Chapter: 15 In Northern Lands Lands 10th Month of Human Empire Calendar 380
1 Placing the dishes she finished washing on the dish drainer, Alice Synthesis Thirty wiped her hands on the hem of her apron as she flicked her face up. The treetops visible beyond the small glass window had lost quite a number of leaves, dyed in red and yellow, to the chill of recent days. The arrival of winter was indeed earlier when compared to Central Capital Centoria. Still, the rays of Solus pouring down from the skies, blue for the first time in a while, seemed warm. A pair of Treeclimbing abbits huddled together on a thick branch of the tree straight ahead, apparently en!oying their sunbath. Alice smiled as she ga"ed at them for a while before she turned about and spoke. #$ey, #$ey, we seem to be having fine weather today, today, so how about we have lunch all the way at the eastern hills%& 'o one replied. The log cabin had only two rooms, and this one served as the living room, dining room, and kitchen with a plain wood table placed right in its middle. Seated on one of the chairs, similarly plain, was a black(haired youth. 'ot even raising his head at Alice)s call, his vacant stare stayed upon a single spot atop the table. $e never did have much meat on him, but still, s till, he was obviously more slender than even Alice now. $is bony frame was visible even with the loose robe he had on. The empty right sleeve hanging down languidly from the tip of his shoulders only made him look all the more tragic. *ight was absent from his eyes, !et(black like his hair. Those two eyes reflected no more than his locked heart. Suppressing the pain in her chest that she could never ever get used to, Alice continued in a cheerful voice. #+t might be a little windy, so it might be best to dress up thick. ne moment, + shall prepare them at once.& After removing her apron and hanging it off the hook beside the sink, she turned towards the bedroom ne-t door. door. undling her long, blonde hair behind, she wrapped a cotton scarf around herself. Along with a faded black patch around her right eye that still lacked light. She first put on one of the woollen overcoats arranged on the wall, then returned to the living room with the other under her arm. The black(haired youth made no movement at all. After prompting him on by placing her hands on his skinny back, he eventually stood from the chair in an awkward motion. $owever, that was all the youth was capable of/ he could not walk even a single mel. Putting the overcoat on from behind him, she went around to his front and tied the leather strap near his neck tight. #0ou #0ou can do it, keep them up for a little longer.& Saying so, she ran over to the corner of the room. A tough chair made from bright light brown wood was left there. +nstead of four legs, it had two
pairs of iron wheels attached, one large and one small. +t was crafted by an elderly man by the name of 1aritta who lived deep in the forest in solitude. $olding onto the grips attached to the back of that wheelchair, she rolled it over to behind the youth. Sitting him down on the leather seat as his body swayed perilously, perilously, she then tightly tightl y covered his two legs with a thick lap blanket. #There2 Shall we make a move, then%& She patted the youth)s shoulders, grasped the grips, and was about to wheel the wheelchair towards the door located south of the room. The youth abruptly turned his face and reached his quivering left hand towards the eastern wall. #Aah3 aah.& That deep, coarse voice was unintelligible. $owever, Alice immediately guessed what the youth desired. #Ah, +)m sorry. + will fetch them right away.& away.& Three swords sat on sturdy metal fittings on the wall the youth stretched his hand towards. n the right was Alice)s 45ragrant live Sword6. n the left was the !et(black long sword the youth once carried on his waist, the 4'ight Sky Sword6. And in the middle was a pure(white long sword that lacked a master to call its own, the 4lue ose Sword6. Alice first removed the 'ight Sky Sword, almost as heavy as the 5ragrant live Sword, from the wall and held it under her left arm. 'e-t, she lifted the lue ose Sword as well. +ts weight reached only half or so of of the black sword)s. After all, it had lost more than half of the blade in its sheath. And the owner of this sword, that fla-en(haired youth who was this youth)s best friend, too, was no longer around3 She shut her eye for a moment and held onto both swords as she returned to the wheelchair. 7pon gently laying them onto his lap, the youth placed his left hand on them before his face fell once more. $e could e-press his own intentions through voice and motion only when seeking out those black and white swords. #e sure to keep a firm hold on them or they will drop.& Alice told him while holding back the ache in her chest that had not lessened despite the months that passed. Pushing the now heavier wheelchair, they went out through the door. door. A thick plank lay across the distance from the porch to the ground in the place of steps. 7pon descending into the garden from there, a soft, cool bree"e and the gentle sunlight enveloped the pair. The log cabin was built deep within the thick thi ck forest, in a wide meadow. Alice personally cut, stripped, and assembled the wood it used. +t was not much to look at, but its structure was sturdy as only trees with high priorities were used. She had to put up with the countless comments from the elderly 1aritta, who taught her the method from scratch, about how he had never seen a girl with such strength, however. however. This meadow was apparently where Alice and 8ugeo had their secret playground when they were still children. 7nfortunately, she had no memories of that time whatsoever. All memories from before she became an integrity knight were plundered through the 4Synthesis itual6. She told the elderly 1aritta and the villagers that she lost all of her past memories, but offered no
reason. ut in truth, her current self9+ntegrity :night Alice Synthesis Thirty9was no more than a temporary personality dwelling in the body of the one born and raised on this land, Alice Schuberg. She felt obligated to return it if she could, but the memories of the original Alice had departed from this world alongside 8ugeo. #3'ow, #3'ow, let us go.& Alice let out her voice to shake off that moment of contemplation and moved the wheelchair on, out from the front of the residence. 'early all of the meadow, meadow, circular with a diameter of thirty mel, was covered in cushy undergrowth, undergrowth, but an abundance of withered grass lay stacked up in a section in its east. +t appeared like the nest of a gigantic creature9or rather, it truly was9but the master of that nest was absent. She gave it a glance and pondered where it could have went to play today while e-iting from the small path heading northwest from the meadow into the forest. The road split into the east and west fifty mel ahead. A village named ulid was in the west, but she had no desire to visit without purpose. 8ntering the eastern path, she set out while stepping through the filtered sunlight sparkling on the ground. She slowly continued through the forest progressing from the season of autumn leaves to that of fallen leaves with the tenth month soon meeting its end. #Are you cold%& She called out to the youth but received no reply. reply. $e would say nothing even if plunged into a bli""ard of intense cold. She looked over his shoulder and and confirmed the overcoat)s overcoat)s collar was closed tightly. tightly. f course, warming themselves would be easy if she generated a thermal element or two. $owever, there were villagers who viewed them with suspicion, so she preferred to refrain from having rumors about her abuse of sacred arts spread. After walking for about fifteen minutes while carving furrows into the beaten path anew, the path ahead brightened up. A slightly slightly elevated hill showed up in front after af ter leaving the grove of trees. The road gradually became uphill, but still, Alice pushed the wheelchair on without difficulty. difficulty. The view instantly opened up after reaching the top of the hill. Straight to the east was the blue surface of *ake uhr. And the e-tensive marshes deep within it. The forest continued indefinitely to the south. A look to the north revealed the 4mountain range at the edge6, covered c overed in pure white snow, snow, towering as though to pierce through the sky. The days she easily flew over those peaks astride her flying dragon seemed like a distant dream now. now. She did long to look upon the beautiful landscape with both eyes. The abundant energy in the earth and sun here should be capable of healing the right eye she lost on the outer wall of the Central Cathedral. $owever, she had no desire yet to eliminate only her own in!ury through sacred arts. After all, the youth)s hollow eyes could only continue their vacant stare towards mid(air even with the late(autumn scenery endlessly spreading out before him. Sitting down by the wheelchair, Alice leaned against the large wheel. #$ow beautiful. ;ore so than any of those art pieces hung on the cathedral)s walls.& She called out the youth)s name with a smile. #3This is the world you protected, :irito.& A single white water bird made ripples on the lake)s surface as it glided and soared away.
$ow long had it been since she sat down% Solus)s ascent had progressed quite a bit when she finally noticed. +t was about time to return to the cabin and prepare for lunch. +n his current state, :irito barely ate anything each time, so even a single missed meal would lead to a decline in his ma-imum *ife. #+t is getting late, let us make our way back.& +t was when she stood up and grasped the wheelchair)s grips while saying so. 'oticing light footsteps treading over grass and climbing the hill, Alice turned about. The one who approached was a young girl dressed in a black habit. $er lovely face that still retained vestiges of childishness showed a gleaming smile while she energetically waved her right hand. #'ee(samaa2& The gentle bree"e brought her lively voice over and Alice smiled as well while she gave a slight wave back. Practically skipping over the last ten mel up, the girl took several seconds to catch her breath after her feet came to a stop, and spoke once more in a bright voice. #1ood morning, Alice(neesama2& Springing to the side, she gave a vigorous greeting to :irito sitting on the wheelchair as well. #1ood morning to you too, :irito2& $er broad grin that showed no worry over his lack of response was infused with faint sorrow the moment she turned towards the two swords on :irito)s lap. #31ood morning, 8ugeo.& eaching out with her right hand as she whispered, she softly brushed against the lue ose Sword)s Sword)s sheath with her fingertips. +f someone unknown were to do that, :irito would show s how a somewhat defensive response, but he now let her do as she pleased. $aving greeted her two friends, the girl straightened up and turned back to Alice again. Alice replied while conscious of a mysterious tenderness deep in her chest. #1ood morning, Selka. $ow did you ever know we were here%& +t took over a month for her to stop calling her Selka(san. She had earnestly longed to meet her little sister ever since she found out about her e-istence from :irito)s words at the Central Cathedral half a year ago. $owever, now that that wish was granted, the more precious she found Selka, the stronger this question grew within her< if she9an e-( integrity knight by the name of Alice Synthesis Thirty, Thirty, rather than Alice Schuberg9had the right to be her elder sister. Selka might, or might not have noticed Alice)s Alice)s unending conflict, but nonetheless, she spoke on with a smile free from concern over that issue. #+ didn)t search with sacred arts or anything of that sort. 0ou 0ou were out when + visited, so + thought you could have come here since today)s weather is so fine. + left fresh milk as well as an apple and cheese pie baked !ust this morning on the table, so be sure to have them for lunch.& #Thank you, that)s of great help. + was at a loss thinking of what to make.& #=ell, #= ell, :irito might end up running away someday due to the food you make, after aall, ll, nee(sama2& Selka laughed and Alice replied while smiling as well.
#'ow you)ve said it2 0ou 0ou know, know, + am a m capable of cooking pancakes without burning any now, at least2& #+ wonder if that)s really true, you did turn them into cinders when you tried cooking them with thermal elements at first and all.& Alice tried to berate her with a poke to her forehead with her finger, but Selka nimbly dodged it and !umped into Alice)s bosom. bosom. She gently hugged her little sister)s back closer as she nudged her her face into her breast.
+t was only at such times when she strongly wished she could flee from the intense pressure weighing on her heart. =hat a relief it would be if she could forget the guilt from turning her back to the duties of an
integrity knight and spending her days, da ys, quietly, quietly, deep in this remote forest. Still, Alice knew at the same time that she should never forget that. The end was approaching from beyond the mountain range at the edge, moment by moment, even while she embraced her little sister. At the very end of the fierce battle at the A-iom Church Central Cathedral9 $aving suffered enough in!uries to drain her *ife away, Alice lay on the marble floor, immobile, vaguely aware of the flow of the battle. The struggle to death between Administrator the highest minister and :irito who wielded two swords. The highest minister)s annihilation, incinerated in the flames of Chief 8lder Chudelkin)s captivated delusions. The death of :irito)s best friend, 8ugeo, whose flesh was split apart alongside his cherished sword. :irito who was caring for 8ugeo had vehemently cried out to a mysterious crystal plate that appeared on the north edge of the hall. At the end of the e-change that Alice hardly understood, :irito)s entire body suddenly stiffened up and !ust as she thought so, he fell onto the floor9with that, the world sank into silence. ight as Alice recovered a mere, slight amount of her *ife and became capable of moving, Solus)s dawn shone in from the east window. =ith =ith that light as a source of sacred energy, energy, Alice first healed the fallen :irito)s wounds. $owever, his consciousness remained lost and she reluctantly laid him down, and then attended to herself with healing arts before inspecting the crystal plate he spoke to. $owever, the surface that had shone pale purple already lost almost all of its light and there was no reply no matter how many times she touch or spoke to it. At a loss, Alice sat down. She did trust in :irito)s words and fought against the absolute ruler, Administrator, in order to protect the people of the $uman 8mpire and her little sister living in some remote region, but but she honestly doubted she could survive. =hen the strange sword soldier the highest minister called 4 Sword Golem6 Golem6 pierced deep into her body. body. =hen she used her own body as a shield against that onslaught of lightning bolts. And when she threw all caution to the wind and leapt in !ust as :irito)s life was about to be severed by that blade swung down9 Alice braced herself for death countless times. $owever, the sacrifices of Cardinal the sage, Charlotte that mysterious spider, s pider, and 8ugeo, along with :irito)s gallant fighting had held on to her life. 90ou 90ou saved me, so take responsibility for it2 She endlessly shouted that at :irito who lay down at the side. ut the black(haired youth)s eyelids remained shut. Think about the path you should take from now on and choose it yourself3 it seemed to Alice as though he was saying that. After hugging her knees for tens of minutes, Alice finally stood up. Perhaps due to the annihilation of the master of that space, the elevating disk had ceased motion like the crystal plate, so she broke it with her sword and leapt down to the ninety(ninth floor with :irito on her back. 1oing down the long staircase from there, she went past the elders who continued chanting arts, and reached the grand staircase from where she headed straight towards her master in swordsmanship
who she had left in the large bath9towards where +ntegrity :night Commander ercouli Synthesis ne was. The large quantity of hot water fro"en by 8ugeo)s armament full control art had mostly thawed and ercouli)s sprawled body, body, floating in the bath, was fortunately freed f reed from Chudelkin)s petrification art. 7pon dragging his large frame onto the aisle and slapping his cheeks while loudly crying out #o!i( sama&, the giant man let out a grand snee"e before he opened his eyes. Alice somehow had it in herself to e-plain the situation to her master who went and uttered without showing any tension on his face, fa ce, #h, it)s already morning%& Predictably enough, her words turned ercouli)s e-pression grave and he spoke a single line in an overpowering voice after hearing it all. 1ood work there, lil) miss. The knight commander)s consequent actions were prompt. They gathered the integrity knights to the 41rand Cloister of Spiritual *ight6 on the fiftieth fiftie th floor, beginning with >eputy :night Commander 5anatio who was somehow fully healed and asleep in the middle of the rose garden despite losing to :irito and 8ugeo, and continuing with the others who were apparently similarly bound by petrification, such as >eusolbert and 8ldrie, 8ldrie, then disseminated the facts they could. That after a battle with two swordsmen(in(training from 'orth Centoria Sword ;astery ;aster y Academy, Academy, the highest minister, Administrator, Administrator, was defeated and erased. That the highest minister was working on a horrifying plan to transform half of the people into monstrous weaponry with bones made from swords. That the Chamber of 8lders, superior to the rder, was effectively Chief 8lder Chudelkin alone and he, too, had died alongside the highest minister. All they kept hidden was the origin of the integrity knights9no, their 4conception6. ercouli withstood the impact of the truth, bearing doubts over the words the highest minister used about them summoned from the Celestial Celes tial =orld =orld from the start, sta rt, but decided it should only be communicated to the other knight in progressive steps. 'onetheless, 8ldrie, 5anatio, and the others were visibly shaken. That That was only natural. The highest highest minister with power comparable to the gods, the absolute ruler who reigned for hundreds of years, had died/ it should be no easy task to accept that reality. At the end of that discussion filled with utmost disorder, the knights chose to follow their commander)s orders for the time being, thanks to ercouli)s popularity and abilit y, as well as perhaps the unbroken operation of the 4piety 4piety module6. egardless of any changes, they were still knights serving the A-iom Church and now that Administrator and Chudelkin had left the $uman 8mpire, it was undeniable that :night Commander ercouli was at the top of the church)s chain of command. And the instant he was entrusted with that right to command, ercouli focused all of their effort on carrying out their original duty, to 4protect the $uman 8mpire6. $e must have felt lost and conflicted himself. $e did find out that there were memories of those whom he loved, stolen from him, within arm)s reach, after all. Still, he decided to securely seal the thirty swords that formed the sword golem and golem and all of the over three hundred crystal prisms on the hundredth floor of the cathedral, and to temporarily hide the death of the highest minister from all but the rder. +n order to prioriti"e the impending, e-tensive invasion from the >ark Territory over the recovery of the integrity knights) memories, including his own. ercouli somehow rallied the partially destroyed rder of the +ntegrity :nights, and then set out on the ma!or task of reorgani"ing and retraining the 5our 8mpires +mperial 1uards of the $uman
8mpire who were previously no more than an army in name/ naturally, Alice assisted as well. =ith the impromptu eyepatch made by :irito wrapped around her right eye, she flew about to the north and south of Centoria. $owever, her time at the cathedral was limited. The traitor who turned a sword towards the A-iom Church9the unconscious :irito, in other words9should be e-ecuted/ that view was e-pressed by quite a number of integrity knights and even some of the ascetics who were unaware of the highest minister)s death. ne dawn, when the work necessary nece ssary had settled down enough for them to catch a breather, Alice left with :irito astride a flying dragon. +t was two weeks after those intense, bloody battles. ut predicaments followed them even then. :irito)s eyes remained shut throughout even the nights camping out that she was unaccustomed to and she felt that he needed a proper roof with a warm bed, but lacked the funds to even stay in the city)s inn, yet yet outright refused to e-ert her authority as an integrity knight for such. =hat came to mind then was ulid, the name of the village :irito told her of on the outer wall of the cathedral. $olding on the ray of hope that its inhabitants might welcome them despite her lost memories since 8ugeo and she were born there, Alice turned the flying dragon)s reins towards north. She fle w while tending to :irito)s body, body, so the trip from the 'orlangarth 8mpire to the small village at the very foot of the mountain range at the edge required three whole days. She descended into the forest a short distance from the village in order to avoid startling the villagers and ordered the flying dragon to guard their belongings there, before heading towards the village on foot with :irito on her back. 7pon reaching a path after passing through the forest and a wheat field, she chanced upon several villagers. $owever, they all looked upon them with surprise and suspicion, with not a single one calling out to them. +t was when they the y arrived at ulid ?illage, built on high ground, and tried to pass through its wooden gate that a youth of large build leapt out from the guardhouse constructed at its side. lood rushed to his face that still showed vestiges of freckles and he blocked Alice)s path, going9 9$old it, outsiders may not enter the village without permission2 The young guard who shouted so with his hand on the sword on his waist as though flaunting it, before doubt sank into his e-pression upon spotting :irito)s :irito)s face while he was carried on Alice)s Alice)s back. $e muttered, #$uh, isn)t this guy,& guy,& before staring at Alice again, his eyes eyes and mouth gradually widening. 90ou3 90ou3 could you be. Alice felt slight relief at those words. She talked to the guard who seemed to remember her despite the eight years that passed, paying caution to the words she used. 9+ am Alice. Please call for the village chief, 1asupht Schuberg. Schuberg. +t might have been best to name herself as Alice Schuberg, but she could not find it in herself to do so. 5ortunately, it appeared that name was sufficient as the guard)s face instantly turned blue from red while his mouth opened and closed repeatedly before rushing into the village. $e did not mention anything about waiting, so Alice passed through the gate and walked on in the guard)s guard)s trail. The village soon turned riotous, like a disturbed beehive, in that early afternoon. Tens of villagers filled up the sides of the not(so(wide road, shouting out in shock upon spotting Alice as she passed by. by. Almost no face e-pressed gladness at her homecoming, however. ather, they could be said to seem
even doubtful, wary, and afraid at Alice, clad in unfeminine metal armor, and :irito, still asleep on her back. The gently sloping road eventually merged into a round pla"a. A fountain and well lay in its middle with a small church, a ringed cross on its roof, in the north. =hen Alice came to a stop at the entrance to the pla"a and the villagers began e-changing whispers with uneasy looks from a distance. ;inutes later, a single man approached with firm steps, breaking through the crowd on the east side. Alice immediately recogni"ed the man in the prime of his life with a neat, grayed moustache as 1asupht Schuberg, the chief of ulid ?illage and once a father to Alice. 1asupht halted a distance away, away, then ga"ed at Alice and :irito :ir ito in turn without any an y change in e-pression at all. oughly ten seconds passed before he let out a deep yet resonant voice. 9Are you Alice% Alice answered the question with no more than a #yes&. 0et the village chief neither walked closer nor reached out with his hands, questioning further in a voice more stern than before. 9=hy are you here% $as your crime been pardoned% She had no immediate reply this time. She herself knew neither what crime she committed nor whether it was pardoned. :irito mentioned the e-plicit reason why +ntegrity :night >eusolbert took the young Alice Schuberg to the capital was 4Trespassing into the >ark Territory6. Territory6. That was certainly a transgression of the Taboo +nde-. $owever, $owever, as an integrity knight, Alice was no longer bound by taboos. The highest minister)s orders were the one and only law to a knight. ut that highest minister was no more. She had no choice but to determine what were crimes and how to be pardoned from them, what was evil and what was good good on her own3 Alice stared straight back into the village chief)s eyes as she replied with those thoughts in her mind. 9+ have lost all of the memories from when + lived in this village as punishment for my crime. + do not know if + was pardoned through that. $owever, + can now go nowhere but this village. Those were Alice)s Alice)s unfeigned, true feelings. fee lings. 1asupht)s 1asupht)s eyelids shut as deep wrinkles formed themselves at his mouth and brow. $owever, $owever, the village chief raised his face before long and what he announced with a keen light in his eyes were grim words indeed. 9*eave. This village has no place for one who committed a taboo. Selka)s face rose, perhaps sensing that instant Alice)s body stiffened up, and inclined her neck slightly. #'ee(sama3%& Alice showed a smile as she responded to her little sister)s an-ious whisper. #+t)s nothing, really. really. 'ow, it is about time we return.& #3kay.& After nodding and freeing herself from the embrace, Selka spent a moment looking up towards Alice, but her bright smile returned straight stra ight away. away. #+)ll push until we get to the fork2&
She proclaimed and immediately stood behind the wheelchair :irito sat upon and grasped its handles with her small hands. The wheelchair itself was rather heavy, not to mention how a single person, though skinny, skinny, along with one and a half swords at the rank of sacred tools weighed it down. That load was too much for one who was merely fourteen years old and served as a sister apprentice that did not involve physical labor9or so Alice thought the first time Selka tried9but she leaned forward with her legs standing s tanding firm, the wheelchair began moving, though slowly. slowly. #e careful, we are going downhill.& Selka had never let the wheelchair fall yet, but she still could not help but to call out in a slightly nervous tone which made Selka reply with a, #+t)s fine, you)re such a worrywart, nee(sama&. +t seemed that when Alice was still living in ulid, she showed a little too much concern for her little sister despite going through all those adventures and e-periments with 8ugeo. =as her basic personality preserved even with her memories lost, or was it a simple coincidence% She pondered while walking beside Selka who pushed the wheelchair on with a serious e-pression. 7pon reaching the foot of the hill, the gentle slope turned into a flat path. Selka earnestly continued despite the wheelchair)s increase in weight. =hile staring at her little sister)s profile, Alice)s thoughts switched back to the past once more. +t was Selka who called, from under a grove of trees) shade, for Alice to stop after she left ulid ?illage, de!ected and crestfallen, on that day she was denied from returning to the village. +f it was not for Selka)s courage, acting how she did despite aware that her actions disagreed with the thoughts of her father, the village chief, and the good will of the elderly 1aritta she introduced Alice to, Alice would have been still wandering about without a destination even now. now. +t could not have been an easy story to swallow for Selka either. $er elder sister who finally returned to her hometown had lost all of her past memories. :irito who left a deep impression on her through their conversations in mere days two years ago had fallen into a coma. And 8ugeo who was like a brother to her had died9 $owever, Selka showed her tears only when she found out 8ugeo would never return, with her smile not fading even once in front of Alice after that. She could not help but feel gratitude and wonder at the depth of her mental toughness and thoughtfulness anew with each passing day. day. She felt that strength was more precious and mighty than an ascetic)s sacred arts, or even a knight)s sword. And at the same time, she was reminded daily of how powerless she was, without the A-iom Church. $aving built the small yet firm cabin !ust two kilolu away from the village, deep in the forest, with the help of the elderly 1aritta, what Alice set out doing straight away was an e-tensive healing art on the still(unconscious :irito. =ithin the vast forest where Terraria)s grace was most bountiful, she chose a day without even a single cloud in the skies to obstruct Solus)s light and coalesced ten luminous elements with the plentiful sacred energy granted by the earth and sun gods gods to that space, converting them into healing energy and pouring it into :irito)s body. The healing art Alice devoted all of herself to apply had the potential to fully heal even the massive amount of *ife a flying dragon had, let alone that of a human. She was confident that regardless of how grim :irito)s in!uries were, he would immediately recover along with his severed right arm and open his eyes as though nothing had happened. 0et9
ight after the blinding spiritual light left, :irito)s eyes did open but those !et(black eyes lacked any light of reason. Though Alice repeatedly called his name, shook his shoulders, and even shouted at him while embracing him, he merely looked up at the sky blankly. Alice failed to even revive his right arm. 5our months have passed since that day, but there was no sign of :irito)s :ir ito)s mind returning. Selka kept supporting her by insisting that :irito would definitely recover to his old self some day since she)s putting her all in nursing him. Still, Alice secretly feared it was impossible for herself. After all, she was no more than an e-istence created creat ed by the highest minister, Administrator. Administrator. Selka who had been silently pushing the wheelchair so far came to a stop while saying, #*et)s take3 a break&, waking up Alice from her musing once again. $er left hand gently touched her little sister)s back while she panted with sweat glistening on her brow. brow. #Thank you, Selka, + will push from here on.& #+ wanted to push, all the way, until the fork3& #0ou #0ou already pushed a hundred mel more than the previous time, didn)t you% That helped out a lot.& She found out from the village that situations like this would be where an elder sister, older by many years, should give her little sister some spending money, money, but unfortunately, she did not have even a single copper coin in her pockets. *osing even a mere shear would be horrible in her current financial situation, so she carries around money only when out to shop. To make up for that, she brushed Selka)s bright brown hair. $er little sister smiled with her breathing calmed down, but Alice noticed faint gloom on her e-pression and tilted her head. #=hat is it, Selka% +s something bothering you%& She asked while holding the wheelchair)s grips and Selka opened her mouth after brief hesitation. #38rm3 there)s another request to deal with the trees at the cleared land from uncle arbossa for you, big sister3& #=hat, is that all% There is nothing for you to worry about, thank you for delivering the message.& Alice replied with a smile, but her sister)s crestfallen e-pression lifted with a discontented pout. #ut3 those people care only for themselves. >on)t you think so too, :irito%& She questioned :irito, sitting on the wheelchair, but the youth looking downwards gave no response, naturally. Still, Selka)s Selka)s tone turned increasingly increa singly intense as though he was in agreement. #'either arbossa(san nor edack(san bother trying to let you stay in the village, so how could they still get you to help out when they)re in trouble% + know + am the one delivering the message, but you don)t have to accept it if you don)t want to, big sister. + will be sure to bring food from home for you.& After letting a giggle escape from those words, Alice pacified her sulking little sister. #Though your feelings make me happy, there is really no need to be bothered over it, Selka. + like the cabin and + feel blessed enough, staying close to the village. 3+ will go immediately after :irito is done with his lunch. =here is it%& #3The cleared land in the south, he said.& Selka softly replied and spent a short while silently walking beside the wheelchair. =ith !ust a little more to the fork heading towards the log cabin, she suddenly spoke in a firm tone. #Sister, my time as a sister apprentice will end ne-t year and + will receive some wages, even if it)s
