6. The Great Plan>
“What is going on?”
“Oh, you’re here?”
Kiculus, who had been standing there blankly, saw Sian flying toward him and greeted him warmly. Not only Kiculus, but all the other dukes were standing on the tree branches, feeling the energy erupting from below with their entire bodies. As though something they had been waiting for had finally arrived.
“Good heavens… What is this energy… What on earth are you doing?”
Sian asked, looking overwhelmed by the tremendous energy surging up from beneath the ground.
“Incredible, isn’t it? This is the original purpose for which Kiculus, Acra, and the Swarm were born. Heh heh.”
The immense waves of energy enveloping all of Kiculus were gradually flowing rapidly somewhere. More precisely, toward Kiculus—toward Lorval’s core. The energy, already tremendous to begin with, stimulated the senses even more intensely once it gathered in one place. Now it gave off the sensation of a small sun.
“The original purpose… Wasn’t this originally developed for humankind?”
According to what he had heard from Ragaofe, Kiculus and Acra had been created for the protection and advancement of humankind, but this made it seem as though there had been another purpose. And the Swarm, too. Hadn’t the Swarm been made to drive out Gerna?
Unable to make sense of Kiculus’s words, Sian asked again with a questioning expression. Looking at him, Kiculus answered, unable to hide his excitement.
“Heh heh. It certainly is for humankind. But there is such a thing as killing two birds with one stone, is there not? Nothing in this world is created with only a single purpose. A sword may be used to cut down an opponent, but it can also be used to beat them senseless, no?”
“…
I feel like that analogy is a little off, but let’s move on.”
“Well… you’ll understand if you wait. It won’t interfere with you going home at all, so there’s no need to watch with such an anxious look on your face.”
“…
Tsk.”
Having had his inner thoughts seen through, Sian turned his head in embarrassment. A change brought about by such enormous energy would certainly not be a small one, so he had been worried that it might somehow affect the formation array that would send him home, but judging by Kiculus’s expression, that did not seem to be the case.
Since the vast energy rising from below did not contain any particular killing intent or destructive aura, Sian decided to wait quietly.☆ ☆ ☆The gigantic core supporting Lorval. Inside it stood a single person.
However, the core and the person could not be seen clearly. Their forms were obscured by the bustling waves of Swarm around them. The space where the core was located was unimaginably vast, and it was packed entirely with Swarm. But the space was gradually becoming more open. The Swarm were disappearing at tremendous speed.
A staggering number of silver waves were rushing toward the core and the person, merging into one. The silver waves—the Swarm—that touched the core handed over all the energy of Acra they had procured, then crumbled into powder. In that way, the Swarm that had filled the area beneath the roots were rapidly scattering into dust and vanishing, and though new Swarm continued to surge in and fill the space, judging by the pace, it seemed all of them would soon disappear.
And as that process continued, the round core gradually filled with silver, while the person standing within it was slowly being submerged in that silver liquid. It looked as though a transparent sphere was being filled with silver fluid.
Two people were watching the scene. One was Con-rad, and the other was Ragaofe.
They were observing the energy of the enormous formation array, preparing for any unforeseen emergency, but despite the immense energy involved, the project was proceeding smoothly without the slightest difficulty.
“Huh… It really works… Ragaofe, you’re truly amazing.”
“Well… I did research it for a long time.”
“By the way… don’t you have any desire to become one yourself? You said this was a plan to become a god.”
At that, Ragaofe answered with a smile.
“That can only be used on someone with divine blood. In the first place, it was a plan made to draw out all the potential of divine blood that, because it was mixed with human blood, would otherwise remain only at Beta 1. Unless one is a direct descendant of Broxian, the God of War, it cannot even be used. You have no idea how relieved I was when I met Lord Lorval after creating this project and bringing it out of the real laboratory. Ah? Since our dear Con-rad here is the War God’s s-o-n, perhaps we could have put you in instead? Hahahaha!”
Ragaofe laughed as if he found it unbearably funny, clutching his stomach, while Con-rad scratched his head in embarrassment.
“Back then, I really did think I might be the son of a god. I was ridiculously capable, overflowing with talent, and I’d even reincarnated.”
“Heh heh… The world is quite vast, isn’t it?”
“…
It is.”
