbolically behead me?
Death in front of the world. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
A metallic sound shakes the ears.
Lunesica glared at the transcendent being who had come to find her, leaving the blood on the corner of her mouth untouched. Her eyes, as life faded, were faint, yet incredibly intense in that she had not given up.
“Are you going to execute him?”“Execution?”
Grand Duke Rivandale twitched the corner of one eye as if to say, “What are you talking about?”Then he scoffed.
“It seems your anxiety has worsened from these repeated soul seizures. Don’t you want to die?”“If you’re going to kill, you do it.”
Luneska shrugged her shoulders with dark circles under her eyes, like someone living on borrowed time.
“It is worthy of the Imperial Guardian’s Sword.”
Grand Duke Rodrick Rivandale
A transcendent being who has claimed to be the sword of the Arnach Empire for over a hundred years. Another emperor of the Empire. Where the Grand Duke is, that is the border of the Empire.
Although we served different empires, as loyal subjects, I maintained a certain level of respect for them. Of course, even without such trivial reasons, I had no intention of getting deeply involved in the internal affairs of the Arnak Empire.
If the Saintess is dangerous, this guy is tricky.
If we were to fight an all-out battle, I am confident I could kill Arnark’s sword, but I would not be able to break his conviction. This type of guy looks for a single move to turn the tables in an instant, whether facing one or two opponents of equal standing.
That’s an inappropriate attitude for the situation.
Grand Duke Rivandale drew [Etes], characterized by its lack of a guard and a thin blade. Waves of sword energy rippled. The straitjacket split open, freeing Lunesica’s limbs.
“……So you’re telling me to at least put up a resistance because just killing you isn’t fun?”“You, unable to unleash your magic, pose no danger to me. Of course, it wouldn’t be any different even if you were in peak condition.”
Grand Duke Rivandale, having sheathed his sword before anyone realized it, turned his back with his hands clasped behind his back.
“Follow me. I am transporting you to Prohas.”“The North?”“An emergency summit has been convened regarding the former king.”
Grand Duke Rivandale’s ominous gaze turned over his shoulder toward the transcendent being who had brought chaos to the continent and the Arnark Empire.
Your treatment will be decided there.
Luneska opened her eyes wide and was convinced.Verden is coming to the summit.
* * *
The vast region of Prohas, now free from the blizzard, presents quite a spectacular sight.The frozen land, covered in pristine white snow untrodden by anyone, is truly pure white, and the plants growing in this cold land evoke a sense of the beauty of life.
Crunch.
The winter flowers that had barely managed to sprout in the cold were brutally trampled.
I can sense the aura of a madman over there.
A beastman wrapped in a white travel robe, becoming one with the white mountain range, watched Prohas’s polar fortress from a considerable distance.
Barca Gel.
He was a prisoner of carnage who had been defeated by the Saint at Gold Hill but had spared his life. One sleeve fluttered. It was because he had lost his right arm in the last battle.
“Really? I don’t feel anything. You really are a monster beastman.”
Narbia Perin, the leader of Narbia’s Six Evils, zoomed in on her vision through a telescope. She was a high-ranking criminal sorceress who had been resurrected from death while the Third Servant was in the midst of organizing the Underworld Blood Alliance.
Narbia was also the person who secretly retrieved the dying Barkazel.
“But keep in mind that our objective is strictly reconnaissance. Of course, we must not invade, and we must absolutely never reveal our strength in any meaningful way. We will surely be discovered by King Prohas.”
Prohas’s territory is vast, but one must not run wild as one pleases. Teleportation is also impossible. This is because, even if one does not know the method, if an abnormal phenomenon occurs, the King of the North will sense it like a ghost and take action.
I do not think they are monitoring the entire northern territory in real time, but they certainly possess capabilities equivalent to that.
Just like how the Gate of Death opened in the North was discovered and sealed before it could even function.
Barcazel gleamed his sharp teeth at the corners of his long, torn mouth.
“I have no intention of boldly ramming into the fortress. That place is a death trap. Even getting any closer from here would entail taking a risk.”
The various presences emanating from the polar fortress provoked Barcazel’s true nature. There are more than a few transcendent beings living in the fortress.
The hunting urge and the survival instinct clashed.
No matter how strong Barcazel is, taking them all on is suicide.
Moreover, this era was strange.
Just as there are saints, there are several beings who threaten Barcazel. While Barcazel was recovering from his battered body, he heard from Narbia about world-class powerhouses such as the Seven Great Demon Kings and the Providers.