not that much. =hen that time comes, you can stop helping those people, okay% +f it)s it )s for you, big sister, and :irito, +3 + will always3& Alice gently hugged Selka whose voice came to a stop there. She felt her tawny hair on her cheeks, a sensation much the same despite the clearly different color, and whispered. #Thank you3 ut + feel blessed enough simply with you close to me, Selka3& Seeing off Selka, who waved her hand endlessly in reluctance to part, Alice returned to the log cabin with :irito and quickly prepared lunch. Though she had become somewhat capable of housework recently, her skill at cooking alone remained stubbornly lacking. Compared to the 5ragrant live Sword, the kitchen knife bought from the village)s general store seemed as unreliable as a toy and twenty or thirty minutes would pass in the blink of an eye as she nervously sliced the ingredients. 5ortunately, 5ortunately, Selka had delivered that freshly baked pie today, today, so she cut it into smaller portions and fed :irito. y bringing the pie to his mouth with a fork and waiting patiently, patiently, his lips would eventually open slightly, accepting it into his mouth. =ith that, :irito would slowly, slowly chew as though replaying his memories of how he used to eat. =hile :irito)s mouth moved, she would eat the pie filled with apples and cheese herself, savoring its taste. +t was likely Sadina Schuberg, the village chief)s wife, who made it. ;other to Selka, and Alice. =hen she still lived at the Central Cathedral, she could freely dine on the rare delicacies from around the $uman 8mpire squee"ed on the table in the large dining hall. Sadina)s homemade pie both looked and tasted humble humble in comparison, but it seemed several times more delicious. Alice Alice did feel a little peeved that it seemed to get more reaction out of :irito than her own cooking, however. 7pon finishing the meal and the cleaning up, she sat :irito on the wheelchair once again and placed the two swords on his lap. The front garden shone golden in the afternoon sunlight as they left the cabin. The days were growing shorter lately and it would swiftly turn to dusk should her mind wander. eaching the southern fork with a quick pace, she pointed her feet towards the west this time round. The forest came to a stop shortly after she walked straight, with the wheat fields ready to be harvested stretching out. The densely packed village of ulid could be seen beyond the heads of grain, swaying e-cessively under their weight. The spire shooting noticeably high up in the middle of the red bricked roofs, erected in rows, was that of the church where Selka lived. 'either Selka nor A"ariya, the sister entrusted with the church, knew the Central Cathedral managing the A-iom Church organi"ation in the $uman 8mpire)s four empires was now no more than a fanciful illusion with no master. Still, the small church that served also as an orphanage stayed in operation without issue. 8ven with the cathedral descending into chaos with the death of the highest minister, there was no apparent impact on the lives of the masses. The Taboo +nde- functioned as always, still constraining the masses) awareness. Could they truly take up arms and fight to protect the $uman 8mpire% They would likely obey if ordered by the A-iom Church or the emperors. $owever, that alone could not bring them victory against the forces of darkness. :night Commander ercouli must be aware of that grave reality at the very least. =hat would decide the course of battle in the end was neither the priority level of weapons nor the usage authority of arts, but the strength of one)s will. :irito)s struggles as he upset that hopeless difference in battle potential, defeating numerous integrity knights, Chief 8lder Chudelkin, and
even $ighest ;inister Administrator, served as proof for that. Taking on the looks given by the villagers laboring in the wheat fields, entwined with vigilance and an-iety, an-iety, with her chest c hest puffed out, Alice whispered to her master in swordsmanship in her heart. 9!i(sama, for the masses living in the $uman 8mpire, peace might not be something something to protect but something granted for all of eternity. eternity. 9And the ones who nurtured that that idea must be3 the A-iom A-iom Church, the Taboo Taboo +nde-, and us, the the rder of the +ntegrity :nights. 8ven at this very ver y moment, :night Commander ercouli should be toiling away, away, training the forces of the four empires in Central Capital Centoria and producing their equipment. r perhaps he was already mobili"ing troops to the 41reat 8ast 1ate6 the frontier of the 8astabarieth 8mpire where the fighting will be fiercest. $e must be wanting for even an additional knight around, both as an assistant with practical e-perience and as military capability after war breaks out. 9That said, + am now3 1oing through the wheat fields while sunken in her contemplation, she e-ited at the cleared land spreading out towards the south of the village. Stopping the wheelchair right before the dug black soil, she scanned through the vast plot of land. +t was said that a massive forest larger than the one in the east, where Alice and :irito lived in, stood here until a mere two years ago. $owever, thanks to :irito and 8ugeo felling the 1igas Cedar, the 4demonic tree6 towering above all else as it ruled over the forest and endlessly absorbed sacred power, the village)s men could now engross themselves in e-panding the fields, or so Selka had said with an e-asperated look. A gigantic pitch(black stump remained right in the middle of the cleared land and to its south, vigorous chopping noises rang out from the a-es of tens of villagers. The potbellied man standing in a corner, issuing booming instructions all about without an a-e in his hands, was the master of the largest farm in the village, 'ygr arbossa. Though somewhat reluctant, Alice still pushed the wheelchair over the narrow, beaten path. :irito made absolutely no reaction even as he passed along the stump, the vestiges of the enormous tree he once fell/ his head remained hung down as he held the two swords. The first to notice the approaching pair were young men from the arbossa family, resting atop the trunk of a freshly fallen tree. The trio, seemingly fifteen or si-teen years old, watched Alice, who had a scarf wrapped over her blonde hair, without reserve before shifting their ga"e towards :irito in his wheelchair. >eep !eering could be heard as they e-changed words in an undertone. 7pon ignoring them and passing through them, one of the youths shouted out in a drawl. #7ncleee, she)s hereee.& 'ygr arbossa, who was screaming everywhere with his hands on on his waist, vigorously spun around at that and showed a smirk on his greasy, round face. $is large mouth and narrow eyes reminded her of Chief 8lder Chudelkin somewhat. Still, Alice returned the best smile she could muster and gave a slight nod. #1ood afternoon, arbossa(san. + heard you had work for me, so3& #ooh, ooh, if it isn)t Alice, +)m glad you)re here.& $is two hands spread out, approaching haltingly, haltingly, as his round tummy quivered/ Alice was convinced he desired an embrace, but after a look at the wheelchair before her, he fortunately gave up on that. +n e-change, 'ygr stood a mere fifty cen on her right before spinning his huge frame and pointing
at a towering, large tree between the forest and cleared land. #*ook, you can see it, can)t you% =e)ve =e)ve spent all our time on that frustrating platinum oak since yesterday morning, but this pathetic amount is how much progress was made even with ten adult men swinging their a-es at it.& The inde- finger and thumb on his right hand formed a smallish semicircle. The large white and brown tree with a trunk of a mel and a half across had spread its roots deep into the earth, stubbornly re!ecting the laborers. Two men swung their large a-es in turn even now, now, but the notch carved in its trunk was shallow indeed, at less than even ten cen. Sweat poured down the men)s bare upper bodies like waterfalls. Their chests and arm muscles were developed well enough, but their handling were rather stiff, perhaps due to the lack of need to wield an a-e in their daily activities. ne of the men had his right leg slip as she watched and struck a wrong spot at an angle. The a-e snapped at the middle of its handle and unrestrained laughter from the man)s co(workers immersed him as he fell hard on his buttocks. #1ood grief, what are those blockheads doing3& 'ygr moaned and looked at Alice once again. #At that rate, + have no idea how many more days will it take for that one tree. And while we were stuck here with that, edack)s men have already e-panded the land by twenty mel in every direction2& After uttering the name of the ne-t most influential farming household after the arbossas, 'ygr kicked away a pebble at his feet. $is breathing had grown distraught, but all of a sudden, a full smile appeared on his face as he let out a wheedling voice. #And that)s how it is, + know our agreement was for once a month, but could you treat it as an e-ception !ust this once and lend me your strength, Alice% 0ou 0ou probably don)t remember, but + spared3 no, treated you to sweets time after time when you were young. 0ou were such a cute little miss back then, you se see, e, no, no, of course, that)s not to say that)s any different now3& Alice interrupted 'ygr)s words while holding back her sigh. #+ understand, arbossa(san. + will treat this one particular time as an e-ception.& 1etting rid of trees and rocks, like the platinum oak before her eye, obstructing the land clearing was Alice)s Alice)s current sacred sac red task9no, her temporary source of income. 'aturally, 'aturally, it was not work officially assigned to her. her. There was an incident about a month into her peaceful life on the outskirts of the village where a gigantic fallen rock sealed the road towards the cleared land to the west. The episode of Alice rolling that rock away on her own as she came across it spread through the village as a rumor and before she knew it, they depended on her for assistance on tasks like this. +t was a fact that money was necessary if she were to continue living with :irito, so she was thankful for the offers. Still, as Selka was worried that the men would bother her with an endless stream of requests if she took on the physical labor without complaint, she decided to limit her help to once a month for each farming household. 'ygr should be bound bound by every single rule laid in the Taboo Taboo +nde-, the fundamental laws of the 'orlangarth 8mpire, and those of the village, but it came as no surprise to her her that he would send two requests within the month despite that being a violation of the agreement. Though he had not broken through the 4seal of the right eye69what eye69what was 4Code @B6 according to the the highest minister)s words9like Alice or 8ugeo, it was likely he simply felt Alice to be beneath himself. $e must felt no need to naively abide by some agreement made with an e-(convict living in some hut
on the outskirts of the village. 8ven with those thoughts in her mind, Alice nodded at 'ygr once again before parting from the wheelchair. She took note of :irito)s status, but he seemed unconcerned by the clamor in the surroundings. After telling him that she would be right back in her heart, she walked towards the large platinum oak. The men who noticed Alice showed smirks or blatantly cluck their tongues. $owever, there were now few unaware of Alice)s strength, so they distanced themselves from the tree without a word en masse. Taking their place before the great tree, Alice quickly drew a seal of sacred letters with a finger on her right hand and brought out its 4Stacia =indow6. +ts quantity of *ife was quite a figure, as e-pected of one that ten adult men would have trouble against. 7sing a borrowed a-e as usual would prove ineffective against that priority level. eturning to the wheelchair in a !og for the moment, she bent down and whispered softly. #+ apologi"e, :irito. + would like you to lend me your sword for a little while.& She gently touched the black leather sheath with her right hand and felt his left arm tense up slightly as it held the sword. $owever, after patiently looking into his blank eyes, the strength eventually left his arm and a hoarse voice escaped his throat. #3Aah3& This was likely a fragment of his memories rather than her feelings actually getting through to him. =hat controlled :irito now were not his thoughts but the memories resident in his breast. #Thank you.& =hispering so, she slowly brought up the black sword from under his arm. After affirming that :irito remained docile, she returned back to the platinum oak. ut still, this was a splendid tree. Though it could not compare to the great ancient trees rising around Central Capital Centoria, it must be over a hundred years old. Alice gave an apology in her heart before stabili"ing her footing. $er right leg forward and her left leg back. She gently placed her right hand on the grip wound with black leather of the 4'ight Sky Sword6 unevenly unevenly set on her left hand. She measured the distance to the tree with her left eye. #$ey, #$ey, hey, hey, you think you can break platinum oak with that thin sword%& ne of the men shouted and the crowd went into an impromptu fren"y. That sword)s sword)s gonna break/ the sun)ll set before that/ while the !eers flew in one after another, 'ygr arbossa)s concerned voice mi-ed in. #Aah, Alice, if possible, + would rather you do something about it within an hour, you know%& She had fallen over ten trees since she started this !ob, but required around thirty minutes almost every time. The reason behind that slowness was due to her having to keep her strength in check to avoid breaking the a-es she borrowed. ut she had no need for that worry today. today. The 'ight Sky Sword was a sacred tool boasting a priority level l evel equal to Alice)s 5ragrant live Sword. #'o, + will not require that long.& eplying with a near(murmur, near(murmur, Alice gripped the sword)s sword)s handle. #3$aah22& A short yell. A cloud of dust whirled up from fr om beneath her right foot, f oot, dug firmly onto the ground,
like some sort of e-plosion. +t had been a while since she swung an actual sword, but fortunately, she had yet to forget her techniques. The hori"ontal slash from the left in the same motion as drawing it from its sheath ran through the air like black lightning. The surrounding men appeared to have been unable to follow the slash itself. 8ven as Alice rose up from her final posture, with the sword swung completely to the right in front of her, they continued scowling questioningly. questioningly. There was no more than the meager notch made by the men on the platinum oak)s smooth bark/ it had suffered no other damage9or so it appeared. A #=haat, she missed%& eventually came ca me from somebody and a number of them laughed. Alice glanced at the person to whom that voice belonged to and spoke as she sheathed the sword. #+t will be falling that way.& #$ah% The heck are you3& The man)s two eyes opened wide with shock upon getting to that point in his words. $e saw the platinum oak)s oak)s trunk slowly begin to tilt. A scream grew from him him and those around him as they ran behind. The huge tree fell with a terrific tremor where the men were until three seconds ago. Alice moved to the front of the stump as she warded off the rising thick cloud of dust with her right hand. 5ine tree rings were clearly visible on the newly(made cross(section and shone as though it was polished, but a single section on the edge was slightly frayed. Perhaps her skills have dulled, or perhaps her unavailable right eye was to blame9Alice pondered as she turned herself about. $er upper body unconsciously straightened up in the ne-t instant. 'ygr arbossa had a full smile on his face and was rushing towards her with heavy steps, his arms spread out. She instinctively lifted the sword in her left hand and 'ygr came to an abrupt stop at the clink made by the guard. Still, his smile remained and he put his his spread out hands together in front of his body as he shouted. #(ri3 brilliant2 =hat skill2 ink, the guard chief, couldn)t even hope to match that2 +t)s practically divine2& $e went another mel closer and continued his words with an e-pression filled equally with admiration and greed. #$($($ow about it, Alice, + will double your fee, so let)s not make it once a month, help us out once a week3 no, once a day22& Alice lightly shook her head at 'ygr who was rubbing his hands together fast. #'o, the fee + am currently receiving is plenty.& +f she were to wield the 5ragrant live Sword and make use of the armament full control art, it would not be on the scale of one large tree a day/ it would be possible to change this forest to nothing more than barren land as far the eye could see in mere minutes. ut if she were to do that, their requests would stretch on to tilting the plains, smashing rocks, and even making it rain. Nuhnhnhnhnh/ Nuhnhnhnhnh/ 'ygr moaned in agony before finally snapping out of it, blinking, after a #my pay pa y, please& from Alice. #(h, that)s right, that)s right.& Sticking his hand in his pocket, he pinched out the agreed hundred Shear, a single silver coin, from
a leather bag that sounded heavy. >ropping that onto Alice)s Alice)s palm, 'ygr still stubbornly added some words. #$ow about this, Alice% + will pay another silver coin, so how about you decline those under edack this month if they ask for help3& +t was then, when she held back her sigh and was about to re!ect his offer once more. A heavy clunk reached her ears. $er face sprung up and saw the wheelchair sprawled on its side with :irito thrown onto the ground a distance away. #3:irito2& She gave a hoarse shout and rapidly slipped past 'ygr. 'ygr. She could sense desperation from :irito as he reached out with his left arm with his stomach lying on the ground. Ahead of him were the previously res ting young men, two who now supported the long sword sheathed in white leather on the ground as they cried out in e-citement. #7ohh, woah, this is heavy as heck22& #That)s why even that girl can bring down that platinum oak in one blow, blow, huh%& #Shut up and hold onto it properly2& The third youth shouted and held the lue ose Sword)s handle with both hands so as to draw it. Alice heard her own teeth gnashing as they grinded together. eleased ne-t from her throat was a sharp yell. #0ou bastards322& The youths) mouths mouths opened wide upon hearing that as they looked at Alice. She ran through the remaining twenty mel in an instant and came to a stop with the dust whirling up. The three looking at Alice)s Alice)s face backed off haltingly. Somehow restraining the emotions threatening to burst out with a deep breath, Alice first helped up the fallen :irito. =hile sitting him on the wheelchair once again, she ordered with a stifled voice. #That sword belongs to this man. eturn it now.& >efiant e-pressions instantly showed up on the trio)s faces. The lips of the one with a large build and about to draw the lue ose Sword grew crooked and he pointed at :irito. #=ee did ask that guy if we could borrow the sword, you know%& #= ack on the wheelchair, :irito)s left arm was still reaching out towards the pure white sword while his feeble voice leaked out. ne of the youths holding back the sheath warped his lips in ridicule as he continued. #And then, he generously lent it to us. =ith those cries of aah, aah, aah, aah, you know%& The last went with the flow and laughed with a #yep, yep&. Alice could not help but to tighten her right r ight hand)s grip on the wheelchair)s handle. That hand was unmistakably seeking to draw the 'ight Sky Sword hanging off her left hand. She would have sliced off those si- hands touching the lue ose Sword without even a hint of hesitation half a year ago. +ntegrity knights were above the Taboo Taboo +nde- and its prohibition on hurting others. And in the first place, with the seal on her right eye currently broken, there were no longer any laws capable of keeping Alice)s Alice)s actions in check. Still9 Alice grinded her teeth so hard it hurt as she fought against the impulse surging through herself.
These youths were part of the people of the $uman 8mpire that :irito and 8ugeo sacrificed their lives to protect. She could not hurt them. 'either of them would wish for that. Alice remained silent without moving a cen for several seconds. ut she likely failed to conceal the bloodlust emanating from her left hand. The trio wiped off their smiles and averted their eyes, afraid. #35ine, no need for that scary look.& The larger one eventually spat out with a sulk and took his hands off the sword)s sword)s grip. The remaining pair let go of the sheath with faces that appeared relieved, probably already at their limits in supporting it. The lue ose Sword laid down heavily where it was. Alice approached without any additional words, stooped over, and deliberately used !ust three fingers on her right hand to lift the white leather sheath. After a glare at the brats right after turning about, she returned to the wheelchair. She wiped the soil that got on the sheath with the cuff of her overcoat, then placed on :irito)s lap both the white and black swords which he he firmly hugged before coming to a stop. She gave 'ygr arbossa a glance, seeing him apparently paying that commotion no attention and engrossed in directing the men. Alice lightly bowed towards his back as he continued his shouting, and then pushed the wheelchair back north on the narrow path. The anger raging in her breast for the first time in a while had turned to a cold sense of futility. +t was not her first time thinking so since she began living in the forest near ulid. ;ost of the villagers avoided even talking to Alice and as for :irito who lost his sense of self, they would not even treat him as a human. She had no plans to condemn them. Alice was likely still a criminal who violated the Taboo Taboo +nde- to them, after all. She felt thankful enough for them giving their silent consent for her to stay close to the village, and selling her food and daily necessities. Still, she still pondered in a corner of her mind. 9=hat for% 8-actly what did she suffer so much and fight against the highest minister, ministe r, Administrator, for% The other highest minister, Cardinal, the intelligent black spider, Charlotte, and 8ugeo lost their lives/ :irito lost his speech and emotions/ e-actly what was protected after all that% That line of thought ended up on a question that she could never utter. =as there truly a need to protect people like those from the arbossas% That doubt was partly what made Alice abandon her sword and live in this remote land. The tremendous military forces of darkness were drawing closer, moment by moment, beyond the 41reat 8ast 1ate6 at the end of the 8astabarieth 8mpire even now. +t was dubious if the reborn 4$uman 8mpire >efense Army6 fostered by :night Commander ercouli could even be deployed in time. As Alice was not relieved of her integrity knight duties9the only one capable ca pable of doing so was the deceased highest minister9perhaps she ought to be rushing towards the 1reat 1ate to !oin them as soon as she could. $owever, the weight of the 5ragrant live Sword was now beyond what Alice could handle. The Celestial =orld she believed to be her origin was actually a deception. The A-iom Church she swore her fealty to was smeared in lies. 'ot to mention she now knew the ugliness and vulgarity of the $uman 8mpire)s inhabitants far too vividly. The time she could swing her sword without doubts over her own !ustice and pray to the gods was of the distant past. Those Alice now truly wished to protect numbered a mere few. $er father/ her mother/ Selka/ the elderly 1aritta/ and :irito. +f nothing would befall them, what issue would there be turning her back
to her knight duties and continuing her peaceful life in this land9% *eaving the cleared land, Alice)s feet stopped !ust as they reached the path beyond the wheat fields, and she whispered to :irito. #Could we go shopping in the village seeing as we are here% + will not allow some insolent child to harass you this time.& There was no reply re ply,, but !udging the lack of response as consent, c onsent, Alice pushed the wheelchair on towards the north. The skies were dyed in the shades of sunset by the time they bought a week)s worth of food and essentials with the hundred Shear silver coin earned and returned to the forest cabin. She was on the way up the cabin)s porch when she noticed a low whoosh approaching. >escending slightly with the wheelchair, she awaited a waited the origin of that sound near the meadow)s meadow)s middle. =hat made its appearance before long, skimming the treetops, was a gigantic silver beast with two wings, a long neck, and a tail9a flying dragon. Alice)s Alice)s flying dragon who brought the two of here from the central capital. =ith the name, Amayori. The flying dragon circled through the skies above the meadow twice before gently descending. Tucking in her wings and stretching out her neck, she first touched :irito)s chest with the tip of her nose before rubbing her large head against Alice. 7pon scratching the faintly bluish fu"" under the dragon)s neck, a low kururu rang kururu rang out from her throat. #Amayori, you have gotten a little plump. 0ou 0ou have been eating too many of the lake)s fishes.& After being scolded with a vague smile, she breathed out from its nose as though embarrassed, turned her long body about, and walked towards her bed east of the cabin. She curled up atop her bed made from thickly laid dry grass, entwining her her tail with her head. $alf a year back, Alice undid the leather bridle fi-ed on Amayori)s Amayori)s head and released re leased the binding art on the day she decided to build this cabin in this meadow. And she even went to the e-tent of telling tell ing her that she was now free and to return to the flying dragon nest in the west empire, but the flying dragon made no attempt to leave Alice. ;aking a bed with grass she gathered on its own, she plays in the forest and catches fish in the lake during daytime, but comes back in the evening without e-ception. >espite the lack of the sacred art that restrains the proud, brutal disposition of a dragon and brought her under a knight)s command, it was a mystery why she did not return whence she came. That said, she was simply glad that Amayori, always together with her since she became an integrity knight, would remain by her side through her free will, so she made no actual effort to chase her away. The villagers spotting her flying over the forest at times seemed to be one of the causes for Alice)s unsavory reputation among them, but she felt no point in being bothered over that now. After telling Amayori good night as she began her low snoring atop the dry grass, Alice pushed the wheelchair into the cabin. 5or dinner, she made a stew from half(moon beans and meatballs. The beans were !ust a little hard and the balls were not all that consistent, but it seemed to have tasted rather decent. 'aturally, it was not like :irito gave any opinion through his words. $e merely chewed and swallowed, as though from memory, memory, whenever the small s mall spoon entered his mouth. She considered how it would be nice if she knew his likes and dislikes at least, but reali"ed she actually held a proper conversation with this youth for less than even a full day after thinking about it. +t seemed Selka lived with him in the church for a while two years ago, but she only remembered
him indiscriminately en!oying everything served. She thought that, too, was !ust like him. +t happened after she moved :irito, who managed to finish the stew after some time, to the small stove)s side along with the chair and was washing the cutlery in the sink, lining them up in the drainer. Amayori who usually slept until dawn suddenly cried out with a low rururuu outside rururuu outside the window. window. $er hands !erked to a stop and she perked up her ears. A noise unsuited to the season was mi-ed in the night wind passing through the forest, like a cold winter wind. A noise like thin, large wings flying against the wind. #332& *eaping out of the kitchen, she confirmed :irito was staying quiet on the chair before opening the entrance. Straining her ears again, she !udged the wind noise to be approaching, immediately went down to the front yard, and looked upwards into the night sky. sky. The black silhouette descending in a spiral against the backdrop of a sky filled with stars unmistakably belonged to a flying dragon. She looked towards the east of the meadow !ust to be sure, but naturally, Amayori was crouching on her bed as she looked up at the sky. #Could that3& The moment she was about to return for her sword, having thought it could be a dark knight from the >ark Territory who crossed the mountain range at the edge, she saw s aw the dragon)s scales gleam silver in the moonlight. She lessened the tension in her shoulders slightly. The integrity knights of the A-iom Church were the only ones to ride flying dragons with silver scales even if one were to search the world over. over. That said, it was still too early to be relieved. 8-actly who would fly to a region this remote, and for what reason% Could it be that the debate regarding the e-ecution of the traitor, :irito, continued even throughout this half year and that the cathedral had finally dispatched someone to do the deed% Perhaps sensing Alice)s Alice)s tension, Amayori crept out from her bed before lifting her head up high and crying out once more. $owever, her menacing, deep tone soon faded away, replaced by a coy, high( pitched kyuun. kyuun. Alice, too, knew why straight away. The flying dragon that landed on the southern part of the meadow after circling another three times had fu"" in a shade much like Amayori)s Amayori)s growing around its neck. That could only be Amayori)s elder brother, a dragon named Takiguri. Takiguri. +n other words, the one riding on him was9 Alice called out in a stiff tone towards the knight clad in full silver armor who landed on the ground in an elegant motion. #3To #3To think you would find out about this place. =hat business do you have here, 8ldrie Synthesis Thirty(one%& The one and only integrity knight possessing a number younger than Alice, who was thirty, thirty, did not speak immediately and instead, first gave a deep bow with his right hand on his chest. Straightening his body, he slowly removed his helmet. $is lustrous light purple hair fluttered in the night wind and his good looks with a sense of urban flamboyance were revealed. reveal ed. =ith his high, smooth voice, rare for a man9 #+t has been a while, my master, Alice(sama. 0our 0our beauty has not faded despite this change c hange in dressing. + could not help but to make haste to meet with you, master, with a bottle of alcohol from my cherished collection upon imagining the bewitching splendor your golden locks would have under this evening)s glorious moon.&
The left hand held behind his back darted forward and in it was a bottle of wine. Alice held back a sigh as she answered the man who apparently regarded her as his master. #3+ am truly glad your wounds have healed, but + see your personality is as it had always been. + have only !ust noticed, but your manner of speech is slightly similar to Chief 8lder Chudelkin)s.& Turning her back to 8ldrie who let out a mild ugh, ugh, she proceeded towards the cabin. #8(8rm, Alice(sama3& #+ will hear you out inside if it is important. +f it is not, down the wine on your own and return to the central capital.& Alice gave a glance at the siblings reunited after half a year, Takiguri Takiguri and Amayori, who were happily nu""ling each other)s heads, then returned to the cabin fast. 8ldrie, who docilely followed along, scanned through the narrow cabin with curious eyes before his ga"e fi-ated on :irito looking downwards beside the stove. $owever, he mentioned nothing about the rebel with whom he had once crossed swords with and swiftly slipped to the table and pulled a chair for Alice. #33& +t seemed ludicrous to thank him, so she sighed instead and sat straight down. 8ldrie sat opposite Alice without asking and placed the wine bottle on the table. $is face clouded over the moment their ga"es met straight on, likely spotting the black bandage still covering Alice)s right eye. That e-pression soon vanished, however, with 8ldrie)s nose twitching as he r aised his face. #3There seems to be some aroma here, Alice(sama. n another note, + have yet to take dinner due to this trip + undertook in haste.& #n another note% +n the first place, what would spur you to bring wine instead of rations when flying to this remote region from the central capital%& #+ swore to the three goddesses that + will never have that dried, squirmy thing in this life. +f + have to satisfy my stomach with that, + would rather starve and give my *ife up3& Alice stood from the chair without listening to 8ldrie)s absurd e-cuses to the end. ;oving to the kitchen, she served the leftover stew from the metal pot on the stove into a wooden plate and returned to the table. 8ldrie stared at the bowl placed before his eyes with a mi-ture of delight and suspicion. #338-cuse my abrupt question, but could this possibly made by your hand, Alice(sama3%& #=hy, #=hy, yes, it is. =hat about it%& #33'o. + am merel y over!oyed by this day, in which + could partake in cooking made by my master/ more so than being endowed with some hidden sword stance.& $olding the spoon with a nervous e-pression, he brought beans to his mouth. Alice asked once again towards 8ldrie whose mouth moved as he chewed. #And so, how did you find this place% 'o art could reach this far from the central capital3 and + hardly believe the rder could dispatch flying dragons to every area in search of me alone in its current situation.& 8ldrie gave no reply for a moment, murmuring comments such as #so it)s not that bad, after all& as he energetically moved the spoon, but eventually raised his face from the now(emptied plate, then wiped his mouth with a handkerchief he took out from one place or another before looking straight towards Alice. #+ came, following the bonds of fate linking us, Alice(sama3 or so + would like to say, say, but