Con-rad answered with a bitter smile. Inside this tree, there was not a single person weaker than him. No, there were two. Steel and Ragaofe. But even so, it was still embarrassing.
“Well… don’t blame yourself too much. Depending on how you look at it, aren’t you in the top fifty among humankind?”
“That really wounds my pride.”
Con-rad, once the emperor of the empire and its strongest man, grumbled.
“Well… there are plenty of monstrous people, after all. Once he comes out of there… Lord Lorval will have climbed the first step on the staircase toward godhood.”
“Hmm? I thought he’d become an Alpha the moment he came out of there.”
Con-rad asked with a puzzled look. Ragaofe shook his head.
“As if it would be that easy. If it were, I would have made it long ago. This alone isn’t enough to draw out all the potential of the Alpha—Broxian—contained within his divine blood.”
“Huh… You didn’t tell me what comes next.”
Con-rad asked with a doubtful expression. Ragaofe smiled and said,
“Lord Lorval already knows. He will take the next step on his own. Well… it’s almost finished.”
While they were speaking, the Swarm, which had boasted an unimaginable number, had all crumbled into powder and disappeared. The core containing Lorval was filled with the Acra and strange liquid handed over by the Swarm, shining brilliantly with silver light. The silver liquid was not simply sloshing inside the core. It was rotating within it at an incredible speed, being absorbed somewhere inside. Looking more closely, one could see that the liquid was being absorbed through Lorval’s seven orifices within the core.
The core was several meters in diameter, so the amount of liquid filling it was by no means small, yet it was being absorbed into Lorval’s body at great speed. In that process, Lorval was changing amid a massive torrent of energy, accompanied by a loud, unsettling sound.
Crack, crunch.
It was a sound that sent chills down one’s spine just from hearing it, but Ragaofe, watching the sight, approached to proceed to the next stage.
“Good. It’s going well. Let’s see… since the energy contained in the Acra has been infused… we can proceed to the next stage. Please hand me that.”
At those words, Con-rad handed over the large bead he was holding. Unlike a bead the size of a thumbnail, the bead Con-rad handed over was as large as two adult fists put together.
Even as he handed it over, Con-rad smacked his lips.
“Hah… Still, what a waste. If I ate this, couldn’t I get stronger too, or something? It’s the essence of a Beta 3…….”
“You won’t become stronger just because you eat Murakan’s essence. In the first place, the Murakans were created for divine blood. And that was truly difficult to make, so please give it here already.”
“Tch…….”
Con-rad wore a regretful expression as he tossed the bead over, and Ragaofe caught it and inserted it back into the large sphere.
The moment the bead was placed inside, a great change occurred. The silver liquid within reacted violently and began rushing toward Lorval as though to devour him. Saying that liquid rushed forward was a strange expression, but anyone watching the scene would have said the same.
The liquid began compressing and compressing, transforming like a slime with a will of its own, then lunged forward and wrapped around Lorval’s body, swallowing him. And the crunching sounds grew even louder. The change continued. The grinding, cracking noises echoed endlessly underground, and accordingly, Lorval’s body gradually continued its transformation into a different being.
Watching this, Con-rad’s expression turned slightly uneasy.
“Murakan isn’t going to come back to life or anything… right?”
Ragaofe shook his head and answered.
“As if that would happen. It is merely the final stage, so such a process is necessary. All of that is nothing more than a procedure to awaken the potential of divine blood. It is the process of stripping away the muddled human blood.”
“Well… if that’s the case, then that’s a relief.”
“Hah… It is finally nearing completion…….”
Ragaofe looked satisfied as the crunching silver mass gradually took on a human form.☆ ☆ ☆Feeling the great waves of energy gradually subside, Steel wore a puzzled expression. Despite such an enormous energy having pulsed, not much had changed.
But Sian, standing beside her, looked shocked.
“Good heavens… What have you done…….”
Sian could feel something that had just been born down below. A mighty aura. And at the same time, a familiar aura.
“Little brother, is something wrong?”
Miss Steel still did not seem to have sensed that wave of energy and looked puzzled, but perhaps realizing from Sian’s expression that something had happened, she asked him.
Looking at Steel, Sian answered,
“Something… was just born.”
“Huh? How strong is it for you to be that surprised?”
Steel asked, curious because it had been a long time since she had seen her younger brother this flustered.
