Translator: Alpha0210
It took more than ordinary matters to, no. Even ordinary matters did not shake Agolet, yet the situation unfolding now was clearly beyond the scope of his comprehension.
He had muttered as though he understood, but that was merely a device to conceal the fact that he was being swept along by events. What was happening now lay outside even his projections.
First, the fact that Half King had fully inherited the Void King's throne was surprising enough, but then again, that Artificial Lifeform had already absorbed the data of the powerful from both worlds, and now even the data of the departed Void King. If qualifications were the question, they were more than sufficient.
That being the case, if the final element, the Void King's relic, was also in place, then it would be entirely possible to wield the Suppression Force inscribed upon the King's Castle. And the odds were high that Half King already possessed it. "Relic" was the word he had used, but "Remains" would be more accurate. Half King had likely implanted a portion of them into her body, meaning the conditions had been met long ago.
So the most surprising thing of all was that Half King had clearly recognized that authority and even shared it with the Red Knight. Whether a bond of trust deep enough for that had formed between the two was the real question. On top of that, the way she was already wielding the Void King's power so adeptly.
Like this, several questions surfaced simultaneously within Agolet's mind, vanishing and resurfacing in turn, yet his expression remained serene.
In fact, his mind still had enough room to spare that he could survey his surroundings.
A number of individuals had attempted to unleash their power, only for confusion to spread across their faces when it refused to obey. This was largely the case among those from the Three Thousand Worlds; the denizens of the Void World were already aware of the King's Castle's Suppression Force, so they showed little more than mild surprise.
And the Rulers.
"A concept similar to Anti-Metal from the Top Universe? Though the area of effect is far greater."
"It doesn't seem like a power that can be sustained for long. Probably can't be used again, either."
The Lightning God wore a leisurely expression despite his power being sealed, while the Demon King showed no change of expression whatsoever. He remained seated in his chair, exuding an air of quiet composure, and appeared to feel no particular excitement about the current developments.
The Lightning God spoke again.
"This is my first time experiencing something like this, so I must say the novelty is rather refreshing. The idea of settling things through conversation alone, with our powers bound, is somewhat entertaining."
Was it because they were Rulers, with not only their power but even their minds perfected? Perhaps these beings would never lose their composure, even if sudden death arrived, an unexpected crisis unfolded, or an enemy surpassing their own strength appeared.
Once more, the thought struck him that these beings were fundamentally different from the Four Knights.
"But if Destruction descends upon us in this state, do we all die?"
The Lightning God directed the question at Agolet.
It seemed this Ruler had decided Agolet made for a more suitable conversational partner than El, who hardly ever responded.
Agolet answered readily.
"To strike this place, one would first have to breach the Suppression Force surrounding the King's Castle. These translucent black chains bind our power, but they also serve as a shield protecting this castle."
"So there's no risk of dying without even being able to put up a proper fight. A satisfactory answer."
The Lightning God smirked and dropped heavily into the seat the Demon King had arranged. Tilting his head back in an arrogant posture, he spoke.
"Then I shall state my opinion first. Listen well, you Four Knights and Void Lord scraps. First, Destruction's initial offensive was quite threatening. The merging of worlds sent massive ripples across the entire universe, and countless lives were lost. The Destruction that revealed themselves also blended seamlessly into the cracks between humans, stirring up conflicts both large and small. Hides, was it? They mimic the appearance of those they've killed, and until their trigger activates, they don't even remember that they are Destruction."
Seated, the Lightning God spoke at uncharacteristic length. And among those present, several were first struck by the surprise that this Ruler, seemingly indifferent to the affairs of the world, had actually grasped the situation with such precision.
"As a result, massive damage occurred once again, yet I did not intervene. Why do you suppose that is?"
"Because you're a coward?"
The one who spoke with a mocking lilt was Pale.
The Lightning God showed no sign of displeasure. Rather, he smiled back and replied.
"That is the word that suits me least, wouldn't you say?"
"I wonder. I personally witnessed the possibility of you crawling on the ground, you know?"
"Treating that leftover and me as the same being is rather unpleasant. Had my power not been sealed, I would have torn that mouth of yours just now."
"Your throat would be cut first, though."
"...Enough. This is going nowhere."
Agolet intervened before the atmosphere could turn fully hostile. El, who had taken on the role of moderator, showed no inclination to step into this sparring match.
"Tear each other apart or cut each other down later. For now, focus on what the Lightning God is saying. It is his turn to speak, is it not?"
"Hmm hmm hmm."
Pale hummed a tune as if paying no attention, her fingers idly raking through Luca's hair as the girl sat on her lap. Her attitude made it clear she was ignoring every word, though in truth, Agolet hadn't expected that woman to heed him in the first place.