unfortunately, unfortunately, this was an utter coincidence.& $is right hand flashed open in a pompous gesture. #eports that the goblins and orcs were sneaking about of late came from the knights going about the mountain range at the edge. The caves in the north, south, and west were all destroyed under the knight commander)s command, but as there was still the possibility of them stubbornly digging through, + came to confirm the issue.& #3The caves3%& Alice)s knitted her eyebrows. Among the four passages passing through the mountain range at the edge, the caves in the south, the west, and the one e-ceeding close to ulid ?illage, the north, were rather narrow, denying access to the orcs and giants who formed the bulk of the darkness forces. As such, she anticipated the enemy army would gather at the 41reat east 1ate6, but :night Commander ercouli had collapsed those three caves immediately upon assuming command as insurance. That was precisely why Alice built this secret home on this land, but the situation would change if the enemy were to dig through the cave. ulid ?illage would flip from a peaceful remote region to the front lines where battle would first break out. #And so3 did you confirm the movements of the darkness forces%& #Though + flew around the cave for an entire day, + saw not even a single goblin, let alone an orc.& 8ldrie lightly shrugged and continued. #Perhaps they mistook a pack of beasts for military forces.& #3>id you check inside the cave%& #'aturally. #'aturally. + peeked in from the >ark Territory)s Territory)s side, but it was buried in rocks up to the ceiling. They would probably need a large force f orce to dig through that. 3Then Takiguri strangely kicked up a fuss when + pulled on the reins to return to the central capital. + left the flying to him and he descended straight towards here. $onestly, $onestly, + am !ust as shocked. +t)s a huge coincidence3 no, maybe it was the guiding hand of fate after all.& $aving left his flowery language behind some time ago, 8ldrie showed the resolute face of a knight and continued. #+ am obligated to report that + had come across this opportunity for an audience with you on this particular occasion. Alice(sama3 please return to the rder2 ather than the assistance of a thousand men, what we need now is your sword22& Alice slowly turned down her eye as though avoiding the knight)s forceful ga"e. She knew. She knew the crackling of the brittle wall shielding the $uman 8mpire crumbling away. away. And of the hardships :night Commander ercouli and the newly(formed >efense Army suffer as they propped it up. Alice could never repay her debt to the knight commander for his protection and guidance, and she had yet to lose her sense of unity with those in the rder of the +ntegrity :nights, including 8ldrie. That said, that was insufficient to spur her to battle. Strength is the might of one)s will. Alice reali"ed that truth through the battle at the cathedral. +f willpower could allow one to overturn a devastating difference in battle potential, like :irito back then, then it could dull the strongest sacred tool too9 #3+ cannot.&
Alice softly replied. 8ldrie)s sharp voice rang out at once. #=hy.& =ithout waiting for a reply, his sight, keen like a whip, turned to the young man sitting on the chair ne-t to the stove. #+s it for that man% +s your heart still led astray, Alice(sama, by that man who broke out of the cathedral)s !ail and turned his treacherous blade on many knights, the chief elder, and even the 8steemed $ighest ;inister% +f that is so, + shall cut off the source of your hesitation for you this very moment.& Alice)s one eye glared at 8ldrie as he put strength into his right hand holding onto the table)s end. #Stop it2& Though that single line was at a suppressed volume, the knight still straightened up his upper body with a start upon hearing it. #$e, too, only fought for the !ustice he believes in. therwise, how could he defeat all of us integrity knights, who are supposed to be the strongest, and even the knight deputy commander% 0ou should know the weight behind his sword s word as well, having ccrossed rossed swords firsthand.&
8ven as wrinkles came together near his high nose bridge, 8ldrie slowly released the strength in his shoulders. $e lowered his ga"e to the table while murmuring to himself. #3Certainly, #3Certainly, +, too, find it hard to accept acc ept Administrator(sama)s Administrator(sama)s plan of changing half of the people
into soulless soldiers with bones of swords. And without that youth3 :irito and his friend, 8ugeo, it is unlikely anyone would stop that plan from being reali"ed. 'ot to mention that if it is as ercouli(dono said, that the one who guided that pair truly stood on a par with Administrator(sama once, as another highest minister, Cardinal(sama, + would hardly wish to point out :irito)s crimes. $owever3 if that is so, + find it even harder to swallow22& As though pouring out what he had always kept suppressed in his breast, 8ldrie shouted. #+f the skills of the rebel, :irito, overwhelm even those of us integrity knights as you have mentioned, Alice(sama, why does he not take up his sword and fight%2 =hy was he reduced to such a miserable state and continues to anchor you down to this remote region%2 +f he murdered Administrator(sama in order to protect the masses, then should he not be rushing to the 1reat 8ast 1ate this very moment%22& 8ldrie)s words, as though spewing out fire, showed no sign of reaching :irito)s heart either. $is half(closed eyes reflected no more than the light from the wavering embers in the stove. The heavy, heavy, lasting silence that descended was punctured by Alice)s Alice)s calm voice. #3+ am sorry sorr y, 8ldrie. + am a m incapable of going with you, after all. +t + t has nothing to do with :irito)s status3 + have merely lost the strength to wield my sword. + doubt + could even get a point if + were to cross swords with you now.& now.& 8ldrie)s two eyes flashed open as though he was taken aback. The prideful knight)s face contorted like that of a young boy. That face showed a smile bearing resignation in time. #3+ see. Then + have nothing more to say3& Slowly stretching out his right hand, he started muttering a sacred art. The following quick incantation created two crystal elements and changed their forms into that of e-tremely thin wine glasses. Picking the wine bottle up from the table, he flicked the tough cork off with !ust his fingertip. $e poured a little of the crimson red fluid into both glasses from the bottle before putting it down. #3+f + had known we would be bidding each other farewell with this wine, + would have brought along one that was aged for two hundred years old from the 8ast 8mpire in my collection.& 8ldrie lifted one of the glasses, downed it in one go, and then gently returned it to the table. $e took a bow and stood up, his pure white mantle billowing. #+ bid you farewell here, master. 0our 0our guidance on my sword and arts shall remain unforgotten as long as this 8ldrie lives.& #3All the best. + pray you stay safe.& *ightly nodding back towards Alice who managed to get those words through her mouth somehow, somehow, the integrity knight scraped his boots against the floor as he walked away. away. Alice could not help but to avert her eyes from his back filled with unshakable pride. The door opened and closed. A single shrill cry came fr om Takiguri Takiguri on the front yard, followed by the sound of flapping wings. Amayori)s Amayori)s voice, nasal from her reluctance to part with her brother, pricked Alice)s Alice)s breast. Though the strong flapping vanished into the distance before long, Alice continued sitting without stirring. ight before the *ife of the glasses made from crystal elements e-pired, she gently lifted one to her lips with her fingertips. The first wine she tasted in this half year left an aftertaste more bitter and sour than sweet on her tongue. The two empty glasses scattered into pale light as they disintegrated
seconds later. She pushed the cork back into the bottle, yet to be emptied, and stood up. ;oving to the stove, she called out towards :irito who still sat in silence. #3+ am sorry, you must be tired. +t is long past the usual bedtime, after all. 'ow, let us go to bed.& 1ently tapping his shoulders with her hands to make him stand, she then guided him to the connecting bedroom. She changed his black robe to his undyed sleepwear before laying him on the bed at the window. window. 8ven upon bringing up the folded blanket at her feet and covering him up to his neck with it, :irito)s eyes remained half(open, still staring s taring at the ceiling unblinkingly. unblinkingly. The room was filled with a pale blue darkness after she blew out the lamp on the wall. She sat down beside :irito and softly caressed his emaciated chest and bony shoulders for several minutes/ his eyelids fell only then, as though some source of power he had was cut off. She waited until the sleeping :irito)s breathing stabili"ed before leaving the bed and changing into white sleepwear herself. herse lf. eturning to the living room, she checked on Amayori from the window, then e-tinguished the two lamps and went back to the bedroom. She lifted the blanket on the bed and slipped in beside :irito as his faint warmth enveloped her body. body. Though closing her eye would have usually allowed her to flee into her sleep without delay, her drowsiness seemed mostly absent today. today. The blinding white of the mantle whipping on 8ldrie)s back as he left remained imprinted on the insides of her eyelids, stinging her eyes. That same pride should have filled her own back in those days. That unshakable resolve surging through her body as energy for protecting the $uman 8mpire, its inhabitants, and the A-iom Church)s Church)s authority with her sword. $owever, every last drop of that strength had left her. her. She had a question for 8ldrie9for her former disciple. 8-actly what do you fight for, now that both the church and the highest minister have been e-posed as falsehoods% ut she could not ask. 'one of the integrity knights were informed of the entirety of the highest minister)s horrifying scheme aside from ercouli and herself. 'ot even 8ldrie knew the fact that his 4memory fragment6 and his 4most beloved person6, reduced to a part of the sword golem, remained on the sealed seal ed highest floor. As such, he still believed in the concept of the A-iom Church. $e still waits, e-pectantly, for the day the three goddesses would send a new highest minister to the cathedral to bestow their infallible guidance. ut what should she do, as one aware that the goddesses and the Celestial =orld were both great lies% +t was perfectly understandable, but :night Commander ercouli had to hide half of the truths from the knights to have them prepare for the incoming war. The hesitation currently in her breast would certainly infect the other knights if she was in their presence. 'obody knew if the >efense Army established in haste could repel the coordinated assault from the darkness forces. +f they broke through the 1reat 8ast 1ate, the monsters thirsting for blood would march on to this remote village sooner or later. =as =as there no method to avoid that disaster9a disaste r9a certain voice replayed r eplayed within Alice)s Alice)s mind every time ti me she pondered that. The two lines that came from that mysterious crystal plate after the battle with the highest minister,
before :irito collapsed. 9$ead for the World End Altar . 9Straight south after you e-it the eastern large gate. She had no recollection of this name, 4World 4 World End Altar 6 in the Sacred Tongue. Tongue. $owever, she knew what could be found upon e-iting the 1reat 8ast 1ate. The wilderness of the >ark Territory< Territory< soil blackened like cinders and skies in the shade of blood reaching out. 'either advance nor escape was easy once one took a step in. 8ven if she surmounted the outrageous difficulties to reach the altar, what awaited her there% =as there truly someone9or something9capable of protecting the inhabitants of the $uman 8mpire from the darkness forces3% Alice tilted her head atop the pillow and stared at the youth stretched out on the other side of the bed. Creeping through the blanket, she moved to :irito)s side. eaching out her hands after slight hesitation, she clung onto him like a child spooked by a nightmare. 'o matter how hard Alice drew his dismally thin body closer, closer, the youth who made made her heart waver with intensity on a par with flames showed absolutely no reaction. $is pulse continued its sluggish pace/ his lowered eyelashes remained utterly motionless. He motionless. He3 3 no, that might might no longer be anything more than an empty shell with its soul utterly burnt out. +f her sword was now in her right hand9 She could bring an end to it all, stabbing their two touching hearts as one. That momentary thought overflowed from Alice)s eyes as tears a nd fell onto :irito)s nape. #Tell #Tell me, :irito3 =hat should s hould + do3& 'o answer for her question came. #=hat3 should +33& The moonlight pouring in from a gap in the curtains coalesced and faded within the teardrops ever( increasing
2 n the twenty(second day of the tenth month, the coldest day of autumn arrived with bright sunshine. Canceling their walk, Alice and :irito spent time at the fireside. riginally before the real cold winter arrived, she had wanted to prepare a large amount of firewood as the elderly 1aritta had taught her to, but for now there seemed to be no more need. +t had taken her an entire day to write !ust two pieces of parchment worth of a letter. After finishing, Alice hesitated for a while, and wrote down #Schuberg& in the Common Tongue, Tongue, then wrote # Synthesis Thirty& in the Sacred Tongue. Tongue. She carefully folded the letter, tied them up with two bands, wrote Selka)s name onto one, then left the other one on the table for the elderly 1aritta. They were letters of farewell and apologies. Since the home in the forest had been discovered by +ntegrity :night 8ldrie, they could no longer live there. 'e-t time, it would not be 8ldrie but :night ercouli who came. y the time, Alice would not find appropriate words to tell her mentor in swordsmanship that she was indebted to. So they could only run.
After letting out a long sigh, Alice raised her head and looked at the black(haired youth sitting on the other side of the table. #$ey, #$ey, :irito. =here do you want to go% The highlands of the =estern *ands are very beautiful, you know. know. r would the forests fores ts of the Southern *ands be better% +t)s + t)s warm for the entire year, so maybe we can pick a variety of fruits for ourselves.& Although she asked him in a particularly lively voice, :irito was completely unresponsive as usual. lank eyes silently looked at the table. The fact that she had to take this in!ured youth on a life of vagrancy pained Alice in her chest. $owever, she could not leave him behind in ulid. 'ot only could Selka not spare time to take the !ob as an Apprentice Sister, Alice did not wish so. 'ow, taking care of :irito had almost what Alice lived for. #35orget it, let)s leave the destination up to Amayori. kay3 it)s it)s late, let)s go to bed. =e =e need to get up early earl y tomorrow.& tomorrow.& After changing clothes for :irito and laying him down, she changed into her nightwear, e-tinguished the lanterns, and climbed into bed. +n the darkness, she listened to :irito)s breath with full attention. =hen :irito sounded asleep, Alice wriggled her body. body. She leaned her head against the youth)s bony chest. eside her ear came a slow but steady thumping. :irito)s heart was already no longer here. This heartbeat was but a resonance of the past. +n the months that she had slept alongside him every night, Alice had thought so. ut at the same time, she felt that in this deep yet steady resonance, there was still 9 something that remained. +f the :irito now was in a state of having a normal heart but unable to e-press anything, then !ust how could she e-plain her current actions to him% Alice smiled as she thought so, and slowly entered the world of dreams. Suddenly, Suddenly, the body beside her trembled slightly. Alice opened her heavy eyelids with difficulty. She looked towards the east window with her left eye, but the sky through the gap in the curtains was still pitch black. udging by her feeling, she had only slept two or three hours. =hile :irito trembled again, Alice whispered< #+t)s still nighttime3 let)s sleep some more3& Closing her eye again, she patted :irito)s chest to tell him to go back to sleep. $owever, the soft voice from the youth finally let Alice knew that there was something wrong with him. #Ah3 ah3& #:irito3%& The :irito now did not have wishes of his own. Simple coldness, hunger or others like that shouldn)t wake him. 8ven so, the boy trembled more violently as though he wanted to get off the bed. #=hat)s wrong3%& This was abnormal; had he regained his senses? Alice thought as she instantly sat up and directly generated a luminous element, as if lighting a lantern was a waste of time. The boy)s pupils in his eyes that were faintly lit by white light showed no change from usual at all and reflected the same blank darkness/ Alice sighed with slight disappointment. ut, if so, what was he9
At that moment, a sharp cry outside the window reached Alice)s Alice)s ears. #Kuruuu, kuruuu!& +t was the cry of Amayori, who was supposed to be asleep in a corner in the clearing. The sharp cry was sharp and high(pitched as though she was warning her master. Alice !umped onto the floor, f loor, ran from the bedroom to the living room and threw open the door. door. A free"ing night wind blew. +t should only carry the fragrant of the forest, but the wind mi-ed with a sliver of strange odor. This smell stung deep in the nose, can only be a signal of substance being burnt9 She walked barefoot to the vestibule. *ooking around the sky, she could not help gasping. The sky to the west9 was burning. The ominous red glow was undoubtedly a reflection of an enormous fire. Squinting, she could see hori"ontal streaks of black smoke covering the sky s ky.. A bush fire%2 Although she had thought so for a split second, Alice immediately dismissed that tha t notion. Through the burnt wind came the tinny sounds of clashing metal 9and screams. An enemy attack. An army from fr om the >ark Territory was attacking atta cking ulid ?illage. #3Selka22& *etting out a hoarse scream, Alice was to immediately run back inside. $owever, she stood stock still when she stepped on the porch. Alice wailed weakly and prepared to immediately run back inside. Then she stood stock still. I hae to sae my sister and !arents no matter what" #ut$ What about the other other illagers? I% I were to sae eeryone& I would hae to dire'tly dire'tly 'on%ront 'on%ront the (ark Army" Army" (o I still !ossess that !ower now? The sour'e o% !ower %or the Integrity )night Ali'e o% the !ast was the %anati' loyalty to the *hur'h and the highest minister" minister" With it shattered along with my right eye& 'an I still swing the +ragrant ,lie Sword and use the Sa'red Arts? The fro"en Alice heard9 A #thump& from inside the house. She opened her left eye wide. +n the middle of the living room, there sat an upset chair and the black(haired boy crawling beside it. #3:irito3& Alice hurried back inside with watery legs. :irito)s eyes were still devoid of will. ut what he meant by his slow actions was very clear. $e reached out his arm straight towards the three swords hanging on the wall. #:irito3 you3& Alice felt hot lumps rising in her throat and chest. +t took her seconds to discover that her vision was blurry and distorted because of her own tears.
#3Ah3Ah3& *etting out hoarse noises, :irito moved relentlessly towards the swords. Alice wiped her eyes firmly, firmly, ran to the boy, boy, and held his frail body up. #>on)t worry, worry, +)ll go. +)ll save everyone. ever yone. So, stay here, and rela-.& rel a-.& =hispering quickly, Alice hugged :irito tightly. tightly. Thump, thump. Through the chest which Alice was laying on, his heartbeat reached her.
8ven though his heart was closed, deep in the beating hid flames of will that would never run out. Although they were weak embers, Alice could certainly recogni"e the warmth. After tightly pressing her own cheek to the boy)s, boy)s, Alice carried the frail frai l body over to a chair. #+)ll save them and be back soon.& Then she took down the armor and belt hanging from the ceiling and put them on over her nightwear. nightwear. =ithout hesitating, she then ran to the east wall and grabbed her beloved sword. The 5ragrant live Sword that she had not held for half a year felt rigid. Alice fi-ed the scabbard onto the belt, threw her coat on while slipping on her boots and ran to the vestibule again. #Amayori2& Shouting towards the east, a gigantic shadow hastened over and lowered its head. Alice clambered onto its long neck and commanded sharply< #1o2& Whoosh! 5lapping its silvery wings, the dragon sprinted and soared into the air.
After gaining some altitude, alti tude, the pitiful sight of ulid ?illage ruthlessly entered Alice)s Alice)s sight. The rising red(hot flames generally came from the northern side of the village. As e-pected, the invaders had come from the . *ast night, 8ldrie had confirmed that all was normal at the that had been blocked under ercouli)s command, so they must have moved a large amount of debris in one day. +f that was the case, the mobili"ed soldiers numbered at least twenty. Since a long time ago, there had been scouting teams infiltrating the three caves running through the ;ountain ange at the 8nd, and successfully attacked the $uman =orld. =orld. :irito and 8ugeo had said, before they went to the Central Capital Centoria, they had battled a group of goblins in the Cave of the 'orth. She, however, had never heard of such large scale and obvious assault. y the looks of it, the entire >ark Territory was in the mood to launch an attack against the $uman =orld. =orld. As Alice was thinking, Amayori flew over the forest at full speed, reaching the sky above the wheat fields on the outskirts of ulid. =ithout any reins, Alice used her hands to pat the back of the dragon)s neck as a signal to stop. Alice stretched over and ga"ed below. At the north of the main path stretching stre tching south, Alice could clearly see shadows of the invaders created by the red glow of fire. Those who !umped around as if they could fly were the de-terous goblins. 'ot far behind, tall orcs advanced. The vanguard had already met the temporary line of defense set up with furniture and timber on the north side of the Central Square. The goblins had already reached there, crossing swords over the blockings. =hite blades flashed around the the barrier. Confronting the invaders were the village guard. ut whether it was number, equipment or e-perience, they were no match for the goblin troops. +f this went on, as soon as earthquake(like stomps came from behind, the gradually approaching wall of gigantic orcs would arrive and instantly crush the resistance.
Alice fought the urge to immediately rush into battle, instead surveying the situation again. 5lames licked the east and west streets, but the Square and the south side seemed fine. +t seemed like the villagers not part of the guard9 of course, that would include Selka 9 had evacuated through the south gate into the forest. Thinking so, Alice ga"ed once more at the Central Square and sputtered< #=hy3%2& +n the circular square in front of the Church, there were countless silhouettes surrounding the fountain. She had not noticed before due to their overwhelming number. Those should be the entire villager population of ulid. =hy were they not evacuating out of the village% As soon as the invaders) main force reached the main defense line, the guards would immediately scatter. +t was too late even now to begin moving. Patting the neck of the dragon again, Alice flew above the village square and shouted< #Amayori, standby until + call you2& +n one breath she !umped from a height of tens of ;el. $er coat billowing in the wind, she dropped straight down as if she could cut the icy night air in half. The circular formation of three hundred villagers were probably planning to assume a defensive position for the time being/ men wielding hoes and sickles were stationed around the boundary. boundary. esides the two vigorously commanding men, Alice hit the ground. =ith a deafening crash, the stone s tone slabs beneath her shoes cracked radially radiall y. Although the shockwave of the impact traveled from the soles of her shoes to the top of her head, decreasing her *ife a bit, Alice attracted more attention to herself. The two men 9 rich ri ch farmer 'ygr arbossa and the ulid ?illage Chief 1asupht Schuberg 9 !umped out of their skin in reaction to the suddenly suddenly descending shadow. shadow. Alice looked at her father)s face and felt a sliver of de!ection, but treasured the sudden silence she created and shouted< #This place is indefensible2 Take Take everyone and evacuate through the southern road now2& $earing her orders, the two men e-pressed greater surprise. ut a few seconds later, in return came 'ygr)s murderous curses< #=hat the hell are you saying2 5or us to leave our homes behind3 leave the village behind and run%2& To the livid wealthy peasant, Alice retorted bitingly< #=e can still get away before the goblins catch up to us2 0our #=e 0our wealth or your life< lif e< which one)s more important%2& +n place of the speechless 'ygr, the ?illage Chief 1asupht said nervously in a low voice< #The 1uard Chief, ink, ordered us to form a defensive circle in the Square. +n this situation, even as the ?illage Chief, + can only follow f ollow the 1uard Chief )s orders. That is the 8mpire)s law.& law.& 'ow it was Alice)s turn to be be speechless. +n emergency circumstances, the person with the Sacred Task of 1uard Chief would temporarily assume full command of everyone/ this was clearly according to a clause inscribed in the 'orlangarth 'orth 8mpire asic *aw. *aw. $owever, the 1uard Chief called ink was a young man who had !ust inherited his position from his
father. +n this situation Alice thought that it was unreasonable to assume that ink could calmly make decisions and commands. 1asupht)s 1asupht)s face showed strong s trong an-iety, an-iety, but this confirmed confir med that the ?illage Chief was thinking the same thing. ut no matter what, the *aw of the 8mpire was absolute to the villagers. To immediately begin evacuation, ink, who was probably still leading the battle on the northern defense line, had to be pulled over and forced to change his command. command. ut no matter how Alice thought about it, there was no time left for that. =hat should she do. =hat would 9 At this time, Alice, who was standing still, heard a young yet determined shout. #>o as nee(sama says, 5ather2& She turned around in surprise. +n the crowd, there was a delicate young nun using Sacred Arts to treat villagers who appeared to have been burned. #3Selka2& This was wonderful/ all was well. efore Alice could step towards her beloved sister, Selka finished treating the villager, stood up, and walked through the crowd towards the three. She smiled at Alice and spoke to 1asupht, her face taut< #5ather, ever since we were young, has nee(sama ever been wrong% 'o, and even + know that. At this rate, everyone will be killed.& #ut3. but3& 1asupht fumbled for words with a pained e-pression. $is beard trembled slightly and his eyes remained wandering in space. +n place of the speechless village chief, 'ygr arbossa e-ploded again. #Children shouldn)t mouth off22 =e)re gonna protect our village22& $is bloodshot eyes darted towards his own properties not far from the square. To be precise, he was more looking for his large stash of newly harvested wheat and gold stores saved over the years. *ooking back at Alice and Selka, the rich farmer yelled in high pitched voice as e-pected. #>amn3 so it)s like this, + got it, + got it2 The one who drew the ;onsters of >arkness into the village was you, Alice22 0ou 0ou were corrupted by the 5orces of >arkness when you crossed the ;ountain ange at the 8nd, weren)t you22 A witch3 this woman is a terrifying witch2& eing pointed at with a meaty finger, Alice was at a loss for words. The noise of the villagers talking amongst themselves, the sound of crossing swords on the defense line, and the screams of the monsters advancing from the north all faded out. Since Alice started living outside the village, she had helped 'ygr fell giant trees numerous times. 8very time, this man had thanked her sycophantically. ut, !ust to protect his own wealth, he could say something like this, what kind of 9 Alice turned her eye from the man)s ugly half(rcish e-pression and muttered softly in her heart. 9 5ine, !ust do as you like. 9 + wouldn)t need to strain myself myself like this. +)ll !ust take Selka, the elderly 1aritta, my parents and :irito and leave the village to find a new home far away from here. She clenched her teeth tightly and closed her eye. ut Alice continued to think hard. 9 'ygr arbossa and the other villagers were ignorant, because of the A-iom Church)s Church)s hundreds
of years) worth of rule. esides the Taboo +nde-, they invented countless laws and regulations to restrict the people, providing peace like warm water while endlessly taking away what was important. That was, the ability to think, and the ability to fight. +n that seemingly eternal epoch, where had that amorphous power been stored% +n !ust thirty(one +ntegrity :nights. +nhaling and e-haling deeply, Alice snapped open her eye like a breaking breaki ng string. As e-pected, she saw 'ygr)s face draining of color as though he were afraid. +t was the opposite for Alice, whose body filled with tre mendous power. power. A calm yet scorching blue flame. That was what she thought she had lost in the battle on the top floor of the Central Cathedral 9 the power that had allowed :irito, 8ugeo and Alice to revolt against the $ighest Administrator Administrator of the $uman =orld. After taking a deep breath, Alice declared< #3 >iscard 1uard Chief ink)s orders. + command you all, scatter this formation immediately/ the ones with weapons, lead the way to evacuate to the southern forest.& Although that voice was steady s teady,, 'ygr recoiled as though he were struck with something. 8ven so, his gall to retort in a trembling voice was admirable< #n3on what authority, can you, an e-iled little girl, say such3& #A knight)s authority.& #:n3 =hat the hell is a knight%2 There is no such Sacred Task in this village2 0ou 0ou !ust know how to swing a sword, and you arrogantly call yourself a knight, if the knights in the central capital were to find out, you)ll be sorry3& 1lancing at the sputtering 'ygr, Alice lightly grabbed her coat on the right shoulder with her left hand. #+ am3 ;y name is Alice. +, who oversee the entirety of Centoria, am the +ntegrity :night of the A-iom Church in the third place, pla ce, Alice Synthesis Thirty2& Powerfully declaring her identity identit y, she threw away her coat. As the thick fabric was removed, her golden armor and 5ragrant live Sword instantly reflected the raging flames, shining with blinding light. #=h3 +(+(+ntegrity :night3%2& 'ygr)s tone of voice changed completely completely and he fell backwards onto his bottom. 1asupht)s 1asupht)s eyes widened. Alice)s title was no lie. This was because, in this world, there were no humans who were able to impersonate +ntegrity :nights 9 that is, to deny the authority of the A-iom Church. The only people who could were :irito and Alice, but even if she had escaped from the central capital to here, Alice had not give up her sword that confirmed her status as a knight. The noisy villagers immediately quieted down. The sounds of crossing swords on the northern defense line, and the screams of guards and goblins died down. The first to break the silence was Selka)s soft voice. #'ee3sama3%& Turning her sight towards her sister, who clutched her hands in front of her chest, Alice smiled kindly.
#Sorry for keeping it from you, Selka. This, is my true punishment. At the same time, it is 9 my true duty.& Tears sprang and trembled in Selka)s eyes. #'ee(sama3 +3 + always believed it. 'ee(sama would never be a criminal. +t)s3 really beautiful3& The one who moved ne-t was 1asupht. >ropping to his knees with a thump, the village chief bowed and cried roughly< #+ obey your command, +ntegrity :night(dono2& Standing up quickly, quickly, he turned towards the villagers behind him and gave instructions. #8veryone stand22 The ones with weapons, lead the way to the south gate22 nce you get out of the village, run to the forest south of the polders2& Among the sitting crowd, noise of an-iety began to spread. ut that was only for a moment. 'o villager would disobey the village chief)s command, let alone which was based on that of an +ntegrity :night. +mmediately, +mmediately, the tough farmers protecting the boundary stood up together, and hurried the women, children and elderly inside the boundary to stand as well. Calling back 1asupht, who was to !oin the leading team, Alice told him with a withdrawn voice< #5ather, please take care of the villagers3 Selka, and ;other.& 1asupht)s tense e-pression wavered for !ust a moment, and replied briefly< #3Please stay safe as well, :night(dono.& This father would now never address Alice as his own daughter. This was the price of being granted power. power. As Alice was committing that to memory, memory, she pushed Selka on her back, prompting prompting her to move beside 1asupht. #'ee(sama3 please don)t strain yourself.& Smiling and nodding at her crying cr ying sister, Alice turned and looked north. ehind her, the villagers began to move as a whole. #Ah3ahhh3 ;y3 my house3& ;oaning in a good(for(nothing manner, 'ygr arbossa remained seated on the ground. $is eyes darted between the running villagers and his house that was about to be engulfed by flames. >eciding to leave him alone, Alice concentrated on the other villagers. Although she had finally gotten the villagers moving, there were aboutDEE people. +t would take time for everyone to leave the village, but the defense line was close to collapse, and the footsteps of the enemy were approaching from both east and west. Suddenly a young man)s scream came from north of the square< #=e won)t make it2 etreat2 etreeeat2& That was likely to be 1uard Chief ink. $earing this, 'ygr suddenly blustered at Alice with renewed intensity< #>3>id you see that%2 =e should stay here and defe nd2 =e)re =e)re gonna die2 =e)re all gonna get killed22& Alice shrugged and calmly refuted< #+t)s fine, since this much space is spared. + will stop them.&
#+mpossible2 $ow can you manage such a thing%2 8ven3 8ven if you)re a real +ntegrity :night, the other side has that many monsters/ what the hell can you do alone%2& The shadows of goblins and orcs attacking from the east and west were visible now but 'ygr was still cursing. +gnoring him again, Alice spun and looked behind her< even though the line of villagers still e-tended back to the square, it was now a considerable distance from her. Alice sei"ed 'ygr)s collar and pushed him to the south, then pointed into the night sky and loudly called her beloved dragon< #Amayori2& +mmediately, +mmediately, an energetic roar r oar came from the sky. sky. Alice)s Alice)s raised right arm swept from fr om east to west, and she shouted< #9 urn everything2& A storm of wings descended from the sky/ 'ygr and the abnormal demihumans 9 goblins that raced into the square all looked up at once. The gigantic dragon descended by splitting the sky dyed red with flames, and opened its mouth wide. 5rom the depth of its throat, bluish white light flashed9 Shuba!
A blinding beam rushed out. 5rom the west road, the beam of heat sliced through the central square in front of the standing Alice and the sitting arbossa, cutting into the east road. +n a split second. Astonishing flames e-ploded in a straight line, releasing relea sing into the night sky sk y. The goblins consumed by it were thrown into the air, air, shrieking.