“It is similar to me.”
“Huh?”
“…
Hah…….”
“Little brother, didn’t you cross another wall this time?”
“I did.”
“Then… you should be at Beta 4, right?”
“…
The one born below… is also at that level.”
Considering the tremendous energy that had gathered, it was not an impossible level to understand, but… that alone could not create an expert on par with him. The strength of a realm was not determined by energy. As Sian stood there bewildered, unable to understand what was happening, the something newly born below approached at high speed.
Power flowed from its entire body. Its aura was as different from before as heaven was from earth, but the face of the other party was familiar.
“Haha! So this is the kind of world you were seeing? Truly astonishing.”
Perhaps unable to adjust to his own strength, Lorval examined various parts of his body and looked around in wonder. It was probably a whole new world to him. Sian himself had been shocked when he had risen from his sickbed. Duke Lorval, who had crossed several walls at once, would likely be even more astonished.
“Mr. Lorval… Good heavens, what happened?”
“Hmm… yes. You have the right to know. I’ll explain everything. Steel, you… could you wait there for a moment? I have something I need to discuss with him alone.”
Lorval, smiling warmly at Sian with a broad smile on his face, called him over. Sian told Steel to wait for a bit, then followed Lorval, flying down beneath the tree.
“Where are we going?”
“Well… there is something I want to give you as thanks. After all, it was largely thanks to you that I was able to come this far.”
“Hmm… Me? What did I do…….”
“I’ll tell you everything when we get there. Heh heh. You’ll know once you see it.”
With that, Lorval flew swiftly beneath Kiculus, and Sian followed after him.
Sian thought they were going to the space where the Swarm had originally stayed, but even after they arrived there, Duke Lorval continued moving somewhere. Seeing that there was an even deeper underground area below, Sian asked with a puzzled expression,
“Is the gift down there?”
“It is.”
Duke Lorval, who had been wearing a delighted expression for some time as though pleased by the power overflowing from his entire body, descended rapidly. After going down the pit for quite a while longer, Sian saw something shining in the depths.
“Hmm… That is……?”
“That is the gift. Let us go down.”
Sian, having landed lightly in the deep pit, let out a low hum as he looked at the two weapons embedded in the floor.
He could feel nothing from the weapons. But that did not mean they were unimpressive in the slightest. It was not that those weapons possessed no aura; rather, they simply had no need to possess one, and so they looked that calm.
One silver spear and one golden blade.
Two weapons, stretched smooth and flawless, as though forged by a master craftsman over hundreds of years.
The moment he saw the two weapons, made of some material he could not identify, Sian understood at once. He had no idea by what means such things had been created, but if one were cut by those weapons, even Krona or Dragona would have their bones and flesh shattered. Of course, in the end they would be smashed to pieces in Krona’s hands… but that was how extraordinary they were. Looking at the spear and blade, which, despite being mere weapons, held an immense presence condensed within them, Sian asked out of curiosity.
“What are those? Don’t tell me those were also made during the Divine Kingdom era?”
If so, then it would truly be technology of an astonishing level. But at that question, Lorval shook his head.
“Half right and half wrong. They were made during the Divine Kingdom era, but they were not made by the Divine Kingdom.”
“…
Then?”
Only then did Sian ask again, his expression showing some understanding.
“Yes. Ragaofe must have explained it to you… but those are the weapons once used by the Sun God and the War God.”
“Hah……”
Sian had roughly guessed from the aura he felt from the weapons, but he had not thought they would truly be such weapons, and an exclamation burst from his mouth. Watching that sight, Lorval smiled pleasantly and added an explanation.
“In the case of the spear, it is one of the weapons the War God made with his own hands by crushing and compressing the Alphas he had killed, then extracting what he needed from their bodies and forging it himself. Well… it may be only one sword and one spear, but the number of Alphas ground into them must be staggering. One could fairly call them a graveyard of races. I do not know how the Sun God’s weapon was made… but it is probably similar.”
Hearing that, the silver spear began to look different. He had thought it was simply a weapon, but to think it had such a sinister history.
“Where did you find those? Mr. Ragaofe seemed not to know such things existed.”
“Hmm… I met Ragaofe a thousand years after the war had ended. Quite a lot happened in the meantime. I cannot very well tell you everything, can I?”
