Chapter 517 – Fence (2)
Deceiving the watchful eyes of the fortress guards, he trespassed into the audience chamber without permission.
It was highly likely that he was an assassin of Grimnax, active in the continental political world. If so, interrogation would be useless, so capturing was abandoned.
'Actively utilize reflexes, finish it in a single strike.'
The flow of consciousness aligned with accelerated nerves.
A momentary judgment grounded in rationality, and the torrent-like swift manipulation of aura, these were among the specialties the Sovereign prided himself on.
Despite the heavy footsteps, his movements were swift, launching diagonally upward as though soaring. Cracks split across the floor of the audience chamber from the impact.
His blade pierced forward with force toward the chest of the one seated upon the throne.
Crunch.
In that instant, the intruder's grip caught the blade tightly. The spatial field condensed in his hand cut off the sword aura.
"What…."
Startled, the Sovereign finally recognized his opponent's face. He had never seen him in person, but the features were unmistakable.
"You are… Asher?"
"I said, through the Mercenary King, that I would come to meet you myself."
Verden, binding the blade, rose from the throne.
"I came to talk."
Though he bore no hint of hostility and appeared sincere, naturally the Sovereign did not alter his stance. Instead, he revealed murderous intent.
Alpha's prediction that there was a three-percent chance of an amicable conversation proved correct.
"Anyone who trespasses in my domain without permission is executed on the spot."
The Sovereign's choice was resistance.
Pouring more aura into the blade, he twisted his wrist to wrench it free.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!
At once, an eardrum-shattering thunderclap roared, and a blue radiance engulfed the chamber. The Sovereign was blown back by the massive electrical detonation, softening the impact with a fall-breaking roll.
Faint currents lingered across the metal armor. His mind snapped awake.
"Ssshh."
A sharp breath hissed at his lips.
威堅 – Might and Firmness.
Thud, thud, thud!
With martial art, he enhanced his strength and resistance, then charged forward once more. Reading his inner self, there was no room for compromise.
'As expected, unyielding.'
Then the only option was to change the approach.
If Verden had come to establish mutual cooperation, he might have chosen a gentler way, but not now.
He came to the Sovereign only to offer a choice. There was no reason to waste further time.
Verden vanished.
Swiieeek!
The sword cutting the air halted just short of the throne, then swept sideways. A strong blade aura surged rightward.
But there was no one there.
The Sovereign furrowed his brows.
'What is this? The presence—'
Even as he pursued, each time he fixed a direction, the target vanished again. Overlapping spatial ripples entangled together, disturbing his senses.
It was a mimicry of the tactic Grave had once used against Adrian.
Tap.
Suddenly, Verden appeared in front of the Sovereign, placing his hand upon the armor.
"Khhuppp…!!!"
Pure magic shook his insides.
Though he barely kept his knees from buckling, every muscle stiffened. A perfect opening.
As Verden opened his second Mado, he snapped his fingers before the Sovereign's face like a declaration of sentence.
The light of destruction flickered.
Kwoooooom!
Struck directly by dark crimson lightning, the Sovereign smashed into a massive pillar of the audience chamber, tumbling to the ground amid debris.
The shock wrenched his sword from his hand.
Instinctively he tried to push himself upright, but had no chance.
Boom!!!
Verden seized the Sovereign's throat and slammed him down. The ground shook violently. The physical force, augmented by a sixth-tier high-level gravity, expelled every bit of air stored in his lungs in an instant.
"Seeing that your consciousness remains clear, at least your resistance and willpower suit the grandiose title of Sovereign."
Verden drew forth [Interis] from subspace, pressing the bottom of the staff against the Sovereign's torso.
Creak.
New cracks spiderwebbed across the damaged armor. At the same time, dozens of gravity chains erupted from the floor, binding his limbs.
The Four Strong of the Central Continent.
Indeed, a title of great prestige, more than worthy of self-pride.
But that did not mean one was among the four strongest across the entire continent. Including the Transcendents, even less so.
"Th-this… impossible…!"
The Sovereign groaned.
Burst capillaries bloodied his eyes, trembling wildly.
"This… can't… be… real…!"
Even if he was without his 'war gear'—even if he had been careless—it still made no sense.
To be overpowered so utterly, in such futility, was beyond belief. Even were this a dream.
Yet there was no need for self-contempt.
Though not struck with full force, the fact that he endured the direct hit of Mado
Hrrgh… kkhh…
The Sovereign's eyes slowly rolled back.
With his entire body bound, lungs crushed by the staff's weight, suffocation pressed in.
Then, suddenly, the pressure eased.
Fresh air, tinged with the metallic scent of blood, rushed down his throat.