The dragon fire that instantly annihilated at least twenty invaders evaporated the water in the fountain at the center of the square/ white steam permeated the surroundings. Alice signaled for the passing Amayori Amayori to standby again, and checked behind behind her. 'ygr arbossa lay on the stone stab as though he he was paraly"ed/ his eyes were about to burst out of their sockets. #=h3 wha3 A3 dra(dr(>(>A1'32%& dra( dr(>(>A1'32%& As Alice was thinking about what happened to the taut(faced middle(aged man, from the other side of the steam approached footsteps of running at full tilt. Showing up were the men of ulid guards in leather(armor. The early retreat proved to be a correct decision, as the guards who numbered roughly ten had suffered wounds, but there seemed to be no heavy in!uries. The tall youth impressively bringing up the rear, 1uard Chief ink, saw the empty square and shrieked in astonishment< #=h(where did the guys in the village go%2 >id + not tell them to stay here and defend%2& #+ ordered them to retreat to the southern forest.& Alice replied. ink blinked as though he !ust noticed her and looked her up and down several times. #0ou #0ou are3 Alice3% =hy are you3%& #'o time to e-plain. Are all of the guards here% +s there anyone you left behind%& #7m3 'o, there shouldn)t be3& #1ood, then leave with everyone else. And yes, please take arbossa(san with you as well.&
#(but3 those monsters are right in front3& efore he even had time to finish9 #Gihiiii!& A coarse scream filled the square. #=here the heck are they9 2 =here did the white +ums go9 2& Plunging out of the steam into the square were goblins, clad in crude sheet metal armor, clutching rough swords that resembled slabs of metal, and wearing long feathers on their heads. Seemingly not of the same tribe as the ones who had !ust been scorched by Amayori)s fire, their bodies were a little better built. Alice stared at the demihumans and gripped her sword handle with her right hand. The dragon could not repeatedly breathe fire. 7ntil Amayori could gather enough Thermal 8lements again, Alice would have to face the main enemy force on her own. ne of the goblins sighted the shadow of Alice clad in golden armor/ its eyes flashed yellow with frightening murderous hunger, as it shouted< #GIHII!! An +um woman22 :ill22 :ill and eat it22& Alice silently waited for the blade(wielding demihuman, who has abnormally long arms, to come near, muttering in her heart. 9=hat a terrifying power. power. So strong that e-isting can be considered a sin. 8-isting as myself, an +ntegrity :nght #Gihyah—!& The thick blade that was swung down from high in the air was easily easil y stopped by Alice)s Alice)s left hand. Although the heavy impact traveled down her arm, there were no fractures of skin nor bone. She effortlessly gripped the blunt blade with her fingers and crushed it as though it were thin ice. The pieces of metal fragmented, but before they hit the ground, the 5ragrant live Sword was pulled out by Alice)s right hand and sliced across the goblin)s goblin)s body. body. 1lowing in golden yellow, the sword generated a wind that twisted the three goblins near it into its path and blew away the surrounding mist. mist. =ithout =ithout even knowing what happened, happened, four of the round yellow(eyed enemy soldiers were separated at the middle and landed on the ground. Alice stepped back to avoid the spray of blood and said to herself in her heart< 9 $ighest ;inister Administrator. Administrator. 0ou had been wrong after all. 9 0ou 0ou had concentrated such power into the the bodies of !ust thirty +ntegrity :nights, sealed their thoughts and raised them as a s puppets. 0ou 0ou wanted to use such a method to control the power that was supposed to be distributed distr ibuted to everyone of the $uman =orld. =orld. ut power that is too unbalanced will corrupt and disturb the one using it and the ones around them. 8ven someone as yourself was consumed by overwhelming power and became something s omething inhuman3 =ith the $ighest Administrator dead today, today, it was no longer possible to r ectify that mistake. 8ven so, she at least needed to use every last bit of this power for the people. 'ot as an +ntegrity :night of the A-iom Church but a swordswoman swordswoman who thought according to her own will and fought according to her own determination. As the two brave swordsmen had before. ;aintaining her position to swing s wing the sword all the way, way, Alice opened her left eye e ye with determination. At the same time, the temporary defensive line that was constructed north of the square was
completely destroyed. The wide road was full of the main enemy force. 1oblins that numbered more than fifty, and orcs that were numbered less but were covered in metal armor and clutching huge tridents. Seeing their yellow eyes that gave off bright and cold light, their screaming bodies that reeked of hatred and desire, the guards behind ink and 'igel arbossa let out moans of despair. ut Alice)s Alice)s heart was very calm. This was not an +ntegrity :night)s strength. +f they were surrounded by such a tremendous number and attacked with spears from all directions, even a knight would not walk away with minor scratches. =hat gave Alice her power was but a new reali"ation. 9 5rom today on, + will fight for my own desires. + will fight to protect my sister, to protect my parents, and to protect this world that :irito and 8ugeo wanted wanted to protect. Alice clearly felt the self(doubt and powerlessness deep within her heart slowly evaporate in white light. That white light spread all around her body, all converging at her right e ye that was covered with a black bandage, generating intense heat. #33.2& She clenched her teeth and endured the severe pain that penetrated her eye socket to the back of her head. ut that was a pain she seemed to have felt before and made her feel slightly sad. Alice grasped the bandage tied to her head and tore it off. She slowly opened the eye that had been closed for nearly half a year from that day. ed light radially flooded her black vision and became a flickering flame. +t created a double image with her left eye that captured the scene of endless burning homes, which dislocated and slowly disappeared 9 finally combining together. together. Alice looked with both eyes at the black fabric in her left hand. This eyepatch that had been repeatedly washed and was slowly losing color was something :irito had made by tearing a strip off of his own clothes. This piece of cloth that had protected the right eye that had been blown away along with the seal for several months, had reached the end of its *ife/ it began to slowly disappear from end to end as though it were melting in the air. 1a"ing at that ethereal yet beautiful sight, Alice reali"ed it. +n this half year, she had originally planned to protect and take care of :irito, who had lost his right arm and spirit. ut the one protected was herself. #3Thank you, :irito.& She said, holding the cloth that was close to disintegrating to her lips. #3 +)m fine now. + believe, from today on there will be all kind of confusion, frustration, and mistakes3 but + will forge ahead. 5or you and for what + desire.& The moment the cloth disappeared, she raised her head emphatically. $er two eyes fi-ed ahead of her saw nearly a hundred 1oblins and rcs, screaming and shrieking as one, swarming into the square. 5rom behind came the sounds of the guards and 'igel arbossa)s fleeing footsteps. Alice, who had to confront the enemy alone, felt not the slightest bit of fear in her heart. She inhaled the burnt air and shouted< #9 + am Alice, a :night of the $uman =orld22 =orld22 As long as + am here, here , the blood and massacre massacr e that you desire will not be reali"ed22 'ow return through the cave from whence you came2&
As though it was an omnipresent pressure, that awe(inspiring declaration caused the goblin vanguard to slow slightly in their advance. +mmediately after, the tall orc in the middle of the formation who seemed to be the generals, swung its a-e and let out a savage roar. #G"""! 0ou)re !ust a small s mall +um girl, +, the 5oot(Cutting ;orikka(sama will smash smas h you to the ground2& The goblins regained their energy with this shout. 5acing the black wave of enemy forces, Alice waited until they were within range9 #Amayori2& y one name call, a gigantic shadow flew down at breakneck speed. 8ven though it had not generated enough Thermal 8lements to breathe out, but the mere sight of a flying dragon and a thunderous roar enough to scare the demihumans flew menacingly over their heads. The troops, frightened by this, wavered even more than before. 'ot hesitating for a second, Alice raised the 5ragrance live Sword high, high into the the air and shouted< #9 Enhance rmament 2& 2& 8ven though she was chanting this after half a year out of practice, and even though it was an e-tremely simplified version of the that had e-cluded almost the entire verse, Alice)s beloved sword still reflected her will. =ith a clear metallic sound, the golden blade split into countless small blades, dancing in the night sky as they reflected the fire. #8ngulf this place 9 flowers2& =ith a #hoosh, the bli""ard of golden flowers poured towards the enemy. enemy. The first one to be engulfed in a mist of blood was the self(proclaimed rc general. $is entire body was permeated by several bursts of flowers, wasting his entire *ife away in an instant/ he fell back onto the ground with a trembling tr embling crash. The surrounding rcs screamed endlessly and keeled over. The 5ragrant live Sword was a >ivine +nstrument crafted from the wood of the world)s oldest tree in the center of the $uman =orld =orld from the beginning of the world. =ith another name of , it could split into hundreds of flower petals through the Armament 5ull Control Art, with each petal having enough power to go against a famous sword forged by a blacksmith. +t was certainly not stoppable by crude cast(iron armor. armor. The main invading force that had lost its general in an instant was significantly less enthusiastic. The advancing vanguard slowed immediately and stopped within BE ;el of the entrance to the square. As the goblins at the very front were confused and unable to decide between desire and fear, Alice fiercely swung the sword hilt in her right hand. $undreds of flower petals flew into the air softly and formed a finely finel y patterned wall between Alice and the enemy. enemy. 1a"ing at the demihumans through the golden lattice, Alice quietly declared< #This is the wall that divides the $uman =orld =orld and the *and of >arkness. 8ven if you schemed s chemed to clear the cave, as long as +)m here, you will not pervert this land2 Choose9 will you march forward and surrender under a sea of blood, or will you turn around and run back to the *and of >arkness2& =ithin five seconds, the goblin vanguard all suddenly turned around.
$ The lively sounds of knocking rose into the clear blue winter sky. Alice put her hand to her forehead, watching the faraway wheat fields, besides which rose ulid
?illage. A week had passed since the attack by the 5orces of >arkness. 8-tending from the northern homes, almost one fifth of the village had burnt down, but the village chief decided for everyone to temporarily pause their Sacred Tasks and change to manual labor, so reconstruction was proceeding very ver y quickly. quickly. 7nfortunately, twenty one villagers had lost their lives because they were too slow during evacuation/ a funeral had been held at the Church Church three days ago. After Alice was invited to a ceremony, she immediately rode her dragon towards the Cave of the 'orth to confirm. The long tunnel that had been collapsed under ercouli)s command had been widened to a width that could even allow tall rcs to pass through. =ithin its depths, at the part nearest to the >ark Territory, erritory, Alice found evidence that there had been a long(term camp c amp there. The invaders could not have cleared the cave in one night. Apparently troops had been sent from the >ark Territory Territory and then their pathway e-ploded behind them. =hen +ntegrity :night 8ldrie was checking that entrance, there were already goblins that had infiltrated the cave and began to clear the path. efore, neither goblins nor orcs would have scheme such a plan so thoroughly. ust from this incident it could be determined that this time, the invasion from the >ark Side was not !ust a scouting mission like before. nce Alice left the cave, she did not immediately collapse the cave, but temporarily blocked the stream flowing out of the center of what used to be the =hite >ragon 'est, flooding the entire cave. *astly, she released numerous Cryogenic 8lements that she had set up, and used ice instead of rock to seal the cave. This way, if neither Alice nor a Thermal 8lement user of the same caliber could melt the ice, there would be no way anyone could pass through that cave again. Turning her eyes from the white ;ountain ange at the 8nd, Alice tied the last travel bag onto Amayori)s Amayori)s foot straps. #ight3 'ee(sama.& Selka, who was holding back tears with all her might and helping with preparations for departure, lowered her head and spoke< #35ather originally wanted to come and see you off. + always felt that he had been preoccupied since this morning. 5ather is3 really happy that nee(sama has returned. + hope you can believe this about him3& #+ know, Selka.& Alice gently hugged her sister)s s ister)s small body, saying softly< #+ left this village having done a great sin, and came back as an +ntegrity :night. ut ne-t time3 when +)m finished with everything, +)ll come back simply as Alice Schuberg. + think, then, + can definitely say it. F+)ve returned, 5ather).& #30es. #30es. That day will definitely come.& Selka responded, her words mi-ed with sobs. She raised her head and firmly wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her monastic robes. Turning to the youth clad in black sunk into the wheelchair besides them, she spoke !ovially< #:irito needs to perk up as well, become better again and help my nee(sama.& After she had gently hugged the bowed head and said a prayer for good luck, the young nun backed
away several steps. Alice walked to :irito)s side and gently took the two swords from him and secured them to Amayori)s Amayori)s saddle. She then gently carried the youth)s youth)s frail body and sat him onto the front of the saddle. She had considering leaving :irito at the village with Selka. +f she had left from the front of east gate, Alice would be busy as the main force of the $uman =orld =orld >efense 5orce on the front lines, and would definitely be unable to stay by :irito)s side all day like she was currently. currently. ut Alice still decided to take him with her. n the night of the attack one week ago, :irito had definitely wanted to take up his sword and enter the village. +t was his nature to fight for others. Then, the only thing that could bring back his heart was probably the battle to protect the $uman =orld. +f there is a change, even if she had to tie him to her back, she would protect him to the death. Alice tightly hugged Selka for the last time. #3Then, +)m going, Selka.& #0eah. #0eah. e careful3 >efinitely come back, 'ee(sama.& 'ee(s ama.& #+ promise. 3Say hello to 1arrita(!i for me. 3Stay safe and study hard.& #+ know. know. +)ll definitel y become an outstanding nun3 and then, + will, too, one day3& She slowly stroked her sister)s head, and after letting go, Alice slowly and reluctantly walked towards her beloved dragon, sitting behind :irito on the dragon)s back. 'odding deeply to her sister on the ground, ground, she turned her eyes towards the faraway blue sky. sky. 1ently casting away the rope, the dragon ran with tremendous force in the wheat field, oblivious to the weight of the two people and three swords on its back. There will definitely be a day when she would return to this village. 8ven if she wasted away on the battlefield, her heart would remain the same. Alice wiped away a tear on her eyelashes and let out a sharp shout< #3$A2& 1ently. =ith a floating feeling, they left the ground. Amayori rode the rising air current, twisting into the sky. The wide land and forests, fores ts, with ulid ?illage shining in their center, and the figure of Selka who was running and waving with all her might/ she engraved them deeply into her eyes9 Alice turned the head of the dragon towards the eastern sky.
Chapter 1%: "tta&k o' the (&ea' Turt)e Turt)e * +u)y 22% 1 8ven the self(proclaimed super genius $iga Takeru was unable to predict all that had happened in the past two hours. ut, the current situation could be called e-tremely startling, and could only be described as
dumbfounding. 7ne-pectedly, 7ne-pectedly, a delicate young woman of roughly eighteen or nineteen use d her thin right hand to sei"e and hoist up the collar of a man fifteen centimeters taller than herself. The tasteless $awaiian shirt was gripped so tightly it was nearly torn apart/ heels of sandals floated in the air. =ith both eyes, brightly flashing as though they were abla"e, staring straight at *ieutenant(Colonel :ikuoka Sei!irou, 0uuki 0uuki Asuna Asuna let words sharp s harp as swords out of her cute cherr y red lips< #+f :irito(kun can)t wake up like this, + will absolutely never forgive you.& 5rom $iga)s position, it was impossible to see :ikuoka)s e-pression under his black(rimmed glasses reflecting the ceiling light. ut the Self(>efense Cadre who was supposed to be a black belt in both !udo and kendo was seemingly s eemingly crushed by Asuna)s Asuna)s words/ he swallowed, and slowly raised both hands to his left and right, as though though in a gesture of surrender. surrender. #+ understand. + will take responsibility< + will make sure :irito(kun recovers.& Solemn silence flooded the dark Au-iliary Control oom. 'o matter if it was $iga, who was sitting in the chair in front of the console, or :ou!iro :ou!iro inko, who was standing besides him, or the numerous 4AT$6 4AT$6 staff inside the room, no one dared to speak. +t was clear how surprising the the youngest woman)s verve was. As it was, that young woman deserved the title of a 4Survivor6 of a true battlefield. $iga couldn)t help but think this aside. 5inally, 5inally, Asuna wordlessly released her right r ight hand. :ikuoka, having been freed, let out a long sigh with an almost dispirited dispirit ed e-pression. Asuna stepped back, swaying on the spot. inko i mmediately moved forward and supported Asuna)s Asuna)s back, her white coat flying. The female physicist who was a senior to $iga in the research facility tightly hugged Asuna to her chest, whispered with determination< #+t)s all right, everything will be fine. $e)ll definitely come back, back to your side.& $er gentle voice instantly soothed Asuna)s Asuna)s e-tremely taut face< #3 0es, 0es, you)re right. +)m sorry3 for f or being so panicky.& panicky.& Asuna)s eyes leaked tears that had been absent even when enduring the attack. inko gently wiped them away with the tip of her finger. The sound of the sliding door being opened tightened the slightly rela-ed atmosphere again. unning into the room was *ieutenant 'akanishi. 'akanishi, whose dusty white shirt was soaked with sweat and whose whose shoulder holster revealed a large pistol grip, glanced at inko and Asuna and said loudly to :ikuoka behind< #eport2 Complete sealing of blast doors one and two, plus completion of evacuating noncombatants are confirmed2& :ikuoka ad!usted the collar of his $awaiian shirt as he stepped forward and nodded. #1ood work. $ow long can the blast doors hold%& #0es3 #0es3 That would depend on the attackers) att ackers) equipment, although small firearms are unable to penetrate it. 8ven using tip saws or similar tools to cut through it would would take at least eight hours. +f e-plosives are used, it might not hold3 + assume, though, they would not, since near the central blast door3& #There is the light cube cluster.& :ikuoka finished his sentence, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and sank into deep thought. ut he immediately raised his head and surveyed the slightly small Au-iliary Control oom.
#1ood, let)s straighten out the situation. 'akanishi, report of casualties.& #0es #0es sir. Civilian research team, tea m, three lightly in!ured, in treatment at the bow infirmary. ur combatants, two heavily in!ured, two lightly in!ured, all in treatment with no risk of death. eady for combat, si-, including two lightly in!ured.& #7nder that kind of fierce attack, it)s a miracle that there have been no deaths3 Then, report any hull damage.& #There are rupture points all over the bottom dock control room. +t)s impossible to shut them remotely now. The passageway from the dock to the ;ain Control oom is the same, but these are !ust negligible damages. The most severe is, because the main power line has been cut3 although the au-iliary line can supply stable power, if we don)t restart the control system we can)t turn the propellers.& #A sea turtle without fins. And its belly has been bitten by a shark.& #0es, #0es, sir. Gones ne through Twelve Twelve of the *ower Shaft and the bottom dock have been completely taken.& The e-tremely short(haired 'akanishi, whose face represented strong will itself, unwillingly knitted his brow. Comparatively, Comparatively, :ikuoka)s :ikuoka)s teacher(like long hairline hairl ine twisted up, as he leaned onto the console while shuffling his clogs with his toes. #The ;ain Control oom, ST* oom ne, and even the nuclear pile have also fallen into their hands3 ;ost fortunately, their goal is not to destroy.& destroy.& #+s3 is that so%& #+f they !ust wanted to destroy, they wouldn)t use submarines to carry out such an e-aggerated surprise attack. Striking us with a cruise missile or torpedo would do. That begs the question< who are they3 $iga(kun, what do you think%& At the sudden question, $iga blinked several times, turning his brain that had not yet fully recovered from the impact. #7hh, yes, yeah.& ;umbling meaninglessly as he turned towards the console, he manipulated the mouse with his right hand and brought up an in(ship camera ca mera recording on the big monitor. monitor. Although the video window he opened was dark and indistinct, he paused at a random place and ad!usted the brightness and contrast. =hat appeared were a number of figures in combat suits, sprinting forward in a passageway inside the ship. Their faces were half covered by helmets with multi(function visors, and they wielded serious(looking assault rifles. #3So, as you can see, from head to toe, there are no markings whatsoever, such as flags, that can identify them. 5rom the color and specifications of their equipment, they don)t seem to belong to any regular army. Their rifles appear to be Steyrs, but those are ar e quite common3 The only thing we can say is that, from their average physiques, they)re most likely not Asian.& #=hich means, at least they aren)t apanese Special 5orces. $ow pleasing.& :ikuoka talked offhandedly about the frightening situation while scratching his chin. 8mitting a sharp aura from his calm eyes usually squinted, he looked up to the monitor. #=ee can confirm one more thing3 These people know the e-istence of Pro!ect Alici"ation.& #= $iga nodded. #0eah, #0eah, that)s right. After their assault from the bottom dock, they immediately ran to the ;ain Control oom. Their goal is crystal clear< to sei"e sei "e the ST* technology3 'o, the true bottom(up A+ 4A.*.+.C.8.6.&
+n other words, information had severely leaked in long(term work. ut $iga did not directly say it/ he resisted the urge to scan the face fa ce of every 4AT$6 4AT$6 worker in the room for any sudden motions, and said in an optimistic tone< #=hat)s fortunate is, the ;ain Control oom lock caught up. +t)s securer than physically damaging the console/ +)ve made sure direct commands to the 7nderworld aren)t working anymore. an ymore. Any intervention towards the simulated e-periment, and the e!ection of the 5luctlight of 4Alice6 from the *ight Cube Cluster !ust can)t be done.& #ut, it)s the same for us, isn)t it%& #+ndeed. 7sing this au-iliary console, we can)t e-ecute administrator privilege commands either. 'o matter if it)s from the opposite opposite side H the ;ain Control oom H or or this side H the Au-iliary Au-iliary Control oom H it is impossible to e!ect 4Alice6)s 5luctlight by way of e-ternal commands3 ut :iku(san, doesn)t this equal our victory% See, they can)t access the Cluster by physical means or informational means, as long as we wait until our escort Aegis destroyer to dispatch reinforcements for a counterattack, those guys are a piece of cake, a piece of cake.& #+ don)t know what kind of cake3 but therein lies the problem.& :ikuoka)s :ikuoka)s e-pression remained solemn as he inquired 'akanishi. #$ow about it, has the Nagato the Nagato moved%& moved%& #7h3 about that3& 'akanishi channeled power into his chin in an effort effort to steady his voice, and bowed his head slightly. #The Nagato #The Nagato received received orders from the 0okosuka 0okosuka 5leet Command to maintain its current distance and standby. +t seems that Command has classified us as hostages.& #=h3& $iga)s mouth dropped open. #$ostages% ut, all hands have retreated back here in an evacuation2& The one who replied calmly was :ikuoka< #+)m afraid, those people clad in black have connections with the higher(ups of the Self >efense 5orce. The Nagato The Nagato pulled pulled away from the cean Turtle at eight in the morning, about si- hours before that bunch broke in. y the time Nagato time Nagato receives receives an order to come to rescue, they would have sei"ed 4Alice6)s *ight Cube. f course, there must be a time limit3& #That means3 those people aren)t !ust normal terrorists. This is bad3 +f there are e-perts on the other side as well, they might find out. The hidden way of collecting Alice3& #perating from within the 7nderworld, right%3 'ow that they have control over ST* oom ne, it)s possible to set the virtual console installed within the 7nderworld to complete the e!ection command3& #=hat will happen if that command is e-ecuted%& $iga turned around and answered :ou!iro inko)s inko)s question< #The target *ight Cube will be retrieved from the *ight Cube Cluster within the ;ain Shaft and transported by vacuum tube to any control room. +t)ll e-it there.& $e pointed at a square hatch on the side of the console, and turned his eyes towards the door on the wall inside. There was a small metal plaque set on the aluminum door, with the words IST* oom TwoJ. TwoJ. n the other side of that door there were two ST*s H that is, 4Soul Translators6. +n one of the
machines laid a youth currently under the care of 'urse and Sergeant 5irst Class Aki 'atsuki. $e, :irigaya :a"uto, had been playing an important role since the beginning of Pro!ect Alici"ation, and drove the direction of the pro!ect even more so today. :ikuoka turned away and crossed his arms, speaking in a sincere and solemn tone< #ur last hope will have to rest on his shoulders again. $iga(kun3 $ow is :irito)s condition%& $earing the weak breathing, $iga raised his head and directly met eyes with the intense glare of Asuna, who was being hugged by inko. $e sank into a hesitation over how to convey the current situation to her, who was :irito)s, that is, :irigaya :a"uto)s lover. +mmediately, +mmediately, however, a hoarse but determined voice reached $iga)s ears. #>on)t worry, + will be fine. Please say it, the true situation.& Taking a deep breath, $iga nodded. #To #To summari"e in one sentence3 +t)s gonna be3 +t would be a condition !ust shy of the worst possible.& $iga said in a newly serious tone, manipulating the mouse again. The image of the attackers disappeared and another window was opened. =hat appeared was an irregularly flashing colorful stereoscopic image. #This, is an imaging i maging of :irito(kun)s 5luctlight.& 8veryone in the room silently stared at the screen. #A week ago, since he was in!ected in!e cted with succinylcholine in Tokyo, his heart and lungs ceased normal function. 5ortunately, he has managed to stay alive, but a portion of his brain3 Specifically, his 5luctlight network, has been damaged. Although Although treatment would be difficult with current medical methods, there might be a chance of recovery if ST* technology is used. Therefore, to foster the synthesis of new networks, we attempt to grant new dynamism to :irito(kun)s 5luctlight through unrestricted ST*.& $iga sighed, picked up the bottle of water on the console and took a sip. $e was not used at all to this kind of long e-planation. #To proceed with this treatment, it would be necessary for him to dive into the 7nderworld. +f his 5luctlight cannot move around as though it were in the real world, the treatment would have no results. Therefore, same as his >ive at the oppongi branch< we concealed :irito(kun)s memories and let him land at the border of the 7nderworld3 This is what we originally planned. ut, even today the reason remains unknown3 +)m afraid it is due to the damage to his 5luctlight/ his memories had not been concealed at all. :irito(kun has been placed into the 7nderworld under his current real(world condition of :irigaya :a"uto. =e =e !ust found out from fr om his contact with his from inside3& #=ait3 #= ait3 wait a minute.& :ou!iro inko inter!ected. #Then, has he, in the time(accelerated 7nderworld, spent those days as :irigaya(kun% $ow many months3 inside3%& #3About two years.& $earing $iga)s reply, reply, Asuna)s Asuna)s body that was being hugged by inko trembled slightly. 8ven though his words were likely to be e-tremely shocking to her, $iga continued, trusting in her earlier promise< #+n that time, :irito(kun has contacted the artificial 5luctlights in that world. +)m afraid, he also knows that the 5luctlights will eventually, due to the end of this current virtual e-periment, all be
destroyed3 So, his target is installed in the center of the 7nderworld, and was once the contact console connecting the starting village with the real world. :iku(san, he was planning to request you to protect all of the 5luctlights.& $iga glanced to the side/ :ikuoka, whose glasses reflected the light of the monitor, was still ga"ing at the stereoscoping stereosc oping image. $e turned back to inko and Asuna< #3This is not something simple, since the contact device is buried in the stronghold of the ruling power, now now called the 4A-iom Church6. Since the 5luctlights 5luctlights belonging to the Church possess absolute status value, :irito(kun, who was set as a common person, had no way to fight them. riginally, shortly after he breaks into the Church, he would I>ieJ, and log out of the 7nderworld3 ut he did it. eing attacked, we could not confirm detailed information from the logs, but we assume that he recruited some people, who of course are artificial 5luctlights3 that is, the help of partners. +n the fight against the Church, those partners nearly all died, and as a result, when he successfully opened a connection to here, he felt deep guilt. +t can be said that he attacked his own 5luctlight. +n that instant, those black(clothed people cut the power line, creating a short(circuit that instantly spiked the ST* output. As a result, :irito(kun)s impulse of self(destruction has become reality3 $is Iinner selfJ has lost activity3& #+nner self3 *ost activity% =hat do you mean%& $earing inko)s question, $iga turned back to the console< #3Please take a look at this.& $e quickly typed on the keyboard and magnified the live feed of the activity of the 5luctlight labeled as :irigaya :a"uto. 'ear the center of the irregularly flashing spectrum(colored cloud, a small puff of darkness like a dark nebula was cradled. #Compared with the artificial 5luctlights in the *ight Cubes, we are still quite far from a full analysis of human organic 5luctlight structure. The general mapping, however, has been completed. This black hole, what was originally in here, simply put, is the ISub!ectJ 3Self(+mage.& #Sub!ect 3An image of the self determined by the self%& #0es. #0es. All human choice is determined by b y a 5luctlight 0K' path< I=hether or not + will proceed procee d under these conditions.J y way of e-ample, inko(senpai, have you ever ordered a second bowl in a gyudon restaurant%& #3 f course not.& #'ot even have the slightest thought of F+ still want to eat) or F+ can have one more)%& #'o.& #That is to say, say, these were the results of inko(senpai)s inko(senpai)s Self(+mage circuit c ircuit processing. Similarly, virtually no decisions can be made and no movements can be undertaken if they do not pass through this circuit. +n :irito)s situation, the ma!ority of his 5luctlight is unharmed. ut, because the vital circuit has lost its function, no matter if it is processing e-ternal input, or outputting voluntary actions, it cannot be done. =hat he is capable of now3 +)m afraid, are refle-ive actions ingrained within his memory. 5or e-ample, eating, sleeping, and related tasks.& inko bit her lip, as though she were thinking about something. She eventually whispered< #Then3 then now, how is his state of mind%& #3 egrettably3& $iga hesitated, lowered his head, and continued< #$e does not know who he is, or what he wants to do/ he cannot say or do anything3 That would
likely be his condition3& Silence permeated the dark room for the third time.