“Hah……”
“I have a somewhat special ability called being an Aksarai connector… and by using it, I can easily learn secrets others do not know. With that, I scoured the continent. Yes… perhaps I should lament my fate a little.”
And Lorval began his tale.☆ ☆ ☆Curious about the eastern continent, Lorval set out on a journey with vassals bound under the rule of divine blood. It was a light journey, so he prepared nothing, and he brought only a modest handful of vassals with him. The continent was exceedingly dangerous, but Lorval had a personality that enjoyed adventure, so it was all the more enjoyable. For him, who had lived a tedious life while bound by the blood called divine blood, the stimulating life of wandering the continent and uncovering its mysteries was immensely appealing.
In the midst of that, when he reached the peninsula at the northeastern edge, he realized that life also dwelled on the continent beyond it, but knowing that traveling there was impossible with his abilities, he cleanly gave up and was returning toward the Divine Kingdom. On his way back, he witnessed a vast light rising from the western continent where they had lived.
Shocked that the vast Divine Kingdom of Broshan, which had occupied half the continent, had been blown away in its entirety in less than an hour, Lorval realized this was no time for that and began reorganizing the survivors. There was one misfortune and one fortunate thing.
The fortunate thing was that quite a number of humans had survived.
The misfortune was that most of those survivors were lawless humans who had been driven out after failing to be recognized as citizens of the Divine Kingdom. The diligent human race who had been granted citizenship of the Divine Kingdom, received protection within it, and fulfilled their duties and rights were all blown away without even a chance to evacuate.
He went to the surviving laboratory, Aksarum, but the personnel there had long since disappeared somewhere, whether they had hidden themselves or fled. He knew that a secret laboratory lay beyond the portal in the center of the research facility, but upon seeing the Betas living along the path leading inside, Lorval cleanly gave up on entering.
Ah, there was one more misfortune. He searched the continent endlessly in case any other divine blood had survived, but he was the only surviving divine blood.
Thus, Lorval, who had tried to gather the surviving human race and expand his forces somehow, could not help but despair. Even gathering and raising proper people would not have been enough, yet the only ones who had survived on the continent were usually thugs who worshiped strength or criminals like bandits. Not a single highly skilled individual who could revive their once-flourishing culture and miracles had survived, as though it were a lie. In the first place, from their perspective, the eastern continent was not a place developed for people to live in, so in a sense, it may have been only natural.
The bigger problem was that the Gerna began madly dominating the human race, who had lost their protection. There was a limit to the number of
But he could not simply despair, so Lorval, based on his own subordinates, focused on raising those who looked strong, placing marks on them, protecting their bodies from the Gerna, and increasing his power. Lorval himself was a powerhouse who had reached the realm of Beta, and by devouring powerful individuals among the human race with his marks and growing his forces, he was at least able to possess the greatest power among humans. Humans exalted them, calling them the
And so nearly a thousand years passed. During that time, he also obtained the mysterious supernatural ability of being an Aksarai connector. At first, he was excited and tried to use this ability to strengthen the human race, but it was not as easy as he had thought. Lorval, who constantly thought of ways to strengthen the human race, continued helping humans and increasing their numbers, but in the end, it only benefited the Gerna. Lacking strength, he could do nothing but watch it happen before his eyes.
In the midst of that, there were things he found.
But after seeing the information about the weapons that appeared in Aksarai, Lorval fell into extreme disappointment.
-Stats: ??
-Stats: ??
Relic.
That single word clearly informed him that the two were dead. Moreover, these weapons were pearls on a pig’s neck to him. He could barely lift them, but he did not dare swing them. If he swung them, his body would be shattered by the recoil. Deeply disappointed, Lorval wondered what to do with these two weapons and, for the time being, kept them. Surely they would be useful somewhere.
And he concealed the news that the gods were dead. After all, among the human race, there was still hope that the gods would one day save them again. Of course, after several thousand years passed, there was no longer any need to hide it. They had forgotten the very existence of gods.
Having found only two unusable weapons, and despairing because he could not find a method even after scouring the entire continent, Lorval was met by Ragaofe, who appeared after leaping across a thousand years. When asked, he said he had been hiding inside that research facility. To Lorval, this was a stroke of heavenly fortune.