“If it weren’t for the means of teleportation, we could have snatched the madman and the servant away during transport. What a pity.”“I’m telling you. As long as we convey the former king’s will, they won’t be able to kill the two of them so easily. Then, let’s prepare a messenger and get out of this wretched North at once.”
Narbia descended the mountain range, shivering in the cold wind. He was so afraid of being discovered that he couldn’t even write
“But why aren’t you officially affiliated with the Xerion Empire while assisting the former king? You’ve never even met him. With your abilities, Mr. Monster Beastman, being second-in-command should be a sure thing.”“I lead my own forces rather than be affiliated with such a nation.”
Barcazel also turned his back on the polar fortress.
“I already belong to fate.”
It is fate again.
Narbia pondered deeply what exactly this fate he had mentioned so many times was, but even so, he could not come up with a hypothesis.
Well, whatever.
Unless given a special order, Narbia intended to stick with Barkazel throughout the war. After all,there were few who could stand against the power that had effectively destroyed itself alongside the Saint.
Even the magic tower that executed Narbia in the past would be nothing more than a mere sheep before Barkazel.
* * *
“……?”
Isabella, standing on the wall of the polar fortress, tilted her head while looking south.
“What’s wrong?”“I feel like someone is watching.”“A watch?”
Adrian gazed south, but there was nothing particularly strange. The snowstorm had subsided and visibility was good, but all he could see in the distance were villages and snow-covered mountain ranges.
Isabella shrugged her shoulders.
“Well, I guess it was just my imagination. Anyway, there are less than two days left, and I haven’t heard from the owner at all. There is no way to get in touch with him.”
Was it because everyone knew that a large-scale war was approaching? A silence characteristic of the calm before a storm hung over the polar fortress.
“Surely nothing has happened, has it?”“It is the Lord. He is surely capable of overcoming any unexpected variables that may arise.”“I am well aware of that, but…”
Isabella lowered her voice.
The opponent is an apostle.
Even if the host of the Arcadium maintains a neutral attitude, they are closer to enemies than allies. The Apostles were beings that the two had not yet been able to fathom.
Adrian crossed his arms.
“Of course… My Lord might face a difficult situation. Still, he will eventually arrive before the summit begins.”
Verden is not alone.
Because Alpha and Beta went together.
* * *
Arcadium.
Intellectual Conflict is a deep-sea board game similar in structure and size to chess.It is a game of intellectual clash where victory and defeat are determined by moving small pieces—small enough to be held in one hand with room to spare—on a suitable table.
However, the intellectual conflict that the host newly refined for the final game of this arcadium was on a completely different scale.
A world of polygons mimicking real-world nature, such as snow-capped mountains, forests, wilderness, deserts, lakes, and seas.It did not stand still but moved as if it were real. Sandstorms swirled in the desert regions, and waves crashed in the ocean areas.
Each tile was spacious enough to accommodate several people. I mean actual people.The host’s new intellectual clash was truly a miniature world.
And the external form of each individual piece was incredibly delicate. Had the colors been applied properly, they could have been mistaken for real people.
Verden shifted his gaze.
Eon is not the only one that modeled objects after real ones.
In the camp of Destiny, there were the first king of the human world, dragons, ancient kings, the god of the desert, giants, and so on… … .In the camp of the resistors, there were also figures such as Deus Widen and Meia.
“That’s strange. All the pieces in my camp appear to be specific figures, but only some of the pieces in the other two camps are identifiable. Other than that, they look like ordinary pieces. Could it be that only the entities whose identities I have grasped are being recognized?”
Verden’s idea was spot on.
The appearance of an object looks different depending on the individual. It is a natural principle that one’s perspective on the world changes according to the knowledge accumulated.
The host looked down at the board game consisting of thousands of tiles. He snapped his fingers. A rulebook appeared before Verden, Bloodia, and Deus.
{Since this intellectual clash is based on the basic rules, the gameplay is not significantly different; however, new rules have been added as the structure has been revamped. Therefore, I will give the participants of the third game time to familiarize themselves with the revised rules and devise a strategy.}
This was the reason for giving a short break between the second and third games.
Make sure you are fully prepared.
Click.
Doors generated out of thin air swallowed the participants in an instant. They had been transported to a private space. The audience held their breath as they gazed at the host and the massive intellectual collision stage left all alone.
{Those eliminated and those who gave up and received viewing benefits, follow me.}
The host went up the stairs.
I will guide you to the theater.
The butlers of Arcadium immediately lined up on both sides to make a path. The fourth distinguished guest readily stepped forward, seemingly filled with anticipation.Luzak remained silent…Tearel followed the being known as the Host with eyes as deep as the abyss.