2 #3 !u3& The following part of the syllable was completely drowned out by the deafening noise of hardened boots kicking away a sheet of metal. A member of the assault team, tea m, ?assago ?assago Casals, seemed unsatisfied with denting the wall two or three times, and forcefully crushed with his foot an empty candy bo- that a AT$ AT$ technician had probably left tens of minutes ago, before finally stopping his stream of profanity. profanity. As proof of the Spanish blood coursing through his veins, he ran a hand through his slightly wavy black hair, moved briskly to the console and sei"ed the collar of the bulletproof !acket of his teammate with one hand. #0ou #0ou sucker, try saying that again.& ?assago gripped an e-aggeratedly skinny youth, who was as weakly thin as a whip. $is golden hair was trimmed very short, and his skin was snowy white as though ill. This man who wore a pair of rough metal(framed glasses was the only non(combatant in the team. A hacker by the name of Critter, informally employed by the 1lowgen >efense Systems C yber peration >epartment IC0PJ. A self(proclaimed internet criminal with an arrest record, with an internet name instead of a real name. ut ?assago ?assago was the same. ?assago ?assago was one of the L demons recorded in the 4 "rs IBJ Goetia6 , also known as the Prince of $ell. There were no parents on 8arth who would name their son that. $e was also an employee of the C0P and was not an e-pert on computers but in combat H of course under 5ull >ive. Although he was a man with a suspicious suspicious record lesser than that of Critter, his ? combat skills were quite outstanding. +n reality 9 The twelve members of the 4cean Turtle6 Assault Team, Team, apart from their leader, 1abriel ;iller, all had dark pasts, and adopted new identities in e-change for being fed as I>ogsJ. As a dog in their midst, Critter e-pressed no fear whatsoever at being hoisted up by ?assago, ?assago, replying as he loudly chewed his gum< #+)ll say it as many times as + want. *isten, this console)s locked as hard as dried shit, and the laptops we brought in aren)t gonna be able to calculate the unlock code until you bastards die of old age. 1ot it%& #+ ain)t talking Fbout that, four(eyes2 =eren)t =eren)t you saying that it locked because we moved too goddamn slowly2%& ?assago shot back loudly. +f he tried hard enough, with his wild flair, he was handsome enough to be a successful fashion model, but he was quite frightening when enraged. enraged. #$ey, #$ey, hey, !ust telling the truth, man%& #0ou #0ou were trembling like a leaf during combat, but you sure are one cocky bastard now2& The other teammates snickered at the two men firing e-pletives at each other, instead of stopping them. Capturing the right timing, 1abriel snapped his fingers at the two men to attract their attention.
#:, cut it out, you two. There)s There)s no time to determine who)s responsible. 'ow we need to think about our ne-t step.& Then, ?assago ?assago suddenly changed to a child(like tone< #ut bro, if + don)t teach him a lesson3& $e wanted to tell tel l him not to say s ay #bro&, but swallowed his words. ?assago ?assago called 1abriel this probably because they had both acknowledged acknowledged each other)s prowess during one(on(one one(on(one ? training, but no matter how many time he heard this, it felt ill(conceived. To 1abriel, these kinds of ambiguous human relationships only based on emotions, such as %riends as %riends or !artners, !artners, were only convoluted synonyms. Sooner or later, when the technology of e-tracting and saving souls was his, all human emotion would be able to be categori"ed under hue or shape through the 4cloud of light6. As he thought, 1abriel said to the two in an authoritarian tone< #*isten to me, ?assago, ?assago, Critter. +)ve been very satisfied satisfie d with the actions of the team until today, today, as we have successfully achieved our first goal of taking over the control room.& $earing this, ?assago ?assago very reluctantly released re leased Critter)s Critter )s collar and put his hands on his hips. #ut, bro, there)s no meaning in that Fcause this important console is locked. ur final ob!ective, the *ight Cube Cluster or whatever, is on the other side of this metal wall, right%& #*ook, we)re !ust about to discuss a way to bring this wall down.& #ut, the S>5 men ain)t shrinking away forever, eh% +f we keep going after them, this big stupid turtle)s escort, the Aegis destroyer will send the pros to attack us, and we)ll be in real trouble Fcause we have only eleven men fighting and one sitting as still as cargo.& As e-pected of a ?ice Captain hand(picked by 1abriel, ?assago possessed control of the situation at hand that was not a trait of a simple wild dog. Thinking for a moment, 1abriel shrugged and said< #3 As it seems, our cl client ient has some kind of secret deal with the higher(ups of the S>5. The Aegis destroyer won)t do anything within LM hours of the attack.& #3=hew3& Critter whistled softly. ehind wind goggle(like glasses, his light gray eyes narrowed. #So, this operation is more than !ust a burgl3 9'o, no. it)s better left unsaid.& #;y thoughts e-actly.& e-actly.& 1abriel lightly smiled and a nd nodded, surveying everyone again. #ight, let)s confirm the situation. +t)s BMM hours, apan Standard Time. 5rom infiltration to now, now, ME minutes have passed. =e are currently in the ;ain Control oom of the 4cean Turtle6. Although we successfully secured the target facility facilit y, we have been unable to detain a 4AT$6 4AT$6 technician, and the control system here has been locked. The ne-t ob!ective should be securing the Au-iliary Control oom3 rigg, can you cut through the blast door%& The hulking teammate who was called slowly stepped forward and replied< #>oesn)t look good. Seems to be the newest synthetic material. 7sing the portable cutting saw + have, it)s completely impossible within LM hours.& #The apanese economy is alive and well. $ans, can you breach the wall with CM%& This time, a tall, slim teammate with a very handsome mustache waved his arms freely. #+ say we forget it. n the other side of that wall is the *ight Cube Cluster storage, so + can)t guarantee no harm to the goods before blasting this door.& door.&
#$mm.& 1abriel crossed his arms and thought for a split(second, then continued< #3 ur mission, is to find a particular one from an immense number of *ight Cubes and take it along with its interface. =e already have the +> information of the Cube. +n other words, if we can operate this console, we can effortlessly find the Cube and e-tract it from the Cluster, and we would)ve been having beers on the return trip at this moment.& #1oddamn it, it)s all because of that turtle four(eyes, always boasting I;y crime is infiltrating the central server of the PentagonJ or whatever, but can)t open a tiny lock.& #oh, didn)t see that coming. +)m actually being told off by a gamer who)s only fired a gun made of polygons.& Staring at ?assago ?assago and Critter who were itching to fight, 1abriel intensified his tone. #>o you all want to go back empty(handed and be ridiculed instead of rewarded%& # N"##& 8veryone shouted together. together. #Are you all merely laymen who can)t even best an amateur technician%& # N"##& #Then T$+':22 Prove that the round ob!ects on top of your necks aren)t filled with oatmeal2& Semi(automatically putting on the ITough ITough CommanderJ persona, 1abriel thought by himself in silence. As the one who seeks souls, 1abriel)s biggest goal was to obtain the first true artificial intelligence 4Alice6 mankind had ever created cr eated and take Soul Translation technology for himself. After he obtained those, he planned to use the nerve agent he had secretly brought in to take care of everyone else, and then escape to Australia. ut, having only reached the current stage, the attack that the 'SA had consigned him somewhat counted towards 1abriel)s goal. 'ow, 'ow, since system s ystem commands through administrator privileges were blocked, they must figure out another way to take 4Alice6)s *ight Cube. Alice3 4A.*.+.C.8.6. The one who told 1abriel)s client, the 'SA, this codename, was a 4AT$6 4AT$6 insider informant, IabbitJ. 1abriel did not yet know IabbitJ)s personal profile. ut, given that the motivation to an organi"ation and disclose its information could only be a handsome reward, he likely would not reveal himself in this dangerous situation and take action. +n other words, they could not e-pect assistance from abbit, on the other side of the blast door. They must utili"e the information and equipment they have now, and achieve their goal within a short time. Time 9 All was time. 1abriel, who had absolute control over useless emotions such as nervousness and an-iety, could not help but feel a certain pressure when faced with a slowly approaching time limit of LD hours. =hen the 'SA agents had entrusted him with this top secret sei"ure mission, they had said to 1abriel< The activities of 4AT$6 4AT$6 have been severely severel y wavering our vested interest and rights in the apanese military industry. Therefore, the higher(ups of the apan Self >efense 5orce are displeased with the e-istence of 4AT$6 4AT$6 9 5urthermore, many of them were eager to obstruct the pro!ect.
4AT$6 4AT$6 was mainly comprised of young Self(>efense cadres who did not hold much power in politics. The 'SA was very sure of this, and signed a secret treaty with the C+A at the embassy and some high official of the S>5 navy. navy. The Aegis destroyer Nagato destroyer Nagato that that protected the 4AT$6 headquarters, 4cean Turtle6, will take no course of action within LM hours since the attack, under grounds that Ithe safety of the hostages comes firstJ. ut, after the period of standby, when considering the upcoming media coverage, the Aegis destroyer would eventually have to act. As soon as heavily armed forces came, outnumbered, outgunned, 1abriel)s 1abriel)s strike force team would likely be annihilated. +f the situation really developed into the worst(case scenario, he could still escape back to the submarine, alone. ut at the same time, without retrieving the important *ight Cube, his great !ourney to seek the soul would retreat to an irreparable state. 1abriel had already meticulously planned out his long life after this attack. 5irst he would take Alice and escape es cape to Australia, concealing the *ight Cube and ST* technology in a villa in the Sovereign +slands in the 1old Coast. Then he would take a plane back to San >iego and report the failure of the attack to the 'SA. After it had all blown over, he would return to Australia, construct an ST* machine in the vast basement of his villa, and architect his dream virtual world. The inhabitants of this world would only include 4Alice6 and 1abriel at first. ut that would be much too lonely. lonely. As the goal was to study souls, he must increase incr ease his resources. $e would search for young and energetic soul carriers in Sydney or Cairns, kidnap them, use the ST* to e-tract their soul and dispose of the unwanted shell. There would be a day when he would cross the seas and trek back to his home country 9 and travel to the country where 5ull >ive originated, apan. The unique mentality of apanese ? gamers once deeply charmed 1abriel. f course, not everyone was like this, but one group of gamers seemed to live there, in the ? game, as though it were more realistic than real life, carelessly casting around their real(life emotions. =henever he thought of the sniper girl he had met in 1un 1ale nline, he would feel a twinge that arose from a strong desire. The reason was likely connected to the Ieal ?irtual =orldJ =orldJ that had e-isted for only two years in that country. country. =ith their machines being hacked by b y the developers, these young people e-perienced a death game with real aspects of life and death. The souls of these ISurvivorsJ possessed an adaptability to virtual worlds unlike anyone else. +f possible, even if it were !ust one, he hoped to obtain them 9 especially the souls of the elite players who were termed IProgressorsJ. Although he didn)t know if that sniper girl was one of them or not, he of course also wished to obtain her soul. The *ight Cubes sealed with those souls would e-ude a shine far more precious than any gem. An ultimate light that the tycoons of the world would be unable to buy with tens of millions of dollars. $e would line them into his secret room, selecting whoever he wanted everyday and loading them into his favorite world, playing with them however he wanted. =hat was more beautiful was that the souls e-tracted from humans and sealed into *ight Cubes could be freely copied and stored. roken ones, twisted ones, all could be easily rewound and ultimately sculpted into 1abriel)s favorite posture. +t was like cutting and polishing a raw crystal to make it shine with a supreme glow. =hen he reached that stage, 1abriel)s long !ourney would return to the beginning, as if he had been travelling in an enormous circle. ack to the moment when he was young, under the huge trees of the forest, seeing the beautiful glow of Alicia Clingerman)s soul.
These thoughts flashing in his mind, 1abriel closed his eyes, a slight shiver running down his back. =hen he opened his eyes again, he recovered his ice cold mentality. +f he analogi"ed the souls of youths from different countries as ruby, sapphire and emerald encircling a king)s crown, then the great diamond encased in the center could only be 4Alice6. nly Alice, with the untouched, unblemished, ultimate soul, would qualify as his own eternal partner. partne r. Therefore, he had to think of a way to find and obtain her *ight Cube, no matter what. ut without destroying the blast door to the *ight Cube Cluster storage, he could not sei"e it through physical means. Then, he could only control it from the system. That said, even the first(rate digital criminal Critter was helpless against the lock on the console. Clacking his boots, 1abriel moved behind Critter, who was moving his two hands at top speed over the keyboard. #$ow is it%& Two hands punched the air in response. #The administrator login is really despairing. =hat we can do is !ealously chew our nails and peek at the fairy(tale kingdom that the 5luctlights up in the Cluster are happily living in.& Critter moved his finger/ a window opened on the big screen on the wall directly in front of them and displayed a wondrous scene. +t was quite unlike a Ifairy(tale kingdomJ. The sky was soaked in a frightening crimson and the ground was as pitch(black as asphalt. +n the middle of the picture stood several primitive tents made of what appeared to be animal skin. n the side gathered ten or so chubby, bald, strange creatures, caus ing some unknown commotion. There were generally humanoid but no matter how you looked at them, were not human. Their backs were bent, their hands were nearly long enough to scrape the ground, while their crooked feet were very short. #1oblins3%& 1abriel muttered. Critter whistled softly, saying with apparent happiness< #h, you)re pretty knowledgeable, Captain. That)s right, they don)t look like rcs or gres, so they should be 1oblins.& #ut they)re way too fucking large to be 1oblins. These are $obgobs, $obgoblins.& ?assago stepped besides them with his hands on his hips and added his own comment. Although Although he was !ust an e-pert in ? combat, he seemed to know much about fantasy P1s. At the place where 1abriel was looking, the fuss of the ten I$obgoblinsJ escalated. Two of them sei"ed each other)s chests, twisting together in a scrambling fight, while the surrounding goblins cheered with hands raised.
#3CritterH& 1abriel felt a certain faint intuition, and spoke to the monk(headed man in the seat. #$uh%& #These guys3 These monsters, are they a part of the system%&
#$mm, doesn)t look like it. 5rom a certain viewpoint, these guys are real IhumansJ. They)re artificial souls read from the *ight Cubes up there3 5luctlights.& #5or real%2 =hat the hell2& ?assago !umped and yelled furiously. #These $obgobs are humans2% They have the same souls as us2% ;y granny in 5risco)s ILJ gonna die if she hears that22& >rumming with a pitter(patter on the monk(head, he shouted< #Aw #Aw, these guys are actually doing this kind of 1od(forsaken research. ight, are those shiny things full of these goblins, orcs or whatever% +s our Alice(chan one of them as well%& #'o wayN& Annoyed, Critter pushed ?assago)s hands away and corrected< #*isten, the world called cal led 7nderworld that the 4AT$6 4AT$6 guys created is divided into two areas. *ocated in the center, slightly west, is the 4 Human Empire6 where normal humans live. Then, outside is the 4 $ar% Territory Territory6, where monsters like these are all over the place. Alice will of course be somewhere in the Human Empire. +t)s so freakin) big that it)d be impossible to find her if we keep peeping like this.& #=ell that)s easy. #=ell easy. Since they)re humans, we can talk, eeh% h% Can)t we !ust dive into the Human Empire and ask the people there if they know an Alice%& #=ow, a pig. There)s a pig here.& #The fuck did you say%22& #+)m telling you, the people who made the 7nderworld are apanese. f course, the Iguys who live in thereJ would speak apanese. Can 07 speak apanese%& $earing Critter)s Critter )s words mi-ed with derisive laughter, ?assago ?assago revealed a twisted grin. #-o't take me )i/ht)y. & 'ow, 'ow, not !ust Critter, the entire team widened their their eyes. ?assago ?assago had spoken apanese so fluently that even 1abriel was shocked. The young $ispanic man changed back to 8nglish and continued< #'o problems with communications, eh% 1ot anything else to say s ay,, four(eyes%& #0(0eah. f course.& Critter recovered from surprise and snorted. #There are tens of thousands of people living in the Human Empire. Are 07 going to ask each ea ch and3 every one of them3& Critter paused his retort as though he had inspired himself through his own speech and suddenly stood up. Although his monk(head bumped into ?assago) ?assago)ss chin, who wanted to spit out e-pletives, the hacker shouted unhesitantly< #=ait. =aitwaitwait=A+T. +t doesn)t have to be one man3& $earing this, the faint inspiration in 1abriel)s heart finally burst completely into being. #3 0eah. 0eah. Accounts set up to log into the 7nderworld3 They can hardly all be *evel B normal citi"ens, can they the y. ight, Critter%& #&es' &es( )oss## & Critter tapped the keyboard hard as if it were a percussion instrument/ the big screen instantly rolled
up lists of names. #+f 4AT$6 4AT$6 operators wanted to log in to observe or perform perf orm internal actions, there ther e should be identities of all classes in their accounts. ;ilitary officers3 'o, generals3 'o, no, noblemen, royalty3 Could even be the :ing himself3& #=ow, that)s cool, isn)t it%2& ?assago shouted, massaging his chin c hin that was about to split in half. #+n other words, we can use a general)s, president)s, or whatever high(class profile to log into the 7nderworld, and can make whatever commands we want2 FArmy parade2 para de2 ight, face2 5ind Alice22) Alice22) or something like that.& #3 =hy is it that when you talk about it, something so brilliant would instantly become so stupid.& Continuing his muttering, Critter scrolled the list with frightening speed. $owever. Seconds later, along with a rare instance of profanity from him, the list was halted. #Shit, no good. 'ot !ust direct commands from here, even using high(level accounts to log in are protected with heavy passwords. 7nfortunately, 7nfortunately, it looks like we can only dive into the Human Empire as normal citi"ens.& #3$mph3& Clear disappointment floated onto Critter Cri tter and ?assago)s ?assago)s faces, but 1abriel remained e-pressionless and tilted his head slightly. slightly. There was not much time to hesitate. ut, that was but a limit of the time in reality. eyond the screen, in the abnormal 7nderworld, time was compressed in an astonishing ratio of hundreds of times. +n other words, the remaining LD hours equated to over a year in the 7nderworld. =ith this much time, even if they logged in as normal citi"ens, after finding and capturing IAliceJ, it wasn)t impossible to use the internal information console to e-tract her into the real world. ut that was definitely a long task. Compared to such a time(wasting task, it would be faster to approach from outside the Human Empire. #Critter. Are there any advanced accounts outside the Empire3 prepared for the 4 $ar% Territory6%& #3utside% ut aren)t the chances of Alice being there infinitely close to "ero%& Although he questioned, Critter)s Critter )s fingers flashed quickly. quickly. 1abriel looked at the newly opened cluster of windows, replying< #;m, yes. ut, the border is not absolutely impenetrable, is it% =ith the parameters given by the account, we might be able to cross the border.& #h, as e-pected from fr om my bro2 0our 0our thoughts are unique as always2 +t)s that3 using a non(human general, or a monster general to fight f ight your way through, right%2 That)s burning hot22& To the whistling and shouting ?assago, ?assago, Critter shot at him with utmost hatred< #+f you want to burn, then burn, if you)re the one who logs in< you)ll be a goblin or orc in that world. 8h, you fit the bill anyway3 $m% Ah, this is it, this is it2& =ith the click of the keyboard, two more windows popped open. #7hh, different from the 8mpire, there are only two super(accounts30es2 super(accounts30es2 There are no passwords2
*et)s see3 ne of them is the 4>ark :night6 profile. Priority Priorit y level is3 E2 =e can use this one2& #oh, that)s great2 +)ll have that one22& +gnoring the noisy ?assago, ?assago, Critter activated the other window. window. #Then, the other one is3 =hat)s this% The profile)s blank, and there)s no level whatsoever. There)s There)s only a name. This3 $ow do you say this% 3 I Emperor 3 ?ectorJ ?ectorJ%& %& #h, an Emperor . Then +)ll take tha3& 1abriel patted ?assago) ?assago)ss shoulder from behind, as he was !ust ! ust about to continue. #'o, +)ll use this account.& #8h% ut bro, can you speak apanese%& #0ot as )ue't)y as you &a', thou/h.& 1abriel replied with three years of apanese study. Although he had given up on reading and a nd writing from the beginning, he was confident about conversational usage. #$ah, you)re pretty good. Then my bro shall be the 8mperor, and +)ll be the >ark :night. 'ow we)re talking2 5our(eyes, when can we log in2%& Completely ignoring the noisy nois y ?assago, ?assago, Critter continued punching the keyboard. Seeing his focused scanning of information on the screen, 1abriel walked besides him and asked calmly< #=hat is it, Critter, is there another problem%& #3 Should + call it a problem, or a slight concern3 There)s a strange phrase all over the data, though + can)t really understand it3& #h% =hat phrase%& Critter took a deep breath and answered 1abriel)s question< #4I!inal Load Test J6.& J6.&
$ $iga considered carefully breaking the heavy silence that engulfed the Au-iliary Control oom. #7hh3 =ell, =ell, his physical body3 or should + say, the condition of the :iriga ya :a"uto in the real rea l world, is similar to what + !ust described3 not optimistic.& Seeing Asuna, whose shoulders were gripped by inko, tremble her thin body in surprise, $iga added in a panic< #(but, there)s still some hope2& #3=hat do you mean by that%& inko asked with a sharp, yet seemingly praying voice. #The :irito(kun in the 7nderworld is still logged in.& $iga looked at the screen that was much smaller than the one in the ;ain Control oom. $e moved the cursor, clicked a few times, and the picture changed< a bird)s eye view of the 7nderworld, with the round $uman 8mpire surrounded by the >ark Territory Territory,, appeared. #That is to say, although his Self(+mage has been damaged, his 5luctlight is dynamic, and undergoing stimulation. +f so, even though we are completely out of options in the real world, we can probably heal his soul within the 7nderworld. ecause he overly blames himself, he damaged his soul. +f there was someone who could grant him IforgivenessJ3 it)s hard to say3&
$iga knew that his words were unrealistic. ut those were his unadulterated true thoughts. Succeeding the 'erve1ear was the evolution of the ;edicuboid rain(Computer +nterface, the Soul Translator. Translator. Although $iga had discovered the human quantum consciousness 45luctlight6 through his development of that machine, there were still a great many things yet to be understood. =as a 5luctlight a physical phenomenon% r, was it a conceptual e-istence une-plainable by modern science% +f it was the latter, :irigaya)s :a"uto)s :a"uto)s in!ured, e-hausted soul would probably only be able to be healed by some supernatural power. power. 5or e-ample 9 someone)s love. #3+ will go.& As if $iga)s mind had been read. A frail yet determined voice resounded res ounded in the Au-iliary Control oom. The people in the room gasped and stared agape at the owner of the voice. 0uuki 0uuki Asuna nodded at :ou!iro inko, who was supporting her shoulders, a nd took a step forward, continuing< #+, am entering the 7nderworld. + will find f ind :irito(kun there and sa y to him< 0ou)ve 0ou)ve done your part/ many sad and terrible things may have happened3 but you)ve tried your best.& $iga, who had dedicated his entire life to researching this type of psychological awakening, was dumbstruck by Asuna, her great chestnut eyes flashing with tears. :ikuoka, with an e-pression as though he had been struck by something in his chest, immediately concealed his e-pression with the lens of his glasses and looked to the ST* oom on the side. #3 +ndeed, there is still one empty ST*.& After saying this, the commander made a complicated e-pression, continuing< #ut, the current state of the 7nderworld is in no way stable. According to the predetermined plan, by our time, there are only a few hours left until it enters the 5inal *oad Test.& #5inal3 *oad% =hat will happen%& $iga e-plained, gesturing with his hands, to inko, who wrinkled her brow< #This3 Put simply, the shell is gonna break. The endurance value of 41ate of the 8ast6 that has Territory for hundreds of years will decrease to "ero, and divided the $uman 8mpire and the $ar% Territory an army of monsters will pour into the $uman =orld right away. away. +f the humans have a complete defensive mechanism, they should be able to repel them. ut, in the e-periment this time, :irito( kun has destroyed a large portion of the ruling power, the 4A-iom Church6, so3 =e really don)t know what)s going to happen3& #+f you think carefully about it, for the situation now, one of us needs to dive in no matter what.& :ikuoka muttered with his arms crossed. #As soon as the invasion begins, in the chaos, the 4Alice6 in the human world is very likely to be killed. +f it comes to that, the time we gained when we painstakingly locked down the console will all be for naught3 +f we can let someone enter with an advanced account, protect Alice, and bring her to the 4=orld 8nd Altar6, we can e-tract e-tr act her from there to this au-iliary console.& #ight3 efore this happened, you told :irito(kun that already, didn)t you%& $earing inko)s words, :ikuoka helplessly nodded.
#;m. +f he)s fine, he will definitely do it. At that time, he happened to be with Alice, so3 & #So, in the months that have passed according to internal time, the chance of the two of them being together is very high3 +s that what you were trying to say%& This time it was $iga who replied< #30ou3 #30ou3 could say that. +f + f so, perhaps it would be better if we had Asuna(san dive in3 Aside from her communication with :irito(kun, :ir ito(kun, we need the combat ability a bility to protect Alice. Among us, the one most familiar famil iar with activity in virtual worlds would be Asuna(san, definitely.& #Then, it would be best to use the highest level possible for the advanced account.& 'odding to :ikuoka)s :ikuoka)s words, $iga moved his fingers across the keyboard at breakneck speed. #$ey, #$ey, !ust pick whatever you like. :night, general, nobility3 There are all kinds of advanced accounts.& #$ey, wait.& inko inter!ected, slightly nervously. #=hat%& #3The attackers, could they be thinking the same thing% >idn)t you !ust say it% The hidden way to secure Alice is to operate from the inside.& #Ah3 +ndeed. This could very well become their method. +n the ;ain Control oom below, there are two ST*s. ut they won)t have time to crack the login passwords for the advanced accounts. They can only login as *?B normal citi"ens. They !ust don)t have the Priority to do anything in the terrible situation during the 5inal *oad Test.& Test.& =hile he was quickly e-plaining9 $iga suddenly felt a sliver of an-iety, as though he had forgotten something important. ut this concern was dispersed by the quickly scrolling list of accounts.
Chapter 1: -ark Territory Territory * The 3)e4e'th o'th o the Huma' Wor)6 Ca)e'6ar, $7
=ithin the 4cean Turtle6 The base for f or the disguised company 4AT$6 4AT$6 constructed to undergo 4Pro!ect Alici"ation6, development of a ottom(7p artificial intelligence, is the independent large(scale floating carrier 4cean Turtle6. =ithin the enormous pyramid(shaped 4cean Turtle6, ST* oom ne and ST* oom Two Two each contain two 4Soul Translators6 needed to log into the 47nderworld6. The 4Soul Translator6 Translator6 used by :irito to log into the 47nderworld6 47nderworld6 is within ST* oom Two. Two. At the center of the 4cean Turtle6 there are stored the 4souls6 of the inhabitants of the 47nderworld6, which is the 4*ight Cube Cluster6 of the artificial 5luctlights.
1abriel)s group)s group)s mission is to e!ect Alice)s artificial 5luctlight from this gigantic mass of *ight Cubes through a vacuum tube.
1 efore the dragon came to a stop, >ark :night *ipia Gankehl !umped down from its back and ran with full strength across the takeoff pad into the footbridge that connected to the +mperial Palace. Ouickly feeling difficulty breathing, she used her right hand to remove the helmet that covered her face. 1ray(blue long hair billowed out with a flourish. Ad!usting it with her left hand and tossing it behind her back, *ipia further quickened her pace. She She really wanted to take off her stuffy cloak and armor, but did not want the consuls crawling about the +mperial Palace to see one inch of her skin. After she sprinted through the winding corridor, between the round columns on her right, a colossal black city erected under the backdrop of the red sky appeared in sight. +mperial Palace bsidia was the tallest structure of all in the boundless *and of >arkness 9 f course, this did not include the tabooed 4;ountain ange at the 8nd6 9 carved out of the rocky mountains and constructed over a hundred years. 5rom the throne on the highest floor, it was said to be !ust possible to glimpse the ;ountain ange at the 8nd standing far away in the east, and the great gate embedded in the mountain. ut, there has been no one to confirm the veracity of this rumor for hundreds of years. After the 5irst 8mperor, also the 1od of >arkness ?ector, ?ector, returned to the underground darkness in ancient times, the Throne of the *and of >arkness had always been empty. The great gate on the highest floor was sealed by a lock with infinite *ife, left eternally unopened. *ipia turned her eyes away from the peak of the pitch(black castle and called to the ogre guards at the castle gate straight ahead< #+n the name of the 8leventh >ark :night Gankehl2 pen the gate22& The wolf(headed guards were quite well(built, but turned their heads very slowly/ by the time they turned the lever of the opening mechanism, *ipia had arrived at the cast iron gate. The door made deep # /u, /u'/& sounds as it opened a sliver/ Gankehl slipped sideways through the gap. She had not seen the castle for three months, yet what welcomed *ipia was the same cold air. The I:oboldsJ doggedly scrubbed the corridors every day, day, making them spotless. As she ran, her armor clanking on the obsidian slabs, two flirtatiously dressed women showing skin here and there glided over soundlessly. soundlessly. n top of their shiny, shiny, wavy hair, they wore large, pointy hats announcing their statuses as >ark Sorceresses. *ipia intended to ignore them and brush past, but one of the women sharply raised her voice in an e-aggerated manner< #7wa, how noisy2 +s an orc or something running%2& Then, the other responded with a slight laugh< #+t caaan)t beee, these tremors have to be those of a 1iant2& 9 +f combat were not prohibited within the city, city, she would have sliced off their tongues long long ago. *ipia thought. She snorted and raced on.