The Lightning God was watching Pale with a peculiar expression. Being mocked or met with open hostility to his face was an unfamiliar experience.
Setting the rudeness aside, the stimulation of novelty was not unpleasant. Before long, a curve traced itself across the Lightning God's lips once more.
"To continue where I left off, it was because I believed the situation could be overcome easily without my involvement. And indeed, their offensive was passive, hardly befitting the name of Destruction. Infiltrating society at every level, pretending to be one of its members, then revealing themselves at the critical moment to strike back...... Meticulous, perhaps, but far too slow."
"......"
"As a result, information about Hides has now spread far and wide, and crude as they may be, countermeasures have begun to emerge one by one. In the end, this calamity became not Destruction, but merely a trial, and living beings were able to use it as a stepping stone to grow. Growth. Do you understand? I believe that this growth is the key."
"......"
At that moment, several of the Void Lords were watching the Lightning God with strange expressions.
Between his manner of speech and the substance of what he was saying, someone had come to mind.
"In other words, it is the same as what I said at the outset. What we need is not cooperation but mutual struggle. And so, here and now, we must fight, staking our lives, as brutally as possible. Even if only a single person survives, that would be the correct path."
"Because the sole survivor would become stronger than all the others combined?"
The one who cut in with a sardonic voice was Yang In-hyun. His review of the earlier fight apparently complete, he had risen to his feet at some point.
The Lightning God smiled faintly.
"Everlasting Plum Sword. Even that brief exchange just now must have yielded no small number of insights. Imagine, just for a moment, that you killed every last person here. That clumsy swordsmanship of yours would undergo at least several dozen stages of evolution."
"A low-quality idea. No better than Gu Poison."
"Kahaha... Well, the level of most of the vermin here is about that of insects, true enough."
The Lightning God burst into laughter and continued.
"My view is that this principle must be applied to the entire world. Life still teems in sickening abundance, and the vast majority is useless, so a further culling is in order. Which means, White Knight, the harmony you advocated earlier stands at the polar opposite of my thinking. I want those gathered here to divide into sides and fight. If Destruction is thrown into the mix to form a Three-Way Battle, that would be the most ideal scenario."
There, done. After a brief addendum, the Lightning God surveyed the room with an unhurried air.
"It seems none of you were particularly moved by my speech. How tragic. So then, who wants to prattle next?"
"......"
No one spoke up immediately.
In the silence, Sedi was gazing steadily at the Lightning God.
Inciting war. Forcing growth through it.
...It was the same.
The man who had inherited the body of Lucas, the 2nd Beginning Wizard, Residue, had said the exact same thing at the earlier Twelve Void Lords' summit.
Right. Of course. Residue was a being derived from the Lightning God. Fundamentally the same entity, so naturally he would hold the same opinion.
But what about now?
For some reason, Sedi did not feel that the current Residue would make the same argument as the Lightning God. Then what would he say? That, too, she could not predict. He was a strangely unpredictable man. More importantly, what was he doing that he still hadn't shown up? Did he trip on the way here and crack his head open?
Just as Sedi's grumbling was reaching a peak, a pleasant voice was heard.
"My opinion is the opinion of His Majesty."
It was Agolet.
He was still watching the Lightning God with that faint smile, so the Lightning God smiled back and asked.
"Then does that mean you agree with my opinion?"
"How did you arrive at that conclusion?"
"I doubt that leftover's opinion differs much from mine."
"No. It will differ greatly."
Of course, it was not Agolet who had said this.
It was the Demon King, who had remained silent until now.
"He is not the same being as you anymore. There are merely some similarities. Haven't I told you this time and again?"
"Yes. I've heard it time and again. And yet I simply cannot bring myself to believe it. Even if he is nothing more than my lingering thought, he is a being that recognizes himself as a Ruler. Do you truly think change comes easily to such a being?"
"...Once you meet him face to face, you'll understand."
Saying this, the Demon King straightened his gaze and posture. That alone sent a strange pressure radiating outward in all directions. It was a sensation akin to having the tips of thorns pricking against one's skin, and since it was far from pleasant, several of those present furrowed their brows.
"Now I'll give my opinion. I think maintaining the current state of affairs would be best."
"...Maintaining it?"
"Refraining from deep involvement and leaving things as they are might be the wisest course. Clumsy intervention or preemptive planning could turn out to be the worst move. After all, we fended off Destruction's first offensive without significant damage."
...Without significant damage.
Then what, exactly, did these beings consider "significant damage"?
