Chapter 197: Obsequies Performed, A Long Road Ahead 『 Part Four 』
"Ainz-sama."
Demiurge suddenly spoke from the side,
"Please allow me to interject. Regarding the matter of the Roble Holy Kingdom, perhaps you might listen to this subordinate's humble opinion."
Just a moment ago, a cruel thought had flashed through Ainz's mind. To permanently prevent these humans from moving towards 『 Abundance 』, he thought he might as well go all the way and simply wipe out the Holy Kingdom.
Even if he chose a relatively gentle approach, he would still have to kill every single member of the 'Disciples of Sanctus Medicus' within the Holy Kingdom.
But Demiurge's words sobered him up slightly from his killing intent. He raised his eyes to look at the Demon Guardian beside him.
"…What is it, Demiurge? There is no harm in speaking."
"Yes! Ainz-sama, you also wish to obtain the Holy Kingdom, correct? The Holy Queen is currently leading a ritual to pray to Yaoshi. Why don't we utilize magic and impersonate 『 Abundance 』?"
"Impersonate the Plagues Author? Oh, that suggestion is quite…"
…Quite suicidal.
For a split second, Ainz felt as if Demiurge had given him a hard shove right into a fire pit.
He had the illusion that the General of the Xianzhou was already knocking at the doors of the Great Tomb. But he forcibly suppressed the urge to interrupt and lifted a finger towards him.
"Continue."
"Yes! Firstly, the Holy Kingdom's prayer ritual has clearly failed; Yaoshi has not responded to them. Secondly, although we do not possess the power of the 『 Abundance 』, we can still grant them long life through the method of creating dependents. After all… what those humans seek is nothing more than longevity."
"Transform them into servants of the Great Tomb of Nazarick… There are indeed many races with long lives, but their appearance…"
By human aesthetic standards, they could simply be described as horrifying.
"It does not matter, Ainz-sama. We can tell them that this is being 'Mara-Struck'."
"Hmm…"
The power of those humans was far beneath them; casting some magic of the seventh tier or above should be enough to awe them. Impersonating the Star God of 『 Abundance 』 to manipulate the Kingdom's upper echelons… that was indeed feasible.
The key point was that the entire process wouldn't produce actual Abominations of 『 Abundance 』, so it wouldn't alert the Xianzhou forces patrolling the universe on the Hunt.
Demiurge stood even straighter, looking directly at his master on the throne, and stated his conclusion.
"As long as we proceed in this manner, we can substantially take control of the Roble Holy Kingdom."
"…A very interesting proposal, Demiurge. I roughly understand your idea, but what about the 'Legacy of the Plagues Author(Plaguemarks)'?"
"We do not need such a thing, Ainz-sama. The 'Legacy of the Plagues Author(Plaguemarks)' is a divine object that allows all citizens of Xianzhou to enjoy longevity. The Holy Kingdom's prayer is merely for the longevity of a tiny minority in the upper class."
"…Hmm, I see. Then it is decided."
Ainz's crimson eyes looked towards the sky.
"But there is one point: do not let them hold another prayer ritual, otherwise…"
He did not want these humans to actually attract the gaze of 『 Abundance 』. Once the power of any Star God descended upon this land, even the faintest trace of power from a Path… could potentially bring a catastrophic disaster upon the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
"This subordinate understands, Ainz-sama."
—
「 "Wow, this gift really cost an arm and a leg," March 7th exclaimed in surprise.
"Uh… naturally. For such an important item, please do not use it for trivial matters or anything that violates our alliance. Everyone understands this, right?" At the end, Jing Yuan added a supplementary remark.
"Many thanks for the General's kindness," Welt also expressed his gratitude.
Afterwards, the General pardoned Dan Heng's banishment decree. From now on, he could come and go freely on the Luofu.
Having finished explaining these matters, Jing Yuan held his old waist and went back. The group could continue to move about in Xianzhou or return to the train to discuss the destination of their next journey.
However, March 7th naturally had no intention of going back yet. She found Stelle and expressed that she wanted to go with her to find Master Diviner Fu and use the Matrix of Prescience to calculate the past.