The $uman females born in the *and of >arkness usually entered the >ark Sorcery 1uild after graduating from Training Schools. The 1uild was an organi"ation of e-treme indulgence, teaching debauchery instead of rules. As a result, it produced people interested only in decorating themselves, !ust like the two who walked by. 8ven so, they held great antagonism towards women who chose to become :nights. =hen she was a youngster in the Training Schools, *ipia had been cursed with poisonous insects by a Sorceress who did not get along with her. Things settled down after she drew her sword and sliced off the Sorceress)s proudly tied hair. +n any case, there were only idiots with no ambition in this country. country. ften competing, no matter if it were organi"ations or individuals, basing every decision on the degree of power, the *and of >arkness had no future. Although danger could be balanced due to the 4Ten 5eudal *ords ;eetings6, it was unable to hold for much longer. +f, in the imminent battle battl e with the $uman =orld 9 termed the 4+um Country6 by rcs and 1oblins, a few of the Ten 5eudal *ords were to die, the balance would be broken, and everything would become a chaos of bloodlust once more. The one who told of this future to *ipia, was one of the Ten 5eudal *ords, the Commander of the >ark :nights whom she directly reported to, and also her loved one. And now, now, *ipia had confidential intelligence that he was anticipating. Therefore, she would not waste a second to curb the Sorceress) taunts. Cutting straight through the empty lobby and flying up the wide staircase two steps at a time. 8ven with plenty of e-ercise, she was panting and drenched in sweat once she arrived on the right floor. =ith the *and of >arkness divided by negotiation between them, among the Ten 5eudal *ords, five were $umans, two were 1oblins, and the rest were vanguards of the rcs, gres, and 1iants. After nearly a hundred years of civil war, they finally agreed on a document similar to a treaty, and ended up with regulations keeping the 5ive aces in equal standing. ecause of this, on the B@th floor, near the top floor of bsidia, there were private rooms for each of the Ten 5eudal *ords. *ipia dampened her footsteps in the round corridor, and gently knocked three times with her right hand on the door of the innermost room. #Come in.& A deep voice replied immediately. immediately. *ipia glanced left and right in the corridor/ after confirming that there was no one, she quickly opened the door and slipped inside. The decorations within the room were as low profile as possible. reathing in the manly smell floating in the air, *ipia genuflected and bowed her head. #:night *ipia Gankehl/ + have returned.& #1ood work. Come, sit.& Suppressing her e-citement, *ipia raised her head and looked towards the owner of the strong voice. n the other side of the round table, there was a man sitting in a long armchair with his feet propped high< the >ark :night :night Commander 9 iksul 7l Shasta, also known as the 4>ark 1eneral6. As a $uman, he possessed an outstanding figure. Although his shoulders were not as broad as those of an gre, he did not seem to lose in terms of height. $is head of !et(black hair was trimmed very short, and his moustache was very neat.
$is bulging muscles nearly popped the buttons off of his plain linen shirt, yet there was not a hint of fat on his waist. Although he maintained a perfect body that looked not a day older than ME, since he had ascended to the topmost throne of the :nights, not many people knew that he continued to undergo a harsh e-ercise routine every day. Seeing her lover for the first time in three months, *ipia had to resist the urge to fly into his embrace, instead sitting in the sofa opposite Shasta. Shasta raised his upper body and handed one of the crystal glasses on the table to *ipia, then broke the seal on what appeared to be aged wine. #+ really wanted to have a glass with you, so + swiped a bottle from the Treasury yesterday.& =inking, he poured the fragrant, crimson liquid into his glass. $is e-pression was that of a mischievous child, completely the same as his former self. #Th3Thank you, 0our 8-cellency.& #$ow many times have + told you not to call me that when we)re alone%& #ut3 +)m still on a mission.& Shasta shrugged helplessly and they clinked glasses politely. *ipia sipped the e-pensive wine and felt the *ife she had e-pended on her long !ourney slowly recovering. #3kay, so.& After downing a glass himself, he poured himself another one and changed to a serious e-pression, asking in a low voice< #The I;atter of +mportanceJ that you sent a familiar for< what is it%& #+t)s3& *ipia looked to her left and right, then leaned forward. Although Shasta was often candid, he was quite vigilant. This room had many heavy protection spells cast upon it/ even the =itch, leader of the Sorcery 1uild, would be unable to listen in. 8ven though she knew this, the intel she had brought was so important that she couldn)t couldn)t resist lowering her voice. Staring straight into Shasta)s black pupils, *ipia said simply< #The $ighest ;inister of the A-iom Church of the $uman =orld3 =orld3 is dead.& +n an instant, even the >ark 1eneral widened his eyes in shock. A long, deep sigh broke the silence. #+s this3 real3% + know it)s discourteous to ask like this, and +)m not suspicious of your intel3 but3 that undead3& #0es3 + completely understand your feelings. + was unable to believe it myself, but after a week of confirmation, there is no error. + made sure by planting 48arworms6 in the Central Cathedral.& #=hat% That was very reckless. +f you were traced, you would)ve been unable to leave the capital, and dismembered by now.& #0es. ut, since a spell of this caliber has not been detected, it proves that this intel is accurate.& #3;m3& 5illing his second glass of wine, Shasta)s strong(willed face lowered slightly. slightly. #9=hen, did that happen% Also, what was the cause of death%& #About half a year ago3& #$alf a year. +ndeed, their guard on the ;ountain ange had probably been slightly loose at that
time.& #0es. #0es. About the cause of death of the $ighest ;inister3 This is quite unbelievable, but they are said to be Islaughtered by a swordJ3& #y a sword. 90ou 90ou mean that someone cut that undead%& #+mpossible.& *ipia shook her head at the slack(!awed Shasta. #+)m afraid, even if it)s the undead, they have finally depleted their *ife. ut it was probably to save the spirit of the $ighest ;inister known as a 1od, to say some empty words like that3& #;m3 ;y guess as well. ut3 >ead, the $ighest ;inister Administrator3& Shasta closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and leaned back into the armchair. After thinking deeply for a while like this, he opened his eyes with a short mutter. #pportunity.& *ipia instantly held her breath and replied in a small voice< #=hat opportunity%& She immediately got an answer. #bviously3 ne of peace.& As a word too dangerous to utter in this city, it quickly melted in the air of the room and dissipated. #>o you consider it3 possible, 0our 0our 8-cellency%& 5acing the softly questioning *ipia, Shasta fi-ed his ga"e on the red liquid within his glass, and slowly, but deeply, nodded. #'o matter if it)s possible or not, we must achieve it regardless.& >owning the wine with a gulp, he continued< #The *ife of the 41reat 1ate6 that has divided the $uman =orld and the *and of >arkness since the world was created cre ated is about to be depleted. A large(scale invasion of the sun and land(nourished $uman =orld =orld awaited by the Army of 5ive >ark aces, you can say sa y is the arrow poised on the bow. bow. +n the last Ten Ten 5eudal *ords ;eeting, there was a large quarrel !ust about dividing dividing the land, riches, and slaves of the $uman =orld. =orld. They are really3 an incurable bunch of gluttons.& At Shasta)s direct and unrestricted speech, *ipia recoiled slightly. slightly. >ifferent from the $uman =orld that had the 4Taboo 4Taboo +nde-6, a thick book of law, law, to rule the nation, there was only one law in the *and of >arkness. That was 9 sei"e by force. +n a certain sense, compared with the other nine 5eudal *ords whose thirst for power could not be quenched even if they obtained the highest authority, it could be said that Shasta)s consideration of peace with the $uman =orld =orld was heresy. heresy. $owever, *ipia was deeply fascinated with this man because of his unique thoughts. esides, unlike the servant women attending to their master, *ipia was not taken by force. Shasta had presented a bouquet on bended knee knee and convinced *ipia with his truthful words. blivious of his lover wandering in such thoughts, Shasta continued with added gravity< #3 ut, they underestimate the $umans too much. 8specially 8speciall y, the 4+ntegrity :nights6 that have protected the $uman =orld =orld for three hundred years.& $earing this name, *ipia nodded, her head growing cold. &Sure3 They are skillful to a frightening e-tent.&
#They have, quite literally, the strength of a thousand in one. +n the long history of the >ark :nights, countless have been slain by the +ntegrity :nights, but it has never happened the other way around. Their swordsmanship is so e-cellent, and the >ivine +nstruments that they carry are powerful beyond measure3 8ven + have only only brought one to an impasse impasse a few times, but + couldn)t manage to kill them. the m. f course, my defeats definitely number many.& #That is3 due to their usage of mystifying techniques, such as releasing fire or blinding beams from their swords3& #4Armament 5ull Control Art6. 8ven though we)ve had our Technique Technique esearch >epartment study it for a long time, we)re still unable to break it down. ust to go up against that skill, even a hundred 1oblin Soldiers wouldn)t be enough.& #8ven though you say that3 ur army numbers E,EEE while the +ntegrity :nights number only about thirty. thirty. Can we not suppress them with sheer volume3%& At *ipia)s words, Shasta scratched his moustache with a sarcastic air. #>idn)t + !ust say that they have the strength of a thousand in one% +f you calculate it, we will lose DE,EEE from our army.& #=hy would3 +t can)t be that many man y.& #$m, yeah. 8ven though this method of calculation is disheartening, we)ll be pushing forward in the battle with our :nights, gres, and 1iants, the >ark Sorcerers would be using long(range e-plosive attacks at the rear, and we)d eventually e-haust the +ntegrity :nights. ut after their last :night falls, it)s hard to imagine how much we would have lost. Perhaps not DE,EEE, but losing half is certainly possible.& The crystal glass was set onto the table with a hard sound. Shasta e-tended a hand to stop *ipia, who was about to refill his glass, and sunk his back into his armchair. #3And the result, would of course be an imbalance in power between the 5ive aces of >arkness. The Ten Ten 5eudal *ords ;eeting would become meaningless, and the treaty tre aty of equality between the 5ive aces would leave only its name. +f it goes down like that, the 4Age of +ron and lood6 that ended a hundred years ago would return. 'o, it would be worse. ecause this time, the everlasting honeyed sea of the $umans would be in front of us. >eciding how to divide that piece of land would take more than a hundred years of war3& This was the worst future scenario that Shasta often feared and mentioned repeatedly to *ipia. =hat was worse, the nine other 5eudal *ords apart from Shasta did not think that this was the worst future at all 9 on the contrary, they were looking forward to it. *ipia lowered her head, ga"ing at the gleaming light e-uded by her pitch(black full body armor, which had been her partner ever since her entrance into :nighthood. Twice as short as other kids when she was young, *ipia could never become a :night if she had been born in the 4Age of +ron and lood6/ she would have have been sold to human traffickers, or abandoned outside the city, ending her short life there. Although it was shady, she was still thankful for that peace treaty, as she had not been sold into slavery but instead entered the 0outh 0outh School, benefited from a late(blooming talent in swordsmanship, and ascended to a nearly unattainably high position for a $uman female. 8ver since she had become a :night, *ipia had been gathering children who were abandoned by their parents from remote places rife with human trafficking, and took care of them until they were able to enter school. She used nearly all of her income to run a childcare center like this. She kept this a secret not only from her colleagues, but even from Shasta. She was unable to e-plain
it herself/ why would she do such a thing. +t was !ust that9 *ipia could not help feeling feel ing odd about this country, in which power dominates all. Although she had not the wisdom of Shasta, to be able to turn her thoughts into clear words, she felt that there should be a better, more appropriate form of this country country 9 no, the entire 7nderworld, including the $uman =orld. *ipia ha"ily understood that this so(called new world, is far beyond the peace that Shasta proposed. At the same time, as a woman she was desperate to help the man she loved in order to reali"e his dream. ut. #3ut, how do you plan to convince the other 5eudal *ords, 0our 0our 8-cellency% 'ot to mention3 =ould the +ntegrity :nights a''e!t a negotiation for peace%& *ipia inquired in a small voice. #3$m3& Shasta closed his eyes, his right hand playing with his elaborate moustache. 8ventually, he murmured bitterly< #About the +ntegrity :nights, there is still a turn for the better. As the $ighest ;inister is now dead, the main commander should now be that old man ercouli. Although he)s a sly old fo-, he)s still a reasonable man. The problem3 still lies with the Ten 5eudal *ords ;eeting. n this s ide3 although it may seem to conflict with our goal3& >eep within his raised eyelids, two sharply gleaming eyes stared at the ceiling. #9 Seems like we have to slash a few. At least four f our.& .& *ipia gasped in shock and leaned forward< #5our, you say, say, 0our 0our 8-cellency3% +f my assumption is right, it can only be the two 1oblin chiefs, the rc chief, and3& #The *eader of the >ark Sorcery 1uild. That woman has always been filled with wild desire for Administrator)s secret to immortality, immortality, and the day that she ascends to the 8mperor)s 8mperor )s Throne. Throne. She would definitely not accept the proposition of peace.& #(but2& *ipia ob!ected in a strained voice. #That)s too reckless, 0our 0our 8-cellency2 8ven though the 1oblin and rc elders may ma y not stand against your sword3 =e do not know what kind of despicable trick the >ark Sorceress would use2& 8ven after *ipia finished, Shasta was silent. ut what he said completely took her by surprise. #$ey, #$ey, *ipia. $ow long have you been coming here to me%& #$ah% +t)s3 A(about3 A(about3 8ver since + turned LB3 5our years.& #+t)s been that long, huh. 3 + apologi"e for always keeping you in a shadow of doubt. $ow about3 +t)s time, uh, well3.& otating his eyes and scratching his head with a rustle, the >ark :night Commander opened his mouth roughly< #3=ould #3=ould you, officially, officially, marry me% +f you don)t mind me as a middle(aged man.&
#838-cellency3& *ipia opened her eyes, unable to speak. She felt a heat slowly seeping out from deep within her heart, and !ust as she was about to unhesitantly fly into her lover)s embrace3 5rom the other side of the thick great door, a clear, loud voice as sharp as a whip pierced right through the wide room. #ig news22 This is some +1 news22 AA$$, what on earth is happening22 5eudal *ords, come with me, quickly, O7+C:*022& She faintly remembered this voice< it belonged to one of the 5eudal *ords, the head of the Commerce and +ndustry 1uild. 7ncharacteristic of the huge, burly figure in *ipia)s *ipia)s memory, the scream continued completely une-pectedly< #+t)s T$8 ;ST important event 8?822 9 +n(inside the Throne oom2 The sealing lock2 +t)s S$A:++++'122&
2 7nder the identity identit y of 8mperor ?ector, ?ector, 1abriel ;iller, dominating the Throne oom, surveyed the artificial 5luctlights prostrated on the ground with a hint of awe. They were all photon information sealed in *ight Cubes with each edge two inches long. 8ven so, in this world, they were true humans with intellect and souls. As e-pected, however, out of the ten in a line at the very front, half of them were strange(looking monsters. The ten generals who were called 4 !eudal Lords6 and the :nights and Sorcerers who trailed behind them, and the garrisoned army of E,EEE E,EEE outside the city, city, were all I7nitsJ given to 1abriel. 5rom now on, he must appropriately utili"e these pawns to annihilate the defenses of the $uman =orld and capture c apture 4Alice6. ut, unlike real(time strategy games in the real world, these 7nits were not freely controllable with a mouse and keyboard. They must be led and ordered with presence and spoken word. 1abriel rose wordlessly from the throne, took a few steps forward, and turned to look into a mirror hung on the wall. =hat reflected was himself, wearing a look that was in slightly bad taste. nly the shape of his face and his e-tremely light brown hair were the same as 1abriel)s look in the real world. ut, a black metal crown encrusted with a crimson crystal rested on his head/ on top of a black suede undershirt and pants, he wore a lu-urious midnight midnight fur gown. A rapier gleaming with a dreamy phosphorescence hung from his waist, and his boots and gloves were weaved with silver embroidery. embroidery. n his back, he wore a blood red long cape. Turning his eyes to the right, a step below the throne, he saw a :night with both hands behind his head, frantically looking around. +nside a suit of armor gleaming deep purple like a gemstone was ?assago ?assago Ca"ares, who had logged in at the same time as 1abriel. Although he had already been told not to speak without restraint before the situation is in control , he still resisted e-pressing his impress with slangs with a difficult e-pression, clanking around in his shoes. 1abriel shook his head slightly, slightly, and pulled his eyes back to himself in the mirror. $e was used to tailor(made suits, so this attire felt very uncomfortable anyway. ut, in this 47nderworld6, 1abriel was not the CT of a private military militar y company. company.
$e was the emperor who ruled the boundless $ar% Territory Territory. Also 9 he was a god. 1abriel closed his eyes, took a slow, deep breath, and e-haled. Somewhere in his consciousness, the role he was playing as switched from the ITough CommanderJ to a I;erciless 8mperorJ with a click. pening his eyes again, as he turned, tossing back his crimson cape, 1abriel 9 ?ector, ?ector, the 1od of >arkness, glared at the ten 1enerals and said with an absolutely inhuman tone that resounded in the Throne oom< #*ift your heads and report your names. 90ou 90ou go first.& The kneeling middle(aged man at the left of the frontmost line !erked up with an une-pectedly quick motion and reported his name in fluent apanese. #0, #0, y(yes, 0our 0our ;a!esty2 + am *engil 1ira Scobo, head of the Commerce and +ndustry 1uild2& esides the man who lowered his head and prostrated again, an enormous figure as large as a small mountain began to move. n the body of a >emihuman that stood nearly BL feet tall, glossy black chains were hung in a cross, with the skins of some wild beast wrapped around its waist. ?igorously raising its face along with its weirdly long nose, the >emihuman introduced itself with a deep voice, so low that it sounded like the ground was shaking< s haking< #8lder of the 1iants, Sigrosig.& =hile 1abriel was having difficulty in swallowing the fact that this monster had intelligence and a soul, the third man let out an annoying, hoarse sound< #3*eader of the Assassin 1uild3 5er Ga3& =hen compared to the 1iant, the figure in hooded robe was so skinny that it seemed insubstantial/ its age cannot be determined, let alone its gender. Although 1abriel wanted for a split second to order it to raise its head so he could see its face, he considered that Assassins must have some rule that forbid them to e-pose their appearances, so he put that aside and turned towards the ne-t general. Then, with great effort, he managed to hold back a frown. The e-istence that was the absolute embodiment of #ugly& sat motionlessly in front of him. +t was unable to kneel as its legs were too short. A chubby, chubby, rotund stomach filled with fat gave off an oily luster/ on a neck that was combined with shoulders dangled skulls of small animals. The head on top looked EQ pig and DEQ human. =ith a protruding, flat nose, and a mouth with visible teeth, only its small, beady eyes flashed with human intellect, making this even more disturbing. #8lder of the rcs, ilpirin.& $earing this high and sharp voice, 1abriel immediately wondered whether it was male or female, but instantly abandoned this thought. thought. Since it was an rc, it would definitely be a low(level 7nit in the army. ust something disposable. Then, what could be described as a boy raised his head and energetically saluted. $is reddish golden hair was curled, and he wore only a leather belt on his sun(tanned copper(colored upper body. body. Putting skintight leather pants and sandals on the lower body, body, and both hands clad in punching gloves decorated with metallic square nails. #Tenth #Tenth 1eneration Champion of the 5ighter)s 1uild, +skhan22&
1abriel looked at the youngster who shouted full of energy, and thought for a moment. A moment. A %ist %ighter is a bo-er& bo-er& isn.t isn.t he? A soldier %or em!ty/handed 'ombat? As he was thinking, there suddenly came the # /rrrh8 moan of a beast. The one who suddenly raised its head was a >emihuman who was not as tall and muscular as a giant, but possessed a body far from that of a human. +ts upper body was nearly completely covered with long hairs. udging by its completely beast(like head, those hairs weren)t clothing, but its own fur. +t looked a lot like a wolf. A protruding snout, saw(like teeth, and triangular ears. An incoherent noise leaked from its mouth, from which hung a long tongue< #Gurr9 8lder3 of the gres3 5urgur3. rr3& Although 1abriel didn)t know whether that was a name or mere mumbling, he nodded lightly and looked towards the ne-t position. ust then came an earsplitting shrill squeak< #+ am $agasi, 8lder of the ;ountain 1oblins2 0our 0our ;a!esty, ;a!esty, please grant our brave race the honorable position of the vanguard22& The owner of the voice was a short >emihuman with a monkey(like bald head with two thin, long, protruding ears. 'o matter if it was by height or muscle muscle mass, it was far, far off from the 1iant, rc, gre, or even $uman who had previously reported their names. According to the e-planation that Critter had provided before they >ived in, in this >ark Territory Territory,, there was only one rule. That was, Ipower dominates allJ. +f so, what power did the 1oblins have in order to be promoted to a position comparable to other races while they seemed weak no matter how he looked at it% 'o matter what, although it was the lowest(level 7nit, lower even than rcs, 1abriel looked at the the ;ountain 1oblin)s face with slight interest, and nodded lightly to himself as a sign of successfully answering his own question< it was because of the e-treme, intense lust swirling in the ;ountain 1oblin)s 1oblin)s small eyes. ust as the 8lder of the ;ountain 1oblin finished his sentence, the >emihuman besides him who differed only in skin color shrieked in the same way< #That)s ridiculous2 Compared to those guys, we)ll s erve 0our 0our ;a!esty ten times more effectively2 + am the 8lder of the Plains 1oblins, :uberi2& #=hat the hell are you saying, you slug(eater% $as your brain swelled up because of the wet mud2%& #0ou)re #0ou)re the one who dried up your noodles in the sun22& +n front of the two cursing shrilly at each other9 a&hi! lue sparks flew forth as the 1oblin leaders !umped out of the way, shrieking.
#9(0ou #9(0ou two are in the presence of $is ;a!esty the 8mperor2& =ith a flirtatious voice, a young female wrapped in clothing that e-posed much of her skin retracted her raised right hand. The sparks faded away as soon as she rubbed her thumb on her inde- finger, as though igniting a lighter flame. She slowly stood up, bowed as though she was flaunting her full body and coquettish looks and saluted e-aggeratedly e-aggeratedl y. To 1abriel)s 1abriel)s right, ?assago whistled softly, softly, as if he couldn)t help it. $er mocha(colored skin gleamed as if it had been brushed with oil/ her chest and waist were covered only with enamel leather. $er boots were needle(like high(heeled boots. n her back hung a fur mantle shining black and silver. *ong platinum blonde hair hung below her waist.
$er eye(shadow and lipstick were the color of water/ seductively narrowing her light blue eyes brighter than her makeup, the woman reported her name< name< #*eader of the >ark Sorcerer 1uild, >.+.*. + have D,EEE Sorcerers under my command, and my body and soul all belong to 0our ;a!esty.& ;a!esty.& To these flirtatious flirta tious movements and tempting voice, 1abriel, who had never been controlled by by se-ual desire, merely nodded. The =itch called > blinked a few times, as though she wanted to say something else, but only saluted and kneeled again. A wise de'ision, de'ision, 1abriel thought, and turned his eyes onto the last general 7nit. The silently genuflecting figure here was a $uman, but a middle(aged man of surprising si"e. $is full(body black armor had innumerable scratches on it, but still shone with a blurred glow. n the bowed face, there were visible light scars on his forehead and the bridge of his nose as well. =ithout lifting his face up, a slightly rough baritone came out of the bowed man)s mouth. #>ark :night Commander iksul 7l Shasta. efore devoting my sword3 + wish to ask 0our 0our ;a!esty.& The face that suddenly rose shared the same serious qualities as the few Ireal soldiersJ that 1abriel had seen. 8specially, behind those sharp eyes, there was a certain kind of determination that was completely missing from the other nine generals. The :night called Shasta stared at 1abriel with a ga"e that looked almost piercing, and continued in a low voice< #=hat, is 0our 0our ;a!esty looking forward to, returning re turning to the Throne at this moment%& As e-!e'ted 0 These men are not sim!le !rograms" I must remind mysel% o% this 'onstantly, 'onstantly, 1abriel thought, and with the mask of a I;erciless 8mperorJ, produced an ice(cold response< #lood and terror. 5lames and destruction. >eath and screaming.&
1abriel)s hard voice that resembled sliced metal resounded in the hall/ the e-pressions of all ten generals tightened immediately. immediately. *ooking one by one at the ten faces, 1abriel flipped his robe, raised his right hand and pointed at the western sky. sky. 5rom within his mouth, lines filled with false desire for conquest automatically erupted< #3f the western land loaded with the powers of the gods who e-iled me from the heavens, the protective 41reat 1ate6 will now fall. + have returned3 To To proclaim my power to all2& 5rom Critter, he had learned the most he could about the 45inal *oad Test6 Test6 that was about to commence after a week in internal time. 1abriel added the information to his tirade, continuing in a dramatic tone< #=hen the 1ate falls, the $uman =orld shall fall into the hands of my sub!ects, the People of >arkness2 All + desire is the 4$oly ;aiden6 that shall appear in that land by then2 + shall grant you all the right to do with all other $umans as you wish2 The promised time that all People of >arkness awaited 9 has arrived22&
The air that had become silent once again9 =as shattered by shrill, savage screams. #Giiii!! :iilll22 :ill those white +iiuuums22& The one stamping its feet and screaming was the rc leader, its eyes rolling with anger and desire. +mmediately, +mmediately, two 1oblins raised their arms and followed suit. #Hooooou!! =ar22 =ar22& #rra——!! =ar, war9922& The battle cry instantly spread to other generals and the officers behind them. The black robes among the Assassin 1uild billowed along with bodies as thin as twigs/ the =itches among the >ark Sorcerer 1uild released colorful sparks with flirtatious shrieks. +n the entire wide hall that was filled with primal howls9 1abriel noticed that only the :night called Shasta maintained his kneeling position, without a sliver of movement. =as it due to a soldier)s self(control, or was it due to certain inner thoughts% +t was indiscernible from the statue(like armor. armor.