Even from Agolet's perspective, imperfect as his knowledge of outside affairs was, the death toll had already far surpassed billions or even trillions. And yet both the Lightning God and the Demon King said the damage so far had been trivial.
Following that thought to its conclusion, Agolet couldn't help but smirk. It was hardly a sentiment befitting someone who had personally annihilated an entire universe.
"At least that's somewhat close to what I think!"
Pale said with a bright grin.
It didn't feel like she was siding with the Demon King; rather, it seemed she had held a similar view from the start.
"There's no need to go out of our way to do anything. Just leaving things as they are is best. Those who'll survive will survive, and those meant to die will die...... That's the most natural way of things. How simple is that?"
"It's not natural at all."
Beniang spoke up.
As the Seven-Fanged Dragon, or as Beniang Argento, or perhaps carrying the wishes and voice of both.
She looked Pale straight in the eye and spoke.
"Survival of the fittest is certainly one of life's, and by extension the universe's, fundamental truths, but I'm not sure it's right to apply it to the current situation."
"It is right, though! Because those disgusting things pouring out of that gaping hole is a perfectly natural occurrence."
"What are you......"
Pale continued with a carefree smile.
"If you leave food sitting out, it spoils eventually. No matter how well you salt it, no matter how carefully you dry it in the sun, food rots. There isn't a single food that doesn't."
"Are you saying the world has rotted like food?"
"Yes. And once food starts to rot, there's no way to turn it back."
"...If that's how you see the world, how can you be so calm about it? Do you want to die? Because your master is gone? Has every last shred of attachment to life vanished?"
"I never had any attachment to life to begin with, but I don't wish for death either. You know what? You can't undo food that's started to rot, but there are ways to make it rot as slowly as possible."
Pale's metaphor was somewhat cryptic.
Whether she couched everything in terms of food because of her title as the Blue Knight of Famine, or to toy with her conversational partner, was difficult to tell.
One thing was certain: the opinions of the Four Knights and the Rulers were grinding against each other, refusing to align.
Beniang let out a sigh and looked at El.
"It seems their opinions have more or less been stated. Red Knight, what will you do now?"
"There's still one person left."
El's gaze turned to the Black Knight, Lucid.
Beniang had not expected the silent Lucid to say anything, but against all expectations, his heavy lips opened for the first time since the summit had begun.
"I've naught to say."
"......"
That was it.
Lucid closed his eyes again and even tilted his head slightly downward.
It was a gesture that seemed meant to prove he had no part in any of the proceedings taking place within this summit.
But that was something that should not have been allowed.
Whether this man wished it or not, his current title was that of a Four Knight. To offer no opinion at all at a moment like this......
"I see. Understood."
Yet El simply nodded, blunt as ever. Beniang stared at that face, feeling somewhat dumbfounded.
The relationship between the Four Knights was, how to put it, far simpler than she had assumed the relationship between Rulers would be. They simply had no interest in one another.
"More reasonable opinions than I expected."
Listening to El mutter those words with an expressionless face, Beniang couldn't help but let out a hollow breath.
That was reasonable?
"Interpreting the plans or hidden meanings behind your statements on my own would be beyond me in many ways. So before that, let's take some time to hear what everyone thinks of the opinions that have been put forward."
"Uh, didn't I already say it was total garbage?"
"You did, Pale. But the ones I'm asking now are not the Four Knights or the Rulers."
El swept her gaze across a wider field of view, surveying all directions.
"I will ask for the opinions of every participant in this summit and adopt the most viable proposal. I'm told that a majority vote is a simple and effective method."
"A majority vote? Here? Kahaha......"
The Lightning God finally erupted into laughter.
"I see no reason to comply. However many they number, I have no desire to give a choice to vermin. I will settle this in my own way."
"And what do you intend to do?"
The Lightning God smiled hazily, then addressed not El, but the other Four Knights.
"Four Knights. What do you think of the voting method the Red Knight just proposed?"
In response, Agolet and Pale answered, with Lucid remaining silent as ever.
"I don't think it's a particularly appropriate measure."
"It stinks."
"Indeed. Having our choices dictated by that rabble is absurd for all parties involved. Now then, this is not a question but a proposal......"
The corner of the Lightning God's mouth twisted.
"Why don't we break the Suppression Force currently applied to the entire King's Castle? I can't do it alone, and even combining my strength with the Demon King's would likely fall short. But if two of you join in the rampage, it should go quite smoothly."
"Hmm. And then what?"
"What else? We fight to the death, and the side that survives gets their opinion adopted."
"Now that's a bit tempting."
Pale grinned and looked at Agolet.
"Agolet. What about you?"