"You seem to have calmed a little."
"..."
"I should have said it earlier, but for the time being, no one will be able to enter this chamber. I've already sealed it inside and out."
Verden asked casually.
"Now, do you feel like talking?"
The Sovereign, gasping, stared blankly at the lofty ceiling of the audience chamber.
***
Clang—thud.
The Sovereign sat upon the throne's stairway, loosening the joints of his chest armor. The heavy metallic sound echoed softly.
"Khup, khurkh! Khurkh!"
Covering his mouth, he coughed repeatedly, spattering blood.
The bleeding was not from the organs, but from wounds inside the mouth.
'No fatal injury, but… my body cannot move smoothly.'
Though he had fought many battles, never before had he sustained such damage from so few exchanges.
An overwhelming defeat.
Unreal, yet undeniably real.
The metallic tang of blood at his nose, the dull pain pounding through his body, relentlessly reminded him it was fact.
'How could I…!'
Spat!
He hawked up blood, gritting his teeth as he turned his head.
Asher, the so-called sanctity of the Eastern Continent.
The true ruler of the North, who had brazenly infiltrated Aidaine's fortress, now gazed upon the cityscape spread beneath the windows.
As if it were his own home.
The Sovereign cast a sidelong glance at the sword buried amid debris, then spoke.
"Who… the hell are you?"
"You already said it yourself."
"Don't joke with me. You expect me to believe that?"
He had heard Asher's rumors more than enough to be sick of them.
That even the proud tower master of the volcanic island would bow before that mighty Magus, he understood.
'But impossible.'
Even if he were a being at the human pinnacle, the difference in ability should not be so vast.
Such was his conviction.
Thus the Sovereign came to truly suspect that the being before him, wearing Asher's face, was something else entirely.
[…]
Verden stared silently at the Sovereign, as though thinking Alpha needed to beat him more for the truth to sink in. But that intent never reached him.
The Sovereign could not perceive Alpha, hidden in
Verden folded his arms, leaning his body obliquely against the window.
"Repeating the same words here seems pointless. Whether you believe who I am or not is your freedom, so do as you like. What matters more is the reason I came to find you."
Flinch.
The Sovereign felt like prey cornered by a predator. Yet, with little resistance, his hands merely twitched.
Because no matter where he reached with his blade, he could not be certain he could strike.
Verden spoke.
"You are the one who, among the factions divided into East, West, South, and North, has ruled the Ownerless Land the longest. And unlike others, you established transactional relationships, not relying on external factions or patrons. Your governing system also focused on administration and law, not fear and plunder. That may be normal outside, but here, at least, such thinking is rare."
"…What are you trying to say?"
"But no matter how hard-won, in the end it is but a sandcastle. Confront a stronger force, and it crumbles instantly. As it has now. And if true powers outside this Ownerless Land intervene, it will be the same."
"I asked what you are trying to say."
The Sovereign bared his fangs, exuding a fierce aura. Though the difference in level had been shown, his ferocity remained.
It was like watching Adrian confront outsiders.
Well, regardless.
"The fence you built is fragile. So come under my protection."
"…What?"
For a moment, silence.
The Sovereign wondered if he had misheard, but no, he had not.
He gave a laugh, shoulders shaking as if in disbelief.
"If you really are Asher… it seems fame has blinded you. Recruiting me is one thing, but to claim even the western lands in addition to the north? Do you intend to unify this Ownerless Land? You must know what happens when one faction grows beyond its means."
The Ownerless Land existed solely for legitimate conflict. From it, profits spread outward into the world.
But if that cycle was blocked?
Inevitably, one would become a target of great powers and be eliminated.
"If your lust for dominion is so unbearable, flaunt it across the East instead. Why come here to spout nonsense?"
Though Verden was indeed from the West, he did not bother to correct him.
"Whether starting in the East or in the Ownerless Land makes little difference. Both are but fragments."
"Hmph."
To call one of the three continents merely a fragment—
Such arrogance was alien even to the Sovereign.
"…No matter how I think on it, I cannot understand. What are you—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
One possibility, never considered, struck him like lightning.
The Mercenary King's animal-like instinct.
The magic that had crushed him utterly.
Intersecting clues pointed only to the apex beings of the entire continent.
Impossible…
The Sovereign jerked his head upward.
In his shocked pupils, Verden's blue-gray eyes reflected clearly.
"As I said before, I'll overlook your attempts to probe me in the past. It was irksome, but at least you didn't cross the line."
Verden tossed him a top-grade potion. The Sovereign caught it unconsciously.
"But the South is excluded."
The Southern Alliance irritated Verden in many ways.