Ragaofe needed Lorval, a divine blood, in order to fulfill his dream, and astonishingly, Lorval’s dream and Ragaofe’s dream coincided.
That was when it began.
The project to give birth to a new god, to create an Alpha.
However, Acra, Kiculus, Swarm, and Murakan were originally not intended to be used for such a purpose. They merely ended up strengthening the entire human race by chance; originally, they had been created for a different purpose. For the purpose of creating an Alpha.
The plan Ragaofe devised was simple.
For some unknown reason, the divine bloods born with Broxian’s blood were blocked by the wall of Beta-1. Ragaofe speculated that this was perhaps because ordinary human blood was mixed in.
If so, the method was simple. Wash away the human blood little by little, leaving behind only Broxian’s traces and awakening them, forcibly opening the possibility of advancing to the next stage. Ragaofe, left alone in the laboratory Aksarum, continued his research and finally judged that this plan had potential.
To carry out Ragaofe’s plan, three things were necessary.
First, someone born with divine blood; since they would be opening the potential of Broxian’s blood, an Alpha, a direct descendant was needed.
Another was the source or essence of a powerful race strong enough to wash away the human blood. To wash away the blood of a Beta-1, an essence of at least Beta-1 level was needed.
Lastly, a truly enormous amount of energy, so immense that it would have been difficult to find even during the Divine Kingdom era.
The first could be solved as long as there was divine blood, but the rest were impossible with individual power alone. To turn a Beta-1 divine blood into an Alpha, his realm had to be forcibly raised at least four times. For that reason, Ragaofe continued his research inside the laboratory and created Kiculus, Acra, and Swarm as means to remove the obstacles.
Acra and Kiculus continuously gathered immense energy, and the energy collected in the core was transported by Swarm.
As for the essences of various races, Murakan solved that. Only by having Lorval, the subject, devour the essence of an evolved Murakan could he advance to that stage.
To do these two things, they first had to evolve the Murakans and allow the human race that would supply energy to flourish, so Ragaofe and Lorval had to drive out the Gerna first. Driving out the Gerna proceeded truly successfully, but as Ragaofe and Lorval advanced the project, two variables appeared before them.
First, the moment the Gerna disappeared, the things beyond the peninsula began crossing over madly. Because of that, they could not wipe out all the Gerna and instead had to defend desperately.
Second, the Murakans, who were supposed to evolve endlessly, were strangely blocked by a wall and could not evolve.
According to plan, they were supposed to gather an enormous amount of energy through Kiculus. However, because of the monsters that suddenly began invading from beyond the peninsula, they could not finish off the Gerna, and thus had no choice but to use the remaining energy to construct a barrier. They ceaselessly raised nobles and increased the number of commoners, but the energy used for the barrier was so vast that they could not gather the amount of energy they had targeted with that alone.
The larger problem was the stagnant Murakans. In the first place, Lorval and Ragaofe’s plan had been for him to devour a Murakan that had evolved into Beta-1, evolve into Beta-2 himself… then dominate the Murakans and make them Beta-2 as well, then use them to evolve… That was the plan, but for some reason, the Murakans’ evolution simply stopped at the Rotan level. Not a single Beta-1 was born. Moreover, because of the monsters invading from beyond the peninsula, they could not increase their numbers either.
Three thousand years passed with him in that state of constant anxiety. Though in truth, “anxiety” was too generous a word—Lorval had already given up. He had his hands full just maintaining the status quo.
“But… all of those problems have been resolved recently. And all thanks to you. How could I not say the project’s success was due to you?”
Strengthened through Sian’s blood, the Murakan evolved into Beta 1 in an instant, as though there had never been any problem at all. At first, Duke Lorval intended to release the barrier with the successfully evolved Beta 1, absorb the surplus energy, and evolve himself into Beta 2 first.
But in the blink of an eye, they devoured one another and evolved into Beta 2 through cannibalism. Not only did they evolve into Beta 2, they evolved into Beta 3 while fighting Sian.
At first, Lorval was greatly flustered to see the Murakans slip from his control, but at the same time, he realized something. If only Sian could win, and if they could consume the essence of the remaining Murakans, then he could resume the evolution plan he had kept halted all this time. The quest window that appeared before his eyes was telling him so.