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#+ didn)t e-pect bro to have that kind of talent2 Ain)t it better for you to become an actor%2& 1abriel snorted at ?assago)s ?assago)s wretched grin, who threw a bottle of wine to 1abriel. #nly when necessary. +t)d be better for f or you to remember the speaking techniques !ust now. Since your rank is higher than theirs.& $e popped the cork of the bottle with his finger/ holding some of the ruby(colored liquid in his mouth, he wondered whether he should s hould drink during a mission. ?assago crudely drank the vintage wine as though it was beer/ he belched and replied as he wiped his mouth< #Compared with orders or playing the part or whatever, + !ust wanna kill on the front line. 0ou 0ou don)t >ive into this powerful ? everyday3 This wine, this bottle, everything looks real to me.& #Comparatively, #Comparatively, it)s going to hurt and bleed if you)re cut. The Pain Absorber doesn)t work in here.& #+sn)t that a good thing%& ?assago smirked and shrugged. 1abriel set his bottle down on the table and stood up from the sofa. The top floor of bsidia was the 8mperor)s private room. +t was not inferior at all compared to the lavish decor in the office of 1low1en >S headquarters, and in addition, the faraway night scenery was visible from an enormous window. window. Although Although not as bright and colorful as that of San >iego, it had a different, fantasy look. The ten generals with the statuses of 5eudal *ords left the castle to prepare for battle, and torchlights danced non(stop, belonging to the porters moving resources from the storage rooms. The $ead of the Commerce and +ndustry 1uild, who had the role of replenishing supplies, had been ordered to deplete all stored stocks of food and equipment in the city, so the soldiers should not suffer from cold or hunger. Turning his eyes away from the countless lights, 1abriel walked to a corner of the room, touching
the purple crystal plate that was set there 9 a system console. $e rapidly manipulated the menu and pressed the button to call an e-ternal observer. The time acceleration ratio decreased, and with a strange feeling of going back to Bive in22& #+t)s already the first night here. Although + understand it, time acceleration is quite fascinating. Anyway, Anyway, everything is proceeding as planned. The preparation of the 7nits will be finished in one or two days, and in two days, an attack against the $uman 8mpire is planned.& #1reat. emember, after securing 4Alice6, please bring her there and use the menu to e!ect her into the ;ain Control oom, then 4Alice6)s *ight Cube will be ours. Also, please tell that idiot ?assago ?assago what + said.& As though he had heard Critter, ?assago)s ?assago)s short curse came from behind. #+ can)t operate with administrator privileges right now, so reconfiguring account data is impossible. +n other words, Captain, if you or ?assago ?assago IdieJ in that world, you can no longer use that super account. 0ou)ll 0ou)ll only be able to start over with a small soldier2& s oldier2& #0eah3 #0eah3 + know. know. + won)t go to the front lines for now. Any movement from the S>5%& #'one right now. +t seems like they haven)t noticed you guys >iving in yet.& #1ood. Then, +)ll cut the connection now. now. The ne-t time + contact you, it)ll be when we)re preparing to leave after securing Alice.& #7nderstood, good luck.& $e closed the communication window, window, and with a slight sense of incongruity, incongruity, the world returned re turned to the accelerated ratio. ?assago was still aside, muttering and cursing while wrestling with a buckle on his armor, and finally threw off all of his outerwear/ he stood up in !ust a leather shirt and pants. #$ey, #$ey, bro. =hy not go have some fun in the city3 cit y3 =e =e can)t, can we%& #ust resist the temptation for now. After getting the target, +)ll give you a night.& #7nderstood. So, no killing no women for today3 Then +)ll head off to bed like l ike a good boy. The room over there is mine.& $is !oints creaking as he stretched, ?assago ?assago disappeared into a neighboring bedroom, and 1abriel took off his crown, e-haling. $e put his gown and robe on the sofa, and threw his sword on top. +n ? games he had played before, the equipment he took off would return to the item storage, but it seems like there were no such conveniences in this world. After a month of living in this room, it would become e-tremely messy, but he would be leaving the castle the day da y after tomorrow, and the ne-t time he came back it would be time to log out. As he unbuttoned his shirt and a nd opened the door across from fr om ?assago)s ?assago)s room, 1abriel)s eyes narrowed in surprise. +n the frighteningly large bedroom, besides the colossal lu-ury bed 9 there was a small silhouette, kneeled on the ground. $e should have already ordered everyone, including the servants, not to enter the floor above the Throne oom. There was actually someone who would defy the order of a god/ what on earth was this% 5or a split(second he wanted to go back and get his sword, but 1abriel entered the bedroom
anyway, and closed the door. #3=ho is it%& $e called shortly. shortly. The answer was a slightly hoarse voice. #3Please allow me to serve as your sleeping partner IDJ tonight.& #$uh%& 5urrowing his brow in surprise, 1abriel slowly walked to the bed in the dark bedroom. The one with both hands on the ground actually was a young woman in thin clothes. $er ash(blue hair was tied high with a decorative ribbon. 5rom the slightly visible lines, he could not see signs of any weapons. $e sat down on the vibrantly colored silk sheets and inquired< #=hose order was this%& After a slight pause, the woman replied in a thin voice< #'obody3 This is only my duty.& duty.& #+s that so%& 1abriel turned away his eyes and fell back in the center of the bed. Seconds later, the woman straightened her upper body and glided onto his right side without a sound. #Please e-cuse me3& 8ven 1abriel could not help but marvel at the beauty of the e-otic(looking lady whispering to him. $er skin tone was slightly dark, but the area around her cheekbones revealed a noble temperament of someone from somewhere in 'orthern 8urope. =atching the woman softly undo her thin clothing and prepare to loosen her decorative hair tie, 1abriel e-perienced a certain moving. Would an arti%i'ial +lu'tlight a'tually do something like this? Een this lady is still not an in'om!lete AI? I% so& to what e-tent o% 'om!letion would the %inished Ali'e hae a'hieed? =hat moved 1abriel, were not the actions of the woman devoting her body. +t was not like that9 She quickly pulled a small, sharp knife out of her hair and raised it high as 1abriel predicted. 1abriel grabbed the woman)s hand with ease and his other hand flashed, f lashed, snatching the woman)s throat and pushing her down onto the bed. #:uh322& The woman clenched her teeth tightly and fought back with all her might, attempting to thrust the small knife. $er wrist strength was greater than e-pected, but not enough to make 1abriel nervous. $e twisted the woman)s arm all the way back, and lightly pressed his thumb into her windpipe, restricting her movements. Although the woman)s face contorted in e-cruciating pain, the determination flashing in her gray eyes did not weaken in the slightest. 5rom her fierce e-pression !ust now, her incomplete makeup and toned body, body, she was definitely not a professional profes sional Assassin. This meant the one with rebellious re bellious thoughts was not the leader of the Assassins, 5er Ga, but one of the other nine generals 9 most
likely within the $uman generals. 8dging his face slightly closer, 1abriel repeated the same question he had asked before. #=hose order is this%& She replied with the same tone. #+t is my own3 will.& #Then, to whom do you report%& #3'obody.& #$mph.& 1abriel thought as a machine without any sliver of emotion. 4AT$6 4AT$6 wanted to break the boundaries of an artificial artific ial 5luctlight, which was their nature to be unable to disobey all rules, laws, and orders from people of a higher priority. Compared to the $uman =orld =orld 5luctlights bound by countless laws, the inhabitants of the >ark Territory seemed able to live more freely, freely, but their nature had not changed. +t was only because there was but one rule for the 5luctlights here that they felt free on the surface. That rule was Ipower dominates allJ. This was a dog(eat(dog world in which people with higher power could dominate those under them. +f A AT$)s T$)s e-periment proceeded as they had planned, the orderly $uman =orld =orld and the chaotic *and of >arkness would clash clas h violently even without 1abriel)s intervention, and would end in a breakthrough by war. ut he did not know why, before the plan had proceeded into that stage, there came a 5luctlight in the $uman =orld =orld that had e-ceeded the boundaries. The spy within AT$ AT$ had not sent s ent any information regarding a similar e-istence in the *and of >arkness. +n other words, this woman who had plotted to kill the 8mperor with a small knife was also a soul bound by absolute law. law. 8ven so, from the situation that even under under 1abriel)s questioning !ust now, now, no, under his order, she did not divulge the identity of her master. maste r. +t proves that this woman, even under the order of 1abriel, an 8mperor who was also a god, she prioriti"ed her loyalty to her master. That is, she thought her master IstrongerJ than the 8mperor. +n that case, to ensure that the battle goes smoothly, it was necessary to properly display his strength to the general and officer 7nits, to show them that 1abriel 9 8mperor ?ector ?ector was the strongest in this world. ut, he couldn)t completely destroy the valuable general 7nits. =hat should he do9 'o. $e had to dispose of one of the generals anyway. A certain person who put the murderous spirit in this woman. $ow should he single out the traitor% Should he contact Critter again, to have him supervise the general 7nits from outside% 'o, that would require ad!usting the time acceleration ratio back to B
you return the era to when the weak were trampled upon22& Again, 1abriel felt a sliver of shock. =as this woman really in the stage before her boundaries were broken% +f so, did her master make her say these lines% 1abriel brought his head closer, ga"ing straight into those gray eyes.
>etermination. *oyalty. *oyalty. The feeling deep within was3 Ah, so it)s like that. +f that was the case, then there was no more need for this woman. To be precise, there was no more need for this woman)s 5luctlight. 1abriel complied with his own decision, and without another word, applied force to his left hand, which grasped the woman)s throat. $e felt bones being crushed. The woman)s eyes widened, and her mouth let out a silent scream. Tightly restraining her struggling limbs, mercilessly tightening his grip around her neck, 1abriel felt a surprise unlike what he felt before. =as this really a virtual world% 'o matter if it was the feeling of muscle and bone breaking that was felt by his left hand, or the frightening, painful smell that came from the bare skin, they all stimulated 1abriel)s five senses much more realistically than the real world. $is body trembled unconsciously, and his left hand refle-ively closed. =ith a muffled crunch, the cervical vertebrae of the unnamed woman were crushed. Then, 1abriel saw it. 5rom the forehead of the woman with eyes tightly closed and teeth clenched 9 floated a prismatic glow. This, definitely was it 9 the Soul Cloud once he had seen when he took away Alicia)s life. +n an instant, 1abriel opened his mouth wide, and sucked in every trace of the woman)s soul. The bitterness of fear, pain. The sourness of regret and melancholy. melancholy. 5ollowing these, 1abriel)s tongue was soaked in the heavenly sweet nectar that could not be described with words. ehind his closed eyelids, a ha"y scene was shining. Small children were playing in the front yard of an old two(story home. There were $umans, 1oblins, and gres. As they looked over, bright smiles appeared on their faces, and they came running, arms wide open. That vision vanished, and was replaced with a certain topless man. A wide, thoroughly e-ercised chest, tenderly tenderl y, powerfully embracing her. #+3love you3 0our 0our 8-cellency3& 8-cell ency3& A tiny voice came, reverberated, and faded away. After all had disappeared, 1abriel still tightly hugged the woman)s body. body. eautiful. $ow beautiful of an e-perience.
1abriel)s consciousness was largely shaken in e cstasy, but shards of logic attempted to find out the reason for this phenomenon. The *ight Cube that held this deceased woman)s 5luctlight was connected with 1abriel)s 5luctlight through the ST*. Therefore, after her *ife, or $it Points became "ero, fragments of her released quantum data could abnormally flow to 1abriel through the network. ut, that kind of theory already mattered nothing to 1abriel. $e e-perienced once more the IphenomenonJ that he had been chasing for his entire life. 1abriel e-tracted and tasted all traces of the woman)s last emotion 9 IloveJ. That was like a drop of nectar falling into a stark desert. ;ore. ;ore. ;ore slaughter sla ughter.. 1abriel)s body threw back in a wide arc, and he let out a wordless guffaw.
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rdering the ten generals and the core members of each legion to line up neatly again, 1abriel watched them with a satisfied look as they respectfully bowed down. 7nder his orders, they had completed preparations for the attack in two days. y the looks of it, maybe these 7nits were even more e-cellent than the fellows sitting on the floor of directors in 1low1en >S. eally, they should !ust be classified as Ifinished productsJ. The perfect ability to carry out orders, with added loyalty. As A+s piloting robots in war, what else would you need on top of that% 8ven so, it should not be forgotten that their loyalty was based on the bug lying in artificial 5luctlights that AT$ AT$ had been eagerly eagerl y trying to get rid of. +t was only because the general principle Ipower dominates allJ was carved into their souls that these ten people would obey the 8mperor, 1abriel 9 no, ?ector. ?ector. ut at the same time, it could also mean mea n that as soon as 1abriel)s power was suspected, anyone could rebel at any moment. moment. This suspicion had already come true. +n the night two days ago, a female assassin sneaked into his bedroom. That woman planned to kill the 8mperor, who had the highest authority. +n her heart, there was a master with a status higher than 1abriel. Someone she called I0our 8-cellencyJ at her last moments. And that person, almost for certain, was one of the ten generals in sight. To her, against 8mperor ?ector, ?ector, her own master was the mightier one. Then, the likelihood of the so(called #0our 8-cellency& not declaring his absolute loyalty to 1abriel was very high. +f he took a 7nit like this to battle, there would also be the likelihood of being betrayed. Therefore, the last task before they went to battle was to single out and dispose of I0our 8-cellencyJ from the ten people before him. At the same time, he could demonstrate the power of the 8mperor to the remaining nine, forever carving the identity of the strongest into their 5luctlights. At this time, 1abriel ;iller did not consider at all the probability of any of the ten 7nits before him catching him off guard 9 in other words, defeating him in a one(on(one fight. To him, the 7nderworld was no more than an e-tension of ? games, and was still under the set impression
that all 7nits here were I'PCsJ.
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>ark :night Commander iksul 7l Shasta maintained his genuflected position, recalling his mentor)s words from twenty years ago, in the >ark :night headquarters training field. #3;y mentor)s mentor)s head was taken ta ken off and he died instantly insta ntly.. ;y mentor was then cut in the chest and died on the way back to the castle. ut even though + lost an arm, +)m alive today. today. =ell, =ell, that)s nothing to be proud of, though.& $is mentor said this, sitting on the glossy black floor with his legs folded under his torso IMJ, as he showed his right arm stump sharply severed on the elbow to Shasta. The wound that was only bound with medicine and gau"e seemed painful !ust !ust by looking at it. The one who had gave him this in!ury about three days ago, was the eternal enemy of the >ark :nights, or the most powerful swordsman in the world, or the most ferocious monster 9 +ntegrity :night ercouli Synthesis ne. #>o you know what this means, iksul%& Twenty(year(old iksul could only scratch his head in confusion. $is mentor slid a hand under his clothes, closed his eyes, and continued softly< #=e)re catching up, gradually.& #Catching up 9 to that person%& 0oung Shasta could not help mi-ing disbelief into his voice. ust three days ago, ercouli had demonstrated his crushing swordsmanship. +n the instant that his mentor)s arm flew high, spurting blood, the piercing feeling that chilled him to the bone like like a pillar of ice still lingered today. #+)ll be E this year. 8ven so, + still don)t feel like +)m holding my sword in the best way, let alone swinging. + think, in five years to ten years) time, that won)t change even after + die.& $is mentor said quietly. #3That way, we short(lived people are unable to achieve what that immortal living for more than LEE years can do. Although it)s pretty embarrassing, even in the instant that our swords cross, + still kept it in mind. ut after fleeing following a miserable defeat, + reali"ed that this is wrong. All this time, my mentor and all the :nights in the past have endlessly challenged that man, but it wasn)t all in vain3 iksul, what is the strongest swordsmanship%& To this sudden question, iksul answered a nswered refle-ively< #A 4Slash of Thoughtlessness6.& #?ery #?ery good. Through long years of training, you unify with your sword. ne strike that you don)t think of how to cut, draw, draw, or move would be the ultimate swordsmanship. ;y mentor taught me this, and + have taught you the same. ut3 iksul, that)s not it. There)s something stronger. stronger. +)ve reali"ed it since +)ve been cut by that monster.& A hint of e-citement floated onto his mentor)s aged, wrinkled face. Shasta maintained his leg(folded seating position, leaned forward, and asked< #Something stronger3 That is%& #The opposite of thoughtlessness. 5irm confidence. +t)s the power of will, iksul.& Suddenly, Suddenly, his mentor stood up from the wooden floor, and waved his right arm stump vigorously.
#0ou see. ack then, + sliced down with a right diagonal slash. +t was e-actly a thoughtless attack/ the fastest + have ever swung my sword in my life. At that moment when + drew my sword, + already had the advantage.& #0es3 #0es3 + thought so as well.& #ut3 ut. 'ormally, my sword should)ve bounced off his defense, but he pressed my sword back, and this arm was sliced off3 Can you believe it, iksul/ in that moment, his sword didn)t even touch mine2& Shasta kept silent, and shook his head dubiously. #$3 $ow could this3& #+t)s the truth. +t was like3 the very path of the sword, was completely altered by some unseen force. +t)s not a spell, nor is it the Armament 5ull Control Art. =e =e can only e-plain it like this< my Slash of Thoughtlessness was defeated by his willpower built up with two hundred years of hard training. ecause he pictured where he wanted my sword to go so intensely, it became the unchanging truth2& Shasta was unable to immediately believe his mentor)s words. The power of will< something amorphous like that can defeat a real, heavy, rigid sword/ no matter what, that can)t be real. +t looked like that Shasta)s mentor e-pected this reaction. Suddenly regaining the formality in his sitting position, on the glossy black floor, he calmly ordered< #kay, #kay, iksul. +)ll teach you my last sword technique. 9 Cut me.& #=hat3 =hat are you saying2 sa ying2 +t)s difficult for you to3& $ave lived so long/ Shasta could only swallow these words. Suddenly, Suddenly, his mentor)s mentor )s eyes flashed with a strong light. #Since + managed to live on, there is even more necessity for you to cut me. Since +)ve been defeated by that man in one stroke, +)m no longer the strongest in your heart. As long as + live, you)re unable to battle that man on equal footing. Cut, no, kill me, and stand at the same height as him3 ercouli22& $is mentor finished and stood, holding his right arm stump as though he was gripping a sword. #'ow, #'ow, stand up2 >raw your sword, iksul22&
iksul cut his mentor, and ended his life. At the same time, he reali"ed with his body the meaning of his mentor)s words. The invisible sword that his mentor)s severed right hand held 9 the sword called IwillJ, let out intense sparks as it crossed with Shasta)s sword, and marked an eternal wound on his face. $is face stained with tears and blood, the young Shasta stood at the "enith that e-ceeded the 4Slash of Thoughtlessness6 9 on the border of the 4Slash of +ncarnation6. Time passed 9 5ive years ago. Shasta finally challenged the archenemy of the >ark :nights, +ntegrity :night Commander ercouli. $e was but D years old, but he felt that his sword had achieved the highest. $is mentor had e-changed an arm for his life, but Shasta had no intention of returning defeated. ecause Shasta had no apprentice as his successor. $e did not want his young apprentice to have the e-ecutioner)s burden, and bear the destiny of having his life sliced away. $e decided to put his life on the line, and sever the blood(stained cycle there and then.
The sword called IwillJ that carried with it all determination and reali"ation, during its first cross with ercouli)s, was not deflected at all. ut in that instant, Shasta already predicted his own loss. $e did not think that he could reproduce a slash of such power. ut, as they crossed swords, ercouli laughed roughly< #0our #0our swordsmanship isn)t bad. +f you only onl y have murderous intent, you will be unable to block my sword. 1o back and think long and hard about the meaning behind my words, and return after five years, little boy.& boy.& Then the +ntegrity :night Commander turned and left. ut Shasta didn)t know why he was unable to swing his sword towards the :night)s back, which looked full of openings. To understand the meaning behind ercouli) erc ouli)ss words, it took a very long time. ut he finally understood what happened now, now, five years later. Then, if Shasta had swung his sword only with hatred and the intent to kill, he would have immediately been defeated. Although it was only one round, he was able to clash with him because he held a reali"ation much heavier than murderous intent. That was 9 gratitude to the mentors who put their life on the line to pass on their knowledge, and a prayer for the young one who will become his successor. Therefore, after receiving news of the $ighest ;inister)s death, Shasta immediately decided to negotiate for peace. $e was confident that, if the other party was ercouli, he would definitely accept. 5or the same reason9 This 8mperor ?ector, ?ector, who suddenly descended on bsidia and decided to wage war without saying sa ying anything else, must be cut to death by Shasta himself. 8ven as he kneeled and bowed his head, Shasta was shaping out the I+ncarnationJ that he must load his killing Slash with. This 8mperor that left the >ark =orld =orld for hundreds of years and suddenly revived was a young man with white skin and golden hair, similar to that of a $uman =orld =orld resident. $is figure and looks were not necessarily charismatic. ut, only his e-traordinarily blue eyes revealed that the 8mperor was not an ordinary man. =ithin those eyes was a IvoidJ. A bottomless abyss sucking in all light. This man concealed a colossal and evil hunger. +f his e-ercised Power of +ncarnation was engulfed by the 8mperor)s void, the blade would be unable to reach him. +f that happened, >ark :night Shasta would lose his life. ut, his will would likely be succeeded by someone after him. $is only regret was that he was unable to convey his determination as he did not see *ipia yesterday. She might be busy with preparation before the attack, or staying in her important IhomeJ. +f he told her his intent to slay the 8mperor, she would definitely not listen and beg to !oin him. +t was better this way. Shasta slowly inhaled, building up. =ith his hand, he quietly touched the sword that was released from his belt and placed on the floor. $e was about B ;el from the throne. $e only had to take two steps to reach it. $e must not let anyone notice. $e must be thoughtless in drawing his sword. Purifying and contracting his Power of +ncarnation to the limit, he in!ected it into his sword through his fingers. Then, he emptied his body. body.
$is left hand gripped the sword9 ust then. The 8mperor spoke nonchalantly with a sound as smooth and rigid as glass< #ust 9 last night, someone infiltrated my bedroom. =ith a short knife concealed in their hair.& hair.& A suppressed gasp wavered the air in the hall. +n the line of the other nine 5eudal *ords to Shasta)s left, someone softly held their breath, another let out a low moan from the depths of their throat, and another shrank back into their thick robes. A few among the officers in the back made sounds as well. Shasta was equally shocked. ;aintaining his stance and style before slicing, he thought for an instant. esides himself, there were others who came to the conclusion of eliminating the 8mperor. 7nfortunately, the fact that the 8mperor was still alive showed that they had failed 9 but which of the nine people sent out the assassin% 'ot the five >emihuman generals. Passing over the 1iant, gre, and and rc, even the shorter 1oblins were unlikely to have dodged the eyes and ears of the guards and infiltrated the top floor. +f he considered the four $uman generals, he could first e-clude the young leader of the 5ighters, +skahn, and the leader of the Commerce and +ndustry 1uild, *engil. +skahn was !ust a straightforward boy who purely aimed at improving his empty(handed combat to the ma-imum, and *engil would love to make a lot of money out of the war. Since the attacker had infiltrated the bedroom, the leader of the Assassin 1uild, 5er Ga, was the most suspicious, and he actually had a few hints for what that man was thinking, but it was pu""ling that a short knife was used. +n the inner depths of dark caves, the Assassin 1uild specially researched the third power apart from >ark Sorcery and ;artial Arts< IPoisonJ. The race of 5er Ga was an organi"ation formed to survive, by those who were not gifted on Priority Priority when it came to controlling weapons and spells. They had a unique restriction< their only allowed weapons were hidden needles and blow darts coated with poison. Short knives were not included. included. +n the same reasoning, the leader of the >ark Sorcerers kneeling right beside Shasta, >.+.*., would be out of the consideration. This woman woman with only desire for status, although she could have have considered taking and raising high the 8mperor)s head, becoming the dominator of the *and of >arkness, the Sorcerers under > would have used spells instead of a short knife. *ooking at it like that, the one who sent the assassin was not any one of the nine generals. The one left 9 could only be himself, the >ark :night Commander Shasta. $owever, he had not the slightest memory of doing that. $e had already decided, when he was going to eliminate the 8mperor, he would swing his sword with his own life on the line. f course he didn)t give an assassination order to any of his men, or even the decision that he had kept secret, not once9 'o. 'o3 Could it be% After the 8mperor finished his words, Shasta thought only for the blink of an eye, and noticed that his left finger on his sword grip had instantly become ice cold. =hat was originally sharp, surging determination instantly inst antly transformed. 5ear. An-iety. An-iety. Terror. Terror. Then 9 it became a certainty of impending misfortune.
Almost at the same time, 8mperor ? ?ector ector opened his mouth a second time< #+ don)t want to question right now, regarding the name of the one who sent the assassin. Souls that use their own power in a desire to obtain more power are e-cellent. +f you want my head, cut me whenever my back is turned.& The 8mperor looked arrogantly at the bustling hall, and for the first time, an emotion floated onto his white face 9 a shallow, light smile. #f course, + hope that you all understand that this kind of gamble carries with it an equal price. 5or e-ample3 like this.& 5rom within his dark robes, a hand e-tended and made a soft gesture. Then, set besides the throne, a small door on the wall east of Shasta opened soundlessly, and a servant girl shuffled in. She held a large silver bowl in her hands< inside was a cube(shaped ob!ect, but it was obscured with a black cloth, so it couldn)t couldn)t be seen in detail. The servant girl set the silver bowl in front of the throne, bowed her head respectfully to the 8mperor, and e-ited through the door. door. +n the deafening silence, the 8mperor wore a crooked smile, e-tended a toe, placed it against the cloth covering the bowl, and kicked it off. Shasta, whose entire body, body, even his thoughts, were fro"en, caught sight of 9 An ice cube, as transparent as the most perfect crystal. Sealed inside, was the forever sleeping face of his lover. #*i3pi3& Shasta)s lips moved soundlessly. The coldness that enveloped his entire body disappeared, and was replaced with endlessly deep, dark emptiness in his heart. Shasta knew that >ark :night *ipia Gankehl was secretly running an orphanage. 'o matter the races, she sheltered and educated children who had lost their parents, siblings, and were about to die on the street. Shasta saw a hopeful future in *ipia)s actions. Therefore, Shasta only told *ipia his own ideals. An endless dream in which the long(term state of war with the $uman =orld would be broken, and a mutually supportive world in which there would be no need for constant snatching and sei"ing would would be created. ut, his own words had driven *ipia to attempt to assassinate the 8mperor, and ended in this grievous result. Although it was the 8mperor who killed her 9 Shasta also had a hand in it. >oubtlessly. Although it was only for a blink of an eye, a storm of insurmountable guilt and remorse raged in Shasta)s empty(feeling chest. +nstantly, +nstantly, it became beca me a black chunk of emotion. ;urderous intent. :ill. $e must kill that lightly smiling man sitting cross(legged on the throne, no matter what. 8ven if he needed to put his own life, and the future of the >ark Territory on the line.
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'ow, 'ow, who is that suspicious I0our I0our 8-cellencyJ% 1abriel watched the ten prostrated *eader 7nits under his eyes with a little bit of interest. The master of the assassin woman whom she so loved. 1abriel had sucked dry all traces of the emotions that tasted of heavenly nectar, that had been released during the woman)s death< not !ust the yearning of the woman, he even understood the feelings feel ings that I0our I0our 8-cellencyJ had for the woman herself 9 although he !ust analy"ed the emotional patterns as data. Therefore, he was confident that when he showed the woman)s head, the one called 0our 0our 8-cellency would definitely take action. $e would mercilessly e-ecute the opposing, rebellious 7nit, and increase the loyalty of the rest of the 7nits through fear. 'o different from the simulation games he had played to kill time in the real world. What a bun'h o% !iti%ul and ha!!y !eo!le" Although they hae real real souls& their intelligen'e is limited& and 'an be re!rodu'ed re!rodu'ed as mu'h mu'h as one wants een i% they are killed and killed again" There will eentually be a day& when the nderworld& its 2ain%rame& and the 3ight *ubes are mine& the hunger that has so !ained me eer sin'e I was young will be 4uen'hed" *eaning his face against his wrist supported by the throne armrest, 1abriel waited, rela-ed. $e was a little more than B meters from the 7nits. 'o matter what attack from any weapon, he could easily counter it with the sword equipped on his left waist. f course, he would be unable to deal with a ISystem CallJ prefi-ed command attack. ut 1abriel)s an-iety had already been wiped clean before they logged in. The super account 41od of >arkness ?ector6 ?ector6 was set up for AT$ AT$ workers to undertake forced f orced operations to the >ark Territory. Territory. Therefore, the $P called *ife would be massive, the equipped e quipped sword would be the strongest/ and on top of all, ?ector ?ector possessed a cheating attribute to prevent all commands targeting him. As 1abriel was protected under so many conditions, even as the leftmost :night out of the ten 7nits, clad in !et(black ! et(black armor, bent his back violently. 8ven as his entire body was covered with a halo like a light shadow. 8ven as he saw sa w the :night)s left hand gripping his sword)s scabbard as fas t as lightning, flicking up his head at the same time, sharp eyes flashing an inhuman crimson from the middle of his iron face 9 $e did not fully understood what had happened sequentially as he failed to reali"e the two facts below< This world, was not only a program e-ecuted by a physical server, but also a 4eal >ream6 that was built with the same photons which human 5luctlights were made out of. And, because of this, the pure and intense murderous intent created by the :night in black, from his *ight Cube to the ;ain ?isuali"er, and through the photon communication circuit, could reach the ST* 1abriel was using.
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+n the middle of Shasta)s blood(red vision, he could only see the 8mperor)s figure. =ith the fastest movement he had ever made in his life, he drew his sword with his right hand. =hat released from its scabbard was the >ivine +nstrument he had inherited from his mentor, the
longsword 4$a"y ;ist6, but not in its normal form of a gray blade " True to its name, a thick mist like a night ha"e encircled the long blade, winding into a vorte-. The logic behind this phenomenon, was the same as the ultimate ability of the +ntegrity :nights that was indiscernible even under long years of research 9 the Armament 5ull Control Art, but all of that seemed insignificant. #KI;;!! & =ith an instantaneous scream, Shasta put all rage, hatred, and grief onto his blade, and heavily swung it over his head.