"Alright, then I'll accompany you."
.....
Meanwhile, in the Shackling Prison…
Tap, tap…
Luocha's boot soles stepped on the green stone slabs of the prison, every step stirring up an unsettling echo.
"Those who step into this place are either jailers or prisoners."
Jing Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, looking down from a high vantage point at the blond man nearby, and spoke indifferently, "Which are you?"
"Hmph." Luocha had a smile at the corner of his mouth. His gaze glanced behind him at the Cloud Knight soldiers gathering around him, and he spoke unhurriedly, "Neither. I am merely a lost traveler."
"Quite the lineup! Stellaron, Ambrosial Arbor, Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, Lord Ravager…" Jing Yuan slowly walked down the stairs, passing by Luocha's side.
"A series of threats came one after another, almost succeeding in diverting everyone's attention, making them forget that seemingly irrelevant question—"
Before his voice fell, a glaive had already materialized in Jing Yuan's palm. The cold edge flashed like lightning, the tip resting unerringly three inches from Luocha's neck.
"The person who brought the Stellaron into the Xianzhou—what is his objective?"
In an instant, the nearby Cloud Knights all surrounded them, pointing their blade tips together at Luocha. Jing Yuan said coldly, "Surrender and be bound, and I might grant you a quick death… Abomination of Yaoshi."
The smile at the corner of Luocha's mouth remained calm and unhurried.
"General, it is true that my power comes from the 『 Abundance 』." He suddenly raised both hands. That classic gesture seemed to foreshadow that everything was under his control.
"…But I'm the same as you; we are both enemies of Yaoshi."」
「 .....」
〜Honkai: Impact 3rd World〜
"Hehe…"
Inside the laboratory of Anti-Entropy Headquarters, Welt pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose and suddenly laughed with a sense of relief.
Especially that gesture of raising both hands high—it was all too familiar to him. Seeing it again actually gave him a moment of trance: as if Otto had appeared on the screen and was confronting Jing Yuan.
"Sure enough, sure enough… even in a different world, this guy is definitely not a good person."
Seeing this scene, Welt suddenly remembered the gentle smile on Luocha's face when he was with Sushang and Dan Heng at Cloudford. That sentence, 'If I don't act, you're going to get hurt,' seemed particularly ear-piercing at this moment.
Especially during Little March's deduction, he had almost truly believed that Luocha was a good man.
Welt took off his glasses and rubbed his Zanzhu acupoints(Medial extremity of the eyebrow) heavily. Although he had a premonition, when that premonition actually came true… he couldn't feel happy at all.
Tesla crossed her arms over her chest, curled her lips, and huffed,
"This Luocha guy, his tone when plotting conspiracies is exactly the same as Otto's. But I'm curious, will his starting point be Kallen again this time?"
"I don't know, perhaps,"
Welt shook his head as if lamenting.
"But I know this man very well. No matter where he is, he will do whatever it takes for his own obsession."
"But at least this time… I hope someone can stop him."
—
「 A snowflake landed on Jing Yuan's glaive. Instantly, a chill permeated the Shackling Prison, turning even breath into white mist. The nearby Cloud Knight soldiers unconsciously tensed their bodies, their hands gripping their blades, trembling slightly.
"That's right, Jing Yuan."
Jingliu's figure emerged from the darkness. Her hair was white as snow, and her eyes were covered by a black blindfold. With every step she took, a patch of frost condensed on the ground, as if even the atmosphere was about to freeze.
"Stay out of our way. The resurgence of the Ambrosial Arbor is an omen. It foreshadows that the Xianzhou has sailed to a moment of choice between Paths."
"Reignbow Arbiter, The Plagues Author, The Ruin Author… this is a chess game between Star Gods. If you don't stand with the winners, you stand to lose."
Jingliu slowly raised her head, sizing up Jing Yuan, who looked as if he was facing a formidable enemy. Her calm tone carried an indisputable coldness.
"And this time, we will definitely put 『 Abundance 』 in their grave." 」
「 .....」