That was why he waited for the right moment. Until the Murakan evolved into Beta 3 and reached the verge of death. Until it was weakened enough for them to subdue it and extract its essence. Fortunately, Sian performed beyond expectations, not only wiping out all the Murakans but also reducing the creature to a state where they could suppress it.
Since he had wiped out all the Gernas as well, the barrier was no longer necessary. They only needed to gather the energy that would have been used to maintain the barrier into the Akra and Kiculus, then bring it through the Swarm.
With both energy and essence resolved at once, Lorval had no reason to hesitate, and with Ragaophe’s help, he carried out the project as it was.
“…
Didn’t you say all the Murakans had been dealt with?”
“They were. Heh heh. I turned them into essence. They are inside me now.”
As he said that, Lorval lightly thumped his own chest. He was so infuriating that Sian wanted to twist his jaw off, but unlike before, if they started trading blows here, this tree would be uprooted entirely.
“Did you aim for this from the beginning?”
“Well… I was far too lucky for me to say that. One thing and another lined up splendidly.”
“Couldn’t you have just evolved using my blood?”
At that, Lorval laughed and said,
“It is not such a simple matter. Only the Murakans can do that. As a human, I cannot. If that had been possible, I would have asked you already. Why would I have gone through all this trouble?”
“Ha… Then doesn’t that mean you can mass-produce this?”
Sian felt somewhat hollow. Some people nearly died countless times to grow stronger, yet here was a method to raise one’s realm in a single leap. But upon hearing that, Lorval shook his head.
“No. It cannot be done. It was not easy. I invested three thousand years of preparation all at once. The cores and Akra remain, yes… but this one time, I ground every Murakan into the Swarm. Besides, this requires a direct descendant of Broxian. Now, I am the only one left.”
Lorval spoke with a sigh, but his expression did not look that way at all. Then again, even in Sian’s view, if sacrificing all that produced someone as powerful as Duke Lorval, it was a deal with more than enough profit left over.
“Still, wasn’t it carried out too hastily?”
At a glance, it seemed everything had fallen neatly into place, but here and there were many elements close to gambling. To begin with, there had been a high chance the Murakans would escape his control, and this time, if the Murakans had been only a little stronger, they would all have been wiped out.
Lorval smiled and answered,
“Well… did I not say I possessed a very unusual and useful ability? Heh heh. And now, there is not much time left. Being Godblood does not mean eternal life… Those who are bound do not die, but Godbloods grow old and die. And I have lived far too long. There are too many enemies around me. Even enduring has become difficult.”
“Well… in any case, congratulations. You succeeded.”
At that, Lorval shook his head and said,
“Well… I may have spoken as though I were quite impressive, but… in the end, the plan was a failure.”
“Hmm… Why is that?”
“Did I not tell you earlier? I must become a new god. To do that, I must at least become an Alpha. The difference between Alpha and the Betas beneath it is truly heaven and earth.”
It was not simply a matter of strength. First of all, if he could only reach Alpha, he could grow stronger through training from then on. But if he remained blocked by this wall, he would never become stronger for the rest of his life. Since this was not a realm he had raised himself to, but one he had forced himself into, that possibility was even greater. Moreover, with his blood, he could not create new Godbloods. The right to lead a species was not a right granted to a Beta.
“Hmm… I see.”
Sian listened and nodded as though he understood.
“There was only the essence of a Murakan that had reached Beta Level 3. Reaching this point was the limit. Even after becoming an Alpha, I would still have far to go, yet I am only barely Beta 4. This is nowhere near enough. That is why this project is a failure, for now.”
Uneasy at Lorval’s lingering tone, Sian asked back with a slightly tense expression.
“Hmm? For now? Is there a way for it to succeed?”
“Of course there is. While absorbing the Murakan’s essence this time… I also absorbed an extraordinarily astonishing trait. Though I knew from the beginning that it would turn out this way.”
“…
Uh… um… Can I choose not to hear this?”
Sian frowned as his sense of foreboding grew stronger, but Lorval shook his head.
“Well… the result will not change regardless, but if you do not wish to hear it, then do not.”
“…
Please continue.”
“Yes. There is a trait I absorbed this time… and astonishingly enough, it is a trait that makes one stronger after experiencing a crisis of death. Truly a marvelous trait. To think one could cross a wall by such a method, rather than through training. Goodness.”
“…
Haa… Mr. Ragaophe… after this is over, let me really hit you a few times.”