Especially how they, dissatisfied with the results of the competitive war, attempted to use Eastern rebels to incite indiscriminate massacres in the North. That could not be ignored.
"If it's only the South, the East has already—"
"I suppressed it long ago and now rule it through proxy in the North. The broker proved quite capable."
The broker, once hired by the Southern Alliance, had betrayed them and sided with the North. The remaining Eastern forces allied with the South were annihilated.
The matter was already settled.
Yet by all indications, the South had no knowledge of this.
They were being thoroughly played by the North.
"…Transcendent."
The Sovereign murmured, gaze dropping, sinking into thought.
Then, openly, he asked.
"If you've already decided to claim this entire Ownerless Land as your domain, surely you've built your own power. Why offer me such a proposal? You could do without me."
"Even if you scoured the world, few possess the governance to rule a territory of this scale. And."
Verden jerked his chin toward the city the Sovereign had developed.
"I rather liked your philosophy. Latheon Ophniel."
"…!"
One of the Central Continent's Four Strong, the Sovereign, Latheon Ophniel.
Once a knight of the Ronia Kingdom in the southern East, active in disputed lands against hostile beastfolk tribes.
A 'national traitor' who massacred the kingdom's war command, including high-ranking nobles.
Crack.
The Sovereign clenched his fist tightly.
"Few know my true name. Who told you?"
"Even without direct confirmation, deducing one's identity from circumstances is hardly rare. As I said, the broker is quite capable."
"…"
The broker, Serlo Broden.
Old though he was, he remained a former Black-Obsidian grade adventurer.
That he could operate openly as a broker in the continent's shadows was owed to his personal skill.
Their gazes locked.
Then the Sovereign exhaled deeply, releasing the tension in his body.
"You should already know of my past. Even if… I am such a being, I will never serve under another. I refuse to be used again."
"That depends on how you define the word 'used'. Just as you used those beyond your fence."
Verden unfolded his arms.
He walked leisurely to the center of the audience chamber.
"I swear, I have no intention of stealing this city or this land you rule. So long as you abide by the rules I will soon set."
"…Rules?"
"But if you still refuse, then I will act according to the laws of this place. Of course, before that, you may leave the Ownerless Land if you wish. Take whatever wealth you like, do whatever you want—I will not interfere."
Thus, three choices were laid before the Sovereign.
Join.
Oppose.
Flee.
Verden invoked spatial magic through Mado
"That is all I came for. I'll hear your answer through your actions."
"Wait…!"
The Sovereign tried to stop him, but it was too late.
A faint violet glow shimmered, and the figure before him vanished.
The quiet ripples of space lingered.
The Sovereign stared a moment, then collapsed into a seat.
'I knew this day would come.'
There existed not one, but many beings and forces stronger than he.
He had become the master of a vast land that none dared claim, exploiting its unique nature. Yet he knew, someday, a moment would come he could not withstand.
That moment was now.
"…Hmph. A Transcendent hiding his true identity."
The Sovereign sat quietly, then drank the top-grade potion in his hand. His body warmed as its restorative effects began.
Pain mingled with healing.
Indeed, this was no dream.
***
The dwarves of the mine sprawled here and there, resting.
Exhausted from days of unbroken labor, not one stirred despite the rowdy snoring and tossing of their kin.
The village chief, Geradin, was among them.
Vrrrrmm.
Before them, the newly built facility hummed softly amid the snores.
"Well, what do you think? Even at a glance, it's far better than that scrap at the Black Volcano, isn't it?"
"On the surface, yes."
"On the surface?? Hah, that's a Transcendent for you—such a bland reaction. If you won't cheer, at least clap."
[Clap, clap.]
"Not you. And I said clap, not mimic the sound with your mouth."
[Semantically identical.]
"Who doesn't know that? The problem is you sound so damn insolent."
Gharun, true to his 283 years, stroked his thick beard irritably.
"Anyway, you've prepared everything I asked for?"
"Here."
Verden summoned the materials he had secured from subspace.
Linus quickly approached, scrutinizing each one with sharp eyes.
"…All present, master. And of the highest quality."
"Not a single flaw? Ho, you must have gone to great lengths. Such materials aren't easy to obtain."
Indeed, though it had not been simple, for Verden it had been no great obstacle.
A billionaire of hundreds of billions of Elks.
With enough money, most things moved swiftly. As for time, he resolved it himself with
"In any case, preparations are complete."
Gharun loosened his muscles, hefting the massive hammer, Markuab, upon his shoulder.
"I'll let you know when it's done."
The hammer of integrity began forging a weapon.
D - 37
The year's end drew nearer, autumn's coolness fading away.
Snow began to fall in the East.
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