Chapter 236: A Foxian Tale of the Haunted 『 Part Eleven 』
〜Record of Ragnarok World〜
Although the gods knew Phantylia sought to challenge the General, they had not expected this battle to arrive so swiftly.
Having witnessed the clash between the General and Phantylia the Undying, none of them believed the heliobus stood even a fraction of a chance… yet, at the mere thought of seeing the Lightning Lord strike once more, the expressions of the gods grew unanimously exhilarated.
The sound of calm, measured footsteps echoed from outside the door.
As the sound faded, the heavy doors of the VIP lounge were slowly pushed open. A voice, languid and loose, yet incomparably familiar to the gods, drifted in from the doorway.
"What? Thinking about me?"
"…To think there's a whole room full of fellows who dare call themselves gods despite never earning the recognition of an Aeon… Well, it saves me a bit of effort."
The man's words instantly seized the gaze of every deity present.
And then…
The atmosphere froze to absolute zero.
Jing Yuan's silhouette stood against the light. In the shadows, the lion's head upon his golden pauldron seemed to come alive, the blood-red sunset flowing between its fangs.
"Divine Foresight, Jing Yuan."
He walked slowly into the lounge, every step landing as if upon the very hearts of the gods. His gaze swept over them, the corners of his mouth still holding that faint, indifferent smile.
"…You all seem rather tense?"
His voice was as warm and smooth as jade, carrying an even greater air of nonchalant composure than it did on the screen. Yet to the ears of the gods, his voice was more explosive than a clap of muffled thunder.
The only answer he received was a deathly silence.
After an indeterminate amount of time, one god finally snapped, breaking the oppressive atmosphere.
"…J-Jing Yuan, why are you here?"
In his terror, Shiva stammered, barely able to speak clearly. His four arms froze in mid-air, the eyelid of the third eye on his forehead twitching frantically—although he saw no Lightning Lord manifesting behind Jing Yuan, that aura of unhurried calm… It was him! It was the man himself!
If Jing Yuan appeared on the screen, about to commence battle, that would undoubtedly be a visual feast—a pleasant surprise for the gods. But if he appeared in the flesh within the arena's VIP lounge, that was not a surprise; it was a jumpscare.
Ares, closest to Jing Yuan, abandoned all dignity. His burly, muscular frame flinched backward like a startled cat, deftly hiding behind the old man Zeus, peeking only his head out to nervously observe the situation before him.
No other god dared to speak. In this suffocating atmosphere, only Hades, King of the Underworld, struggled to shuffle backward, attempting to put a relatively safe distance between himself and Jing Yuan—everyone had witnessed his prowess; severing Hades' head in an instant with that glaive would be no difficult feat. Before things came to blows, he had to buy himself a little reaction time.
"Jing Yuan… Th-this is not the place for battle."
Susano'o, struggling to maintain his composure, took a deep breath. Although he too attempted to keep a safe distance from Jing Yuan, his body felt as if it were nailed to the spot; let alone moving, he couldn't even twitch a finger.
"If we must fight, let us go to the arena—"
"Loki."
Zeus's hoarse voice echoed through the room, cutting off Susano'o. Almost simultaneously, the smile on "Jing Yuan's" face vanished instantly.
"Stop impersonating the General. This joke is in poor taste."
"Tch, what a buzzkill, old man."
"Jing Yuan" pursed his lips and, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, dissolved into a wisp of black smoke. From the smoke emerged a green-haired youth of about twenty.
Loki's lips curled slightly as he tilted his head back to survey the gods.
"Relax, everyone. Wasn't it you lot who were so eager for General Jing Yuan to make his entrance? Why is it that when the 'Jing Yuan' you've been dreaming of actually appears beside you, you're unhappy?"
"I…!"
Shiva wanted to offer a retort, but he realized that in the face of his body's instinctive fear response, any explanation would be pale and feeble.
Fear was simply fear.
As one of the three principal deities of Hinduism, Shiva felt only a wave of shame and humiliation seize his heart.
"It seems you are all truly terrified of an Emanator. If you feel such fear from the bottom of your hearts, perhaps you 'Lord Gods' should consider worshipping The Hunt? Who knows, He might look upon you favorably for bringing your own believers along~"
—
「 Arriving within the Seat of Divine Foresight, Huohuo recounted the supernatural events in Fyxestroll Garden and the heliobus's demands.
Hearing this, Jing Yuan found it somewhat amusing: "I had thought the anecdotes of the previous General's battles with spirits were merely stories spun on a whim. I did not expect the principal party to come seeking revenge, though coming to me seems a bit unjust."
"It is time to deploy your secret weapon—you!"
Jing Yuan chuckled, looking at Stelle with a playful expression: "It seems Stelle is determined to make me return the favor."
General Teng Xiao was a senior Jing Yuan respected; as his successor, he would not sit idly by. Since the opponent had specifically asked to see him, he might as well go and meet them.
The group arrived at the heliobus's location. Upon seeing them, it immediately grew wary and hurriedly demanded Jing Yuan's identity.
Jing Yuan did not hide it: "Heliobus, were you not longing to resume your duel with the General? I have come at your invitation."
"…You are the current General?"
Hearing this, Cirrus's eyes went wide. It looked Jing Yuan up and down carefully, snorting with immense dissatisfaction: "Why do you look like you just woke up? You look incredibly weak, okay? Where is Teng Xiao? How could he choose a guy like this to succeed him? Though I suppose holding a martial arts tournament for the Xianzhou natives to decide a new General isn't realistic…"
"So, General Jing Yuan, how about we decide the victor right here in Fyxestroll Garden?! If I win, you let me come and go as I please—"
Jing Yuan shook his head: "I only said I came at your invitation. I never agreed to fight you."
This unexpected answer left the heliobus dumbfounded on the spot. It stared blankly for a moment before snapping back to reality: "…What? Won't you fight? You won't fight?!"
"Do not misunderstand. I am indeed here for the battle of yesteryear, only… You are not worthy."
Jing Yuan's answer was understated, yet it was like a knife plunging ruthlessly into the heliobus's heart. It ground its back teeth so hard they nearly shattered, and even the ghostly fire behind it began to swell.
…It was clear it had been triggered.
"WHAT—DID—YOU—SAY!!" 」
「 .....」
〜One Piece World〜
"PFFT—!"
Nami couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Hahaha, this little ghost is being completely looked down on."
"It's more than just being looked down on…"
Robin took an elegant sip of black tea, shaking her head gently.
"A thousand years of obsession, and the result is that the other party doesn't even have the interest to take it seriously. It truly is quite pitiful. If it knew that General Jing Yuan and Dan Heng were the main force in that battle against Phantylia, I wonder what expression it would make?"
"Expression? What expression could it have? It would probably fly straight out of the judge's body and risk its life trying to possess Jing Yuan, wouldn't it?"
Sanji exhaled a smoke ring, lost in thought.
"Although the probability of success is likely small, if it did succeed, it wouldn't need to rack its brains to challenge the General… It would be the General, with a battle record far surpassing that of its predecessor, the Flint Emperor."
—
( Translator-kun: ngl, when reading the first half of this chapter, I thought Author-san messed up the manuscripts... I forgot that Loki can shapeshift. )