Sian let out a long breath. In truth, he had predicted it to some extent while watching the Murakans. Fighting and devouring alone was not enough to make them grow that strong. He had suspected that his blood had played some role. The unfortunate part was that the trait had transferred intact to the duke before him, who had absorbed the Murakan essence.
“Well… after saying this much, you understand what I am trying to say, do you not? Choose one you like. Only by fighting while holding something like that will it feel like a true crisis, no?”
As he said that, the duke pointed at the spear and sword before them. Sian felt the situation worsening by the moment and broke into a sweat. If he fought Lorval while holding one of those, it would truly be dangerous. Even if he survived, the chances were high that some part of him would be blown off, or that he would end up half-crippled. Their own power was mighty, but the weapons there were far too dangerous. They were not weapons a mere Beta, one who had not even become an Alpha, should wield.
“Did you calculate even this?”
Lorval smiled and said,
“Did I not say I was truly lucky? Not only did I become Beta 4, but an opportunity to become an Alpha appeared right before my eyes. How could that not be good fortune? I have little time left now, and the God of War is helping me. Well, since we will fight anyway, I will tell you… I did not have much intention of letting you go either.”
“…
Can’t we settle this peacefully? Or I can introduce you to a place where you might truly die. If you head straight south……”
“Ah, I know that place. The Forbidden Land, yes? Unfortunately, my abilities are not at a level where I can fight Krona or Dragona. If I go there, I will die before becoming an Alpha. Once I become an Alpha, I intend to go there and train, so do not worry too much. I know the way well enough.”
“…
Are there no other Beta 4s?”
“If there were, would I be standing here looking at you like this? And did I not say it? I possess a rather unusual ability. I can tell what I must do.”
Lorval smiled faintly as he looked at the quest window floating before his eyes.
[Quest: Final Evolution]
-Overcome a crisis of death and be reborn by following the traces of Godblood left within your body.
-Success: Evolution into Alpha.
-Failure: Death
“…
Goddamn it. Goddamn it. Goddamn it. Goddamn it.”
He truly did not want to fight and was barely holding himself back from twisting the man’s jaw off on the spot, even maintaining polite speech, but the other party showed no intention of avoiding this.
Sian considered immediately drawing the spear and sword and launching a surprise attack, but Duke Lorval was standing right beside the two weapons, as if he had predicted that much. He spoke as though he were relaxed, but he was prepared for a surprise attack at any moment.
“Goddamn it… the sword.”
“That is welcome news. I thought it would be more meaningful for me to fight while holding my ancestor’s relic.”
Lorval pulled out the spear said to have been used by the God of War, then tossed Gran-La’s sword beside it to Sian.
Unable to hold back any longer, Sian opened his mouth. Since they were going to fight anyway, he decided to stop caring.
“Fighting me means you might die too. Are you still fine with that?”
Lorval smiled and said,
“If I cannot become an Alpha, I would rather die.”
“What?”
“If this opportunity disappears, I do not know when I will meet another similar opponent… How could I let this chance slip by? If I miss this opportunity, I would rather die. I have no desire to remain as some half-baked Beta.”
“Goddamn it……”
Only then did Sian begin to understand Lorval’s attitude.
Two people blocked by the immense wall called Alpha. Both possessed a trait that allowed them to break through the wall if they overcame death. They also had mighty weapons capable of driving each other to the brink of death.
If they fought each other like mad, at least one of the two would definitely become an Alpha. From Lorval’s standpoint, as someone who absolutely had to become an Alpha and then a new god, there was no way he would miss this chance.
“Well… shall we move elsewhere?”
“You’re not going to fight here?”
“Heh heh. Why would we fight here? Personally, I hold no ill will toward you at all. On the contrary, I feel tremendous gratitude toward you. That is why I am not particularly inclined to have the woman you cherish get caught up in this fight and die.”
“…
I’m so grateful I could cry.”
Lorval smiled and launched himself away with the God of War’s spear in hand, and Sian followed him up toward the surface.
‘Should I stab him from behind?’
Sian considered a surprise attack, but shook his head. The other man looked relaxed, but there was no opening. To begin with, he was an opponent at the same realm, fully on guard. There was no way such a trick would work, so Sian shook his head and flew up into the sky after Lorval.