"...I have no desire to cause a commotion, but the fact that this binding force irritates me is undeniable. I'll lend my strength for a moment."
"Perfect."
A temporary alliance between Rulers and Four Knights had formed out of nowhere.
No one had foreseen this turn of events, including the Red Knight, who watched the situation unfold with a somewhat blank expression. Then she let out a sigh and spoke.
"...Don't. If you resort to force, this side will have no choice but to respond."
"Oh? You intend to stop the four of us by yourself?"
"The others will help. The ones you called vermin."
"You refuse to allow conflict, yet you'd resort to force to prevent a commotion. A contradiction frequently seen at moments of decision. Kahaha. The more complicated things get, the more they flow toward the situation I desire......"
The Lightning God said with a laugh.
"...And of course, I will not stop. A bit cramped, but shall we make this place our battlefield?"
***
"Uuugh......"
Luca was completely beside herself at the chain of events unfolding before her eyes. No matter how quick her wits were, how relatively righteous she was, or how much more mature her inner self was compared to her outward appearance, what was happening now was far too much for a girl who had lived, by Luca's own reckoning, barely over a decade of life.
Shortly after the fighting began, the King's Castle's Suppression Force was shattered in an instant, and several of the Twelve Void Lords and Absolutes who had charged in were sent flying in every direction.
The two Rulers and two Knights, as if they had already forgotten their cooperation mere moments ago, immediately began fighting one another. At first it appeared to be a two-versus-two formation, but a closer look revealed it had taken a shape closer to a Three-Way Battle. Astonishingly, it was not only the Four Knights; the Lightning God and the Demon King were also launching attacks at each other whenever openings arose.
In truth, this was a detail that would have gone unnoticed by anyone lacking Luca's level of discernment.
That alone was chaotic enough, but to make matters worse, the Red Knight was also firing her Pistol Sword from time to time. On top of that, the powerful figures from each world who had been sent flying were watching the fight with bated breath, rushing in the instant they spotted an opening, so......
...Just as the Lightning God had declared, the summit hall had truly become a battlefield, a warzone! And one filled with a degree of chaos unprecedented in all of history......!
"Wh-what on earth are we supposed to do?"
She hadn't grasped every detail of the situation, but it was abundantly clear that at this rate, things were going to go straight to hell.
Luca stomped her feet, flailed her arms, and clutched her head in anguish, but no solution came to mind.
Then, suddenly.
The face of a certain infuriating man surfaced in her thoughts, the very one responsible for orchestrating this situation, who had yet to show even his shadow. What was he doing? Had something happened to him? Last time, he'd gone on about how it would be best if they stayed apart for a while, blah blah blah. Surely he wasn't avoiding showing up just because he didn't want to see her?
Just as the questions billowing up inside were about to burst out through her ears.
From the corridor stretching beyond the summit hall, someone came trudging along.
"Ah......!"
The moment she confirmed his figure, Beniang, one of those who had not joined the fighting, felt her expression brighten.
Luca's face brightened five times more than that.
"Hyuuuung!"
Residue, having made his belated appearance, was brushing grains of sand off his clothes when he spotted Luca and smirked.
"Been well, kid? Looks like you've lost some weight."
"Oh. Really?"
"Nah. I actually have no idea. I don't exactly remember what your face looked like before."
"......"
"...This isn't the time for jokes."
In place of Luca, who had been struck speechless, Beniang stepped closer and spoke.
"What took you so long? No, more importantly, the situation right now has gotten strangely, seriously out of hand. If we don't stop this soon, forget about Destruction, they're going to destroy each other."
"Hm."
At her words, Residue took in the spectacle unfolding across the summit hall.
Then slowly nodded.
"No need to panic. All is proceeding exactly as this one foresaw."
"...Really?"
"Yes. It's exactly the shitshow this one foresaw."
"...And how do you plan to stop said shitshow?"
"Naturally, this one is already aware of the method for that as well."
Residue stepped forward a few paces.
As expected, or perhaps it was better to say inevitably, Half King hadn't arrived yet. Then again, if she had been here, things wouldn't have devolved into this mess in the first place.
Having satisfied himself with that reasoning, he drew a deep breath.
And bellowed.
"Her Majesty the Half King, entering......!"
"......!"
It was less a shout than an explosion, or the kind of sound that accompanied a thunderclap. It was so deafening that those who had been noisily brawling momentarily froze and turned to look his way all at once.
Residue, sensing every gaze in the room snap to him in an instant, spoke with a calm expression.
"...But before that, the name's Residue, who arrived first."
"......"
"Pleasure to meet you."
He felt like the stares were going to bore holes through his face.
*****
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