$ 5rom the northern ends of the $uman 8mpire, to the edge of the 8astern region. 'o matter whether it was +ntegrity :night Alice, or Amayori, who was born in the =estern 8mpire, it was the first time that they had stepped into the land with the most mysteries of the four empires, the 8astern 8mpire 8astabarieth. etween the rolling mountain peaks, surging rivers as blue as glass connected tortuously. tortuously. The villages and streets that occasionally appeared at the river banks were different from the familiar stone architecture of the north/ these were almost entirely constructed with wood. The people who ga"ed up and pointed to the sky at them were all black(haired. Then Alice suddenly remembered that 5anatio, the +ntegrity :night ?ice Commander who could not get along with her, was born here. ;oving her eyes back forward, Alice thought< the :irito leaning on her back and staring blankly at the sky also had !et(black hair, so could he be born in the east% =ould he start to regain his memories if they could land on the streets and let him get in touch with the people here% She soon abandoned this idea, though, as they the y could not delay, not even a second. Camping on rural areas at night, they had rushed full tilt for three days, living on dried fruit and fish that Amayori caught9 +n the afternoon of the second day of the eleventh month, the ;ountain ange at the 8dge that stood as same as its northern section, and a valley as straight as if it had been split by an a-e, entered their sight. #3Can you see it, :irito%& Alice muttered, gently soothing the neck of her beloved dragon that she forced to fly a long distance with a heavy load. 'owadays, since the magical beasts were virtually e-tinct, dragons have become the lifeforms with the highest *ife and Priority. ut, it was definitely not a trifle to carry two people and three >ivine +nstruments. +nstr uments. The strength that Amayori had been accumulating through unrestricted fish consumption had almost been completely depleted. When we rea'h the 'am!& I.ll de%initely !roide her with %resh lamb to her heart.s heart.s 'ontent" Alice 'ontent" Alice thought as she shook the reins/ Amayori replied with a seemingly restless shriek and vigorously flapped her wings. The valley that seemed a crack as thin as paper from faraway was definitely not the same up close. +t was about a hundred ;el wide< wide enough for an army of rcs or gres if they were to enter it in a row. +n front of the valley that straightly sliced the mountain in half, was a grassy field spread as though it was encircling the entrance. n the field, a large campsite comprised of countless white tents
neatly erected in rows. Steam columns from cooking food rose here and there/ around were soldiers training in formation. Alice could almost feel the flashing blades and heavy atmosphere from high up. ;orale was not as low as she had feared 9 but no matter what, their number was definitely too little. 5rom a rough glance, their total number was less than D,EEE. Conversely, Conversely, the >ark Territory invaders must be at least E,EEE. +n the $uman 8mpire, the Sacred Task of Soldier and 1uard were bestowed upon e-tremely few/ in contrast, everyone in the mountains, mountains, regardless of gender or age, was a soldier. +n this situation, it would not make much difference for Alice alone to !oin the battle. ust how does +ntegrity :night Commander ercouli plan to protect the world3% Alice deliberated as she flew over the camp/ she guided the dragon towards the slight darkness of the valley. #Sorry Amayori, Amayori, !ust a little more.& She said/ as the dragon responded with a # kururu&, the mountain peaks obscured Solus)s light. As soon as they entered the valley, chilly air immediately enveloped their bodies. The rocky cliffs to their left and right were perfectly perpendicular, smooth surfaces that could only be the work of a god. 'o organisms, not even vegetation, were visible. After slowly gliding for a few minutes9 Through the thick blanket of mist, an unbelievably colossal structure eventually became visible. #+s this the3 41reat 8astern 1ate63%& The vertically standing gray gra y door was probably three hundred ;el from top to bottom. Although it was not as tall as the five(hundred(;el Central Cathedral of the A-iom Church, the gravity of both did not differentiate between heights. The most shocking fact was that the double doors were constructed with one stone slab each, without any gap at all. An e-istence of this caliber naturally could not have been carved by human hands/ even creation by b y way of Sacred Art processing would be absolutel y impossible. The largest structures that the $ighest ;inister Administrator ever constructed were the 4+mmortal =alls6 that divided Central Capital Centoria into four, but each stone slab that connected to form them was far smaller than this huge door. door. +n other words, this great door was placed here by the hand of a god in order to divide these two worlds 9 and, in order to instigate the tragedy that would come three hundred years later. #Stop here, Amayori.& $aving Amayori Amayori halted in the middle of the air, Alice looked again up at the great door from fr om a closer distance. At the altitude of about two hundred ;el, there was Sacred Te-t inscribed across the pair of doors made out of gray stone slabs. #-estru&t9 "t9 The, )ast, sta/e9 & Although she tried hard to pronounce one line in the middle, she had not an inkling of their meaning. ust as she was thinking with her head tilted, suddenly, a wave of frightening scratching and cracking noises shook the air, stunning Alice and Amayori. =hen Alice patted the dragon)s dragon)s neck to comfort her and stared at the scene, she saw a portion of the great door, that had been perfectly smooth before, developing a crack that resembled lightning that was e-tending downward. As the crack stretching tens of ;el long eventually stopped, bits of stone broke off around the
crack, and disappeared into the deep valley. Alice raised her head and looked again at the great gate< the cracks and falling stone were not !ust confined to one area. +t would be better to say that the giant door was nearly covered with a mesh of fissures and cracks. Alice gently shook the reins, coa-ing Amayori as close to the great door as possible. She gingerly reached out her left hand, rapidly drew the Seal of Stacia in midair, and softly tapped the surface of the door. A purple 4=indow6 4=indow6 popped out, describing the full *ife capacity and current value of the 1reat 8astern 1ate. The number on the left was the highest *ife she had ever seen 9 more than three million. ut the one on the right was less than one thousandth of that< L@. =hile she sitting staring at it, stunned, the current value was subtracted by one in front of her eyes. Sweat beading on her palms, Alice counted the amount of time it took for the number to decrease. She then estimated the time until the *ife would completely deplete. #3 +t can)t be3& +n disbelief of her own conclusion, Alice mumbled< #3 5ive days3 There are only five days left33%& The door that had stood dignified between the two worlds for over three hundred years, would collapse after five days 9 how was this possible% Selka)s bright smile, old man 1aritta)s tanned, deeply wrinkled face, and her father 1asupht)s 1asupht)s grave frown 9 passed through Alice)s mind. +t was only a few days ago that she had repelled the 1oblins that had attacked them, and sealed the cave with ice. She had thought that those actions would bring peace to ulid that could last quite some time. As soon as the great gate collapses five days later, the >ark Army would swarm in like insects, and if our defensive army was unable to defend, the bloodsucking monsters would gush into the $uman 8mpire like floodwater. This flood would soon reach the northern border, and ulid would be engulfed. #=e have to3 =e have to do something about it3& Alice muttered to herself as if in a dream, as she unconsciously pulled the reins. After moving away from the stone slab about to collapse, Amayori slowly rose up, and stopped roughly at the height of three hundred ;el, at the top of the door. door. ehind the door, the valley continued in the same unbending way, way, as though splitting the mountain. $owever, what appeared there was not blue sky and green plains, but the blood(red sky and the desolate, cinder(speckled wilderness of the >ark Territory. erritory. Alice did not want to see this unsettling sight, but as she narrowed her eyebrows, focusing 9 n the ha"y, great black landscape, a tiny waving light was visible. 7rging Amayori higher, she fi-ed her ga"e afar. There was not !ust one light, but many e-tending outwards irregularly. irregularly. onfires. A camp. The vanguard of the >ark Army were waiting with their f ists held up, for the great door to collapse and the way to the $uman 8mpire to open. #5ive days3 remaining3& Alice mumbled softly again.
+mmediately, she turned the dragon around and retraced her path towards the valley entrance. +f she looked at those countless bonfires for long, she felt that she would be consumed by a massive urge to attack them alone. 8ven if that really happened, if the opponent were merely 1oblin or rc foot soldiers, she was still confident that she would be able to take the heads of one or two hundred before retreating unharmed. ut if there were gre crossbow archers or legions of >ark Sorceresses within the enemy, things would not be so easy. Although it was said that +ntegrity :nights possessed the strength of a thousand in one, it was only one, after all. +f a :night was confronted with a focused long(range attack from afar where neither their swordsmanship nor their Sacred Arts were able to match, they would definitely suffer in!uries. 8ven if the in!uries were light, their *ife would eventually drop to "ero as in!uries build up over time. That was what :night Commander ercouli had worried for years, the greatest weakness of the +ntegrity :nights 9 also of the $uman 8mpire)s defense. =ith Administrator, the stickler for gathering power, deceased, the large amount of defense weapons buried in the Cathedral were already distributed among the hurriedly assembled guard team. ut their remaining time was too little. At least, if they had BE,EEE soldiers, and a year of preparation9 =ith a soft sigh, Alice pushed away these meaningless thoughts and motioned for Amayori to land.
At the center of the guard team camp, there was a large clearing. Seeing huge tents neatly erected beside it, Alice knew that that the clearing could only be a landing field for dragons. 5lying down and landing in an arc, Amayori turned her head to the tent as her talon !ust touched the grass, and let out a # kururu & call, as if she were trying to be cute. Ouickly, Ouickly, a slightly lower call ca ll responded. That was probably her brother(dragon, Takiguri. Takiguri. As soon as the dragon came ca me to a stop, s top, Alice held :irito, !umped down onto the grass, and helped Amayori Amayori unload the heavy load on her feet. +mmediately, Amayori Amayori shot e-citedly towards the tent, and rubbed heads with her brother, who had e-tended his head out of the tent. Alice couldn)t help but smile. $owever, she instantly noticed footsteps approaching from behind, and frantically tightened her face. She ad!usted her plain skirt and tucked her wind(blown hair behind her back. efore she could turn around, a familiar, easygoing voice rang across the landing field. #;entor2 ;y mentor Alice(sama22 + knew you would come22& The one sliding over with pattering footsteps was +ntegrity :night 8ldrie Synthesis Thirty(ne, whom Alice had drunk a glass of parting wine with ten days da ys ago. Although Although they were in a long(term camp, his pattan(colored long curls and silver(white armor were as spotless as always. #3 0ou 0ou seem spirited.& 7nfa"ed by Alice)s cold words, 8ldrie was about to say a lot more as if he was deeply touched, but his lips instantly fro"e. +t was because he had noticed the black(haired youth that Alice supported with her left hand. Straining one side of his face, throwing back his head, the young :night put on a look of disbelief and said< #So3 you brought him here. =hy%& Alice threw out her chest in defiance and replied< #+t is obvious. + have sworn to protect him.&
#(but3 +f the war begins, we +ntegrity :nights will need to be at the very front line. =hat do you plan to do when you you are crossing swords with the enemy% To To fight while carrying him on your your back is definitely not the wisest decision.& #+f + need to, + will do so.& Supporting :irito)s frail body that was unable to stand on its own, as if she was trying to pull it away from 8ldrie)s sight, Alice drew her right foot back. ut, somehow, somehow, the squads of soldiers and lower +ntegrity :nights on break had all gathered around the landing field, looking at Alice and :irito leaning together with surprised e-pressions. To drown out the wave(like hubbub, 8ldrie retorted sharply s harply.. #0ou #0ou cannot burden yourself with him, my mentor2 Please forgive my directness, but if you carry this useless load to battle, not only will your strength be halved, it is very likely that you will fall into danger yourself2 +n the coming battle, Alice(sama will3& $e interrupted himself, and suddenly pointed at the surrounding swordsmen with an ornate silver armguard. #3be responsible as their leader in battle2 $ow can you not give this your all%2& $e had a point. Although he was not wrong, Alice could not easil y reply with F+ understand). To To herself, which one 9 protecting the world, protecting :irito/ both were equally important. Alice clenched her teeth as she thought of a way to e-plain this. At the same time, she was somehow surprised at 8ldrie)s enthusiastic speech. +f compared to the +ntegrity :night 8ldrie that was undergoing Alice)s tutoring in swordsmanship, he had changed significantly significantl y. Then, he had worshipped Alice, and had listened to her no matter what she told him to do. The people in the world had their right eyes sealed by the mysterious 4utside 1ods6, absolutely not defying laws or authority. To To Alice)s Alice)s knowledge, the only ones who have successfully broken the seal were herself, and the deceased lue ose Swordsman 8ugeo. 8ven the highest minister Administrator and the sage Cardinal, said to have Authority of 1ods, were unable to defy that seal. +n other words, 8ldrie was supposed to be still under the control of that seal. ut now 9 he was not directly disobeying Alice)s words 9 but he was definitely not in a state of Iblind loyaltyJ like before. $e could think for himself, and convey his his own thoughts. The reasons for this change was likely to be :irito, and 8ugeo. Although he had only come into brief contact with the two biggest traitors in the world, they had certainly deeply moved 8ldrie)s soul. As Alice recalled, even her sister Selka living in ulid, occasionally revealed dissatisfaction with the formal regulations on the village and resilient figures of authority. Also, the two female students who rushed to where they were when Alice was about to take :irito and 8ugeo from Centoria Training Academy. Academy. As normal citi"ens, and young girls, to actually call an +ntegrity :night to stop was in itself impossible. And, not to mention 9 even Alice herself had been affected. efore she crossed swords with :irito and fell out of the Cathedral, she held not a sliver of doubt against the structure of the world, the rule of the Church, and the godliness of the $ighest ;inister. $owever, in the time that she had to !oin forces with him to repel danger, accept a truce, and climb up the outer wall, :irito)s voice, sword, and pitch(black eyes strongly moved Alice 9 eventually breaking the Seal of the ight 8ye3 0es, :irito is the sledgehammer that swings towards this world full f ull of false peace and harmony. $e
e-pended the strength hidden in his soul, to move the world, shake, and eventually shatter the ancient nail calling itself the A-iom Church, that was driven into the center of the world. ut, as price to pay, pay, he sacrificed his friend 8ugeo and guide Cardinal, and lost his own heart3 Alice tightly hugged the twig(like body that she supported with her left hand. Then, she looked directly at 8ldrie. She wanted to say it. 5ou are who you are today be'ause you %ought him" ut, he definitely would not understand it. As far as the +ntegrity :nights were concerned, :irito was still no more than a hateful traitor. Towards Alice who stood there silently, 8ldrie wore an e-pression that looked like he was resisting heavy pain, and !ust as he was about to continue. At this time, the wall of people around them, as though parted by the hand of a giant, was suddenly cut open. The voice that reached her ears from somewhere deep in the crowd, made Alice felt so tearfully nostalgic and painfully nervous. #$ey, #$ey, don)t get so s o worked up, 8ldrie.& *ooking away from the young :night straightening his back, Alice slowly turned around to the owner of the voice. A front(gathered robe full of east region style worn loosely. loosely. A sash tied slightly low. A plain longsword stuck casually on his left waist. Strange wooden shoes hung off of his feet. This was an outfit far more casual than that of those worn by the surrounding :nights and soldiers. ut, the gravity that effused from the completely trained, tr ained, gigantic body, body, was thicker, heavier than any armor. Sweeping his ice(blue hair that was trimmed very short, and of a similar color to his clothes, the owner of the voice grinned< #h, little girl. 0ou)re more spirited than + imagined/ that reassures me. $as your face gotten plumper%& #3 !i(sama. +t has been a long time.& Alice held back her tears with all her might, and saluted to the world)s oldest, strongest swordsman 9 +ntegrity :night ercouli Synthesis ne. +n the si- years of Alice)s life as an +ntegrity :night, she had only opened up to one person, revered him as her mentor, and admired him as her father. At the same time, she was sure that in this world, he was the only one 9 apart from :irito 9 who she could not win against. Therefore, she absolutely could not weep in front of him. +f ercouli said that they could not keep :irito here, she could only obey. obey. f course, the Alice now could not be forced by even ercouli)s orders. ut, if she disobeyed in front of everyone else, it would disturb the order of the :nights and guards. +n this situation in which they had but five days until the decisive battle, she absolutely absolutel y could not harm ercouli)s leadership authority in any way. way. As though he had seen completely seen through Alice)s inner hesitation, ercouli slowly walked over, the corners of his mouth maintaining a plain, gentle smile. 1a"ing into Alice)s eyes, he nodded forcefull y. Then, the :night Commander suppressed 8ldrie with a glance, who looked about to say something, and turned to look at :irito, in Alice)s arms. ercouli tightened his mouth. A light like bluish(white flames accumulated into those sharp eyes.
ercouli inhaled a deep breath. Then, Alice felt the air around her swiftly becoming cold. #3!i(sama3& Alice squee"ed out a strained voice. ercouli was building up his aggressive energy. $e was preparing to release one of the 4+ncarnation Techniques6 only inheritable by +ntegrity +ntegrit y :nights3 The 4Slash of +ncarnation6, a secret technique more powerful than the 4Arm of +ncarnation6 that could move ob!ects with the power of one)s mind. +mbuing his concentrated will into a sword, and releasing it. That invisible blade could sometimes parry the tangible blade of an enemy. enemy. The Armament 5ull Control Art of the :night Commander)s >ivine +nstrument, the 4Time Piercing Sword6 that could cut even the future, was a technique that first came into e-istence based on ercouli)s crushing willpower. willpower. +n other words 9 did ercouli plan to slice :irito% +f he was literally going to finish the problem off, then that would be the only thing that Alice could absolutely not accept. +f it came to that, Alice must draw her own sword to protect :irito. Suppressed by the :night Commander)s e-tremely crushing a ggressive energy, energy, no matter whether it was the surrounding soldiers, or 8ldrie, or even the dragons under the tent, everyone sank into a deep silence. +n the air compressed so tightly to the point of suffocation, Alice commanded her right hand fingers to move with all her might. ut, !ust as Alice touched her beloved sword)s sword)s hilt, the corners of ercouli)s mouth twitched, and a telepathic sound came. 9+t)s okay, okay, little girl. #33%2& +n that instant when Alice held her breath. ercouli)s body was completely still, but his two eyes flashed a terrifying light. At the same time, in Alice)s Alice)s arms, :irito)s body !erked violently. KI0! =ith a rough noise, the space between ercouli and :irito reverberated with a silver flash.
9This is%2 Alice gasped in shock, but ercouli smiled !ovially as though his aggressive energy !ust now was a fantasy. #3!i(sama3%& Turning towards the numbly mumbling Alice, the :night Commander scratched scra tched his wide chin, the same as when they had practiced together before< #*ittle girl, did you see that !ust now%& #0e3 #0e3 0es, 0es, + did. 8ven though it was !ust an instant3 insta nt3 +t appeared to be the flash of a sword clash3%& #0eah. + released not a Slash but a light Stab of +ncarnation at that young man. +f it had struck, it would probably have sliced a bit of skin off of his face.& #+f it3 struck% Then that means3& #+ndeed, he stopped it. That young man used his own 4+ncarnation6.& Alice could not help but stared at the face of :irito, supported by her left arm. ut, her e-pectations were shattered. +n the slightly open black pupils, there was only empty
darkness. 'o e-pression whatsoever, as always. alwa ys. 9ut, his body did tremble, !ust !ust now. now. Alice soothed :irito)s hair with her right hand, and looked at ercouli. The :night Commander shook his head slowly, and said assuredly< #+t seems like that young man)s heart is really not here3 ut, it isn)t dead. *isten, the young man was not trying to protect himself, but you, little girl. So, someday, he)ll be back. + think so. Perhaps, when you really need him, it)ll be the time, little girl.& Alice could only blink back her tears more forcefully than before. 90es, 90es, he will definitely come back. 9ecause :irito3 :irito is the strongest swordsman in the world. $e swung two swords and even killed that demi(immortal. 9Come back for me3 is what + wouldn)t wouldn)t say. say. Come back, for the sake of the many people, living here in this world3 Alice could not resist anymore/ she unhesitantly and tightly hugged :irito. The didactic voice of the :night Commander passed as if it were a hand comforting Alice, soothing her hack< #So, 8ldrie. >on)t say it so selfishly like that, !ust one more young man, take care of him..& #ut3. ut3& The youngest +ntegrity :night 8ldrie e-pressed his opinions to the oldest +ntegrity :night ercouli with spirit that may said to be impressive. #+t would be acceptable if he had the least bit of strength, but in this state3 esides, even if he recovered, what can the sword of a student do3%& #$ey, hey.& =ith a calm smile, ercouli)s words were as sharp as knives. #$ave you forgotten% This boy)s boy)s partner has won against even me. $e)s beaten the +ntegrity :night Commander ercouli Synthesis ne.& +nstantly, the entire grassy field was silent again. #That kid called 8ugeo3 $e)s strong, stronger than you can believe. + even used the Armament 5ull Control Art of my Time Piercing Sword. + still lost. As you, >eusolbert, and 5anatio did.& 'ow, 'ow, 8ldrie was at a loss for words. f course, a swordsman winning one(on(one against ercouli, no matter among the +ntegrity :nights, or in the >ark Territory Territory on the other side of that door, shouldn)t e-ist 9 everyone in the A-iom Church strongly believed this . ut, in a certain meaning, wasn)t this a declaration that was too dangerous% :night Commander ercouli was able to lead the assembled guard with the authority of the strongest one. ut, he made known the e-istence of a swordsman 8ugeo whom he had been defeated by 9 and even approved that 8ugeo and :irito had equal strength, then3 As Alice thought up to this point, !ust as she was about to raise her head. ercouli suddenly looked to the sky with a spasm(like !erk. #3!i(sama3%& At Alice)s Alice)s inquiry, the :night Commander replied with une-pected words< #Somewhere far, far away, a wave of overwhelming fighting intent e-panded in an instant, and disappeared3 Someone + know, know, has died3&
< The Ten Ten 5eudal *ords that formed f ormed the >ark 8mpire Ten 5eudal *ord ;eeting were completel y different in personality, character, and hidden ambitions, but there was one aspect that they were all the same in. That was their better understanding than anyone else of the one law that IPower dominates allJ. +t was better to say that this law was carved into them since youth, and through endless diligence 9 training themselves or eliminating non(conformists 9 they ultimately mounted the summit of this world that washed blood away awa y with blood. Therefore, when the other nine 5eudal *ords, who stood in line with >ark 1eneral Shasta in the Throne oom, saw the rightmost >ark :night draw his sword against the 8mperor with sudden vigor, none of them felt surprised in their hearts. +n fact, most understood it as #h, you)re brave enough to make a move here/ you)re pretty bold.& 8ven the 8lders of the rcs and gres whose language skills and intelligence had deteriorated over three hundred years, thought #'ow we can see this 8mperor guy)s guy)s power,& flashing their beast(like beast( like eyes sharply. 8ven the young 5ist 5ighter *eader, who respectfully regarded Shasta as an equal e qual who trained to better his own battle techniques, offered silent words of support< #Since you)ve pulled out your sword, slash the 8mperor.& =ithin them, there were only two who predicted this situation seconds before it happened. ne of them was the >ark Sorceress 1uild *eader, >.+.*. She harbored intense feelings of enmity towards Shasta/ long since planning to kidnap the >ark 1eneral)s 1eneral )s lover, lover, she had known *ipia)s appearance for a long time. Therefore, she was contrarily even more surprised when she saw *ipia)s fro"en head. Predicting that this would probably cause Shasta to e-plode in anger and draw his sword, > deliberated over what to do in that situation. Although she wanted to backstab Shasta and do the 8mperor a favor to take advantage of him, > eventually chose to watch from the sidelines. +f Shasta lost against the 8mperor, then all would be well/ if Shasta won, he would be deeply wounded, and then she would scorch her enemy and take over the >ark 8mpire herself. > chuckled silently as she suppressed her e-citement by licking her lips. ut there was another person who had noticed the >ark 1eneral)s intent of betrayal 9 And now immediately took action.
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=ith only the word #:+**& in his mind, Shasta violently swung his beloved sword. +f only the intensity of the 4+ncarnation6 fused into the Slash was measured, it already clearly passed his strike while he crossed blades with +ntegrity :night ercouli. $is rage and e-clamation were so intense that the Armament 5ull Control Art, which would ordinarily require a proliincantation, was immediately evoked. Shasta)s longsword 4$a"y ;ist6 was a >ivine +nstrument(class b!ect automatically generated two hundred years ago in the 7nderworld as part of the ?;; package. +ts property was I= I=aterJ/ aterJ/ now, now, reflecting Shasta)s e-tremely strong murderous intent, the blade transformed tra nsformed into a mist(like shadow without losing its absolute killing power. The special quality of the $a"y ;ist in the state of Armament 5ull Control was to completely omit
the attacking process of what all swords inherently held, Idealing damage by splitting or running through the target ob!ect with a sharp bladeJ. +n the instant that one touched the long stream of mist, damage akin to a normal slash would be dealt to his *ife. +n other words, other than avoiding it, all forms of defense would be meaningless. +n the instant that Shasta drew his sword, 1abriel ;iller, as 8mperor ?ector, ?ector, drew his own sword from his waist and was about to parry his opponent)s attack. +f things continued like this, Shasta)s mist blade would pass through 1abriel )s sword, strike 1abriel)s body, body, and in!ect all of the compressed killing intent. $owever, as he was moved at lightning speed, right before he released the killing blow. blow. Shasta fro"e. $e did not know when, but under his left shoulder on the >ark 1eneral)s heavy armor, within a !oint of the thick plating, a throwing needle was stuck deeply there. The one slowly standing up behind him was a ghostly thin figure entirely wrapped in a dark gray robe. The *eader of the Assassin)s 1uild, 5er Ga. The one hiding behind shadows who had the weakest e-istence among the ten 5eudal *ords and uttered almost not a word during conferences. $e glided forward, perhaps in the most striking way he ever had in his life. 5er Ga was able to notice Shasta)s actions before everything happened only because he was the most cowardly and neurotic of the ten 5eudal *ords. The Assassin)s 1uild was actually a family where weaklings congregated. +t was a group created for people who was born giftless in physicality, physicality, magic, wealth or other other qualities, but re!ecting a torturing, freedomless life of slavery, in order to hone the IPoison TechniqueJ that was shunned even by the >ark Territory. The poisonous b!ects in the 7nderworld, such as a portion of insects, snakes, and plants, were originally configured as a part of the *oad Tests. Therefore, their effects were restricted to the level that the inhabitants could easily recover if they used the required knowledge. Conversely speaking, there was virtually no way to obtain enough strength from it to confront Art rituals and swords. $owever, the people who founded the Assassin)s Assassin)s 1uild invented the 4condensation6 technique unconceived even by 4AT$6 4AT$6 technicians, and over an immensely long period of time, painstakingly produced and strengthened poison. poison. The Assassin)s 1uild headquarters headquarters set deep under the slum streets of this castle(centered city even had a large cauldron that had been boiling the !uice of poisonous fruits for a hundred years, and numerous pots that collected poisonous snakes from everywhere to make them cannibali"e each other. ut the painstakingly completed I*ethal To-inJ instead brewed up a tragic internal strife, rampant with clandestine killings within the 1uild. >ifferent from Art rituals and all weapons, it was e-tremely difficult to search out the poisonous attacker since the poison)s effects may be delayed. Therefore, it was inevitable that the 1uild leader would be unable to stay alive if he was not e-tremely paranoid. $e must be able to notice the eyesight of those around him, no, even be able to feel an insignificant sliver of murderous intent hiding in the air. To 5er Ga, the killing intent released by Shasta once he saw *ipia)s head was stronger than even the smell of blood. And >ark 1eneral Shasta was the person whom 5er Ga despised the most in the world. The number of assassination plots he had planned and discarded until now was countless. $e was confident that he could achieve the murder. $owever, if the cause of death was discovered to be poisoning, anyone would would know it was the Assassin 1uild)s doing. doing. An hour after Shasta)s Shasta)s death, the
immeasurably powerful >ark :nights would have attacked the Assassin)s 1uild headquarters and quickly kill them all. A direct battle would have no victor. ut, now, now, if it was in this instant. $e was in the right by piercing his enemy)s body with well(sharpened poisonous darts. ecause in the seconds that he drew his sword to take the 8mperor)s head, Shasta was no longer a >ark :night, or a 5eudal *ord/ he was a mere traitor. The things that 5er Ga pulled out of his robes and threw were hidden weapons passed down through generations of leaders of the Assasin)s 1uild. They were e-tremely thin metallic needles by the name of Iubelir To-ic SteelJ, cut from a dangerous ore capable of secreting se creting numbing to-in, and concealable in one)s palm. After they were hollowed out, various poisons could be stored inside. Stored inside was a lethal to-in, a collection of the essence of the Assassin 1uild)s techniques. 1athering rare parasites by the name of Ilood Corroding *eechesJ, crushing fifty thousand of them together, and a number of condensations and filtrations would yield only a single drop of the poisonous liquid. Since all attempts to breed and raise this type of leech had failed, !ust the task of creating one drop of poisonous liquid would require an e-tremely high effort. f course, one thing that 5er Ga could not possibly know was that every moving creature in the 7nderworld were all generated by the system according to specified values per each area unit/ other than livestock 7nits, such as sheep and cows, all other artificial breeding was impossible. +n other words, the poisonous needle that 5er Ga released was concentrated with all of the power of the Assassin)s Assassin)s 1uild from the material used to the poisonous liquid inside. Simultaneously, they could also be described as the crystalli"ation of the resentment of the weak who had suffered hundreds of years of abuse.
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As Shasta had concentrated all of his willpower onto his swinging sword, he almost failed to notice the pain of a metallic needle piercing pier cing deeply into his body. ut in the instant that he prepared to !ump high towards the Throne, his entire body became as heavy as lead, and he suddenly widened his eyes. $is feet lost their strength/ as he dropped to one knee with a &ra&k , he finally felt a foreign ob!ect in his left abdomen. 9 6oison? 9 6oison? After a split(second thought, before an ice(like numbness spread to his left hand, he quickly pulled out the needle. As Shasta reali"ed that this small, toy(like weapon was gleaming a brilliant green, he quickly understood that it was the accursed ubelir To-ic Steel and immediately began c hanting a counter(Art. $owever, travelling at a terrifying speed, the coldness spread to his entire body from his left abdomen, quickly reaching his mouth. $is tongue lost all feeling before he could finish !ust the activation command I System Ca))J/ he could not even clench his teeth. $is left hand was also paraly"ed/ the poisonous needle made a slight sound as it slipped out of his hand and dropped onto the black marble floor. 5inally, 5inally, his right hand that was holding his longsword high also began to drop slowly, and at the same time the longsword)s elease ecollection state was also lifted< the blade transformed from gray mist back into its tangible form and its tip touched the floor.
$e was fro"en to e-actly the same pose as he was before he drew his sword< left knee on the floor with his head bowed. The black lap of a robe silently appeared in Shasta)s vision. 9 +er 9 +er 7a" 9 I 9 I didn.t didn.t e-!e't to be ambushed by this guy" guy" #3 0ou)re 0ou)re definitely thinking3 F$ow could + lose to this unmentionable little lit tle thing), aren)t you, iksul.& $earing a scratchy sound from above, Shasta could only move his eyes and put on a severe e-pression. 9 What makes a guy like you address me with su'h %amiliarity$? #0ou #0ou want to say that + don)t have a good reason to call you by your name, right% ut, it)s it )s definitely not the first time +)ve called you iksul, you know%& Slowly coiling his robes on the floor and kneeling down to the same height, the Assassin)s face took up the ma!ority of Shasta)s vision. ut a deep hood completely obscured the light and all was shrouded in darkness e-cept for his protruding chin. The chin moved as if it was trembling, and an even scratchier voice flowed out of the darkness. #0ou3 #0ou3 don)t remember, do you% The faces of many kids whom you completely defeated in the 0outh School, and one of them who could not bear the humiliation, !umped into a water ditch, disappeared from the sschool chool forever.& 9 What? What is this man saying? The 5outh 5outh S'hool? As the son born of a nameless :night, Shasta was shut into a 0outh 0outh School affiliated with the >ark :nights from the moment when he could grasp a wooden sword, regardless of whether he agreed or not. 5rom then on, what remained in his memory was the day(to(day training that his life depended on. $e won practically every selection test/ when he caught his breath he had already been appointed as an fficer of the >ark :nights, selected by his mentor, the former :night Commander 9 that was half of his torrential life, devoid of any opportunity to look back upon it. f course, he had no way of remembering the kids whom he had swung wooden swords with together thirty years ago. #3ut, + forgot not a single day, day, you know. know. 5rom the time when + floated to the underground culvert, picked up by the Assassin)s 1uild, in the eternity during which + was fre freely ely ordered around as a slave, +)ve always remembered3 + built up my knowledge, invented many new poisons, and eventually became the leader of the 1uild. As the price to pay, + lost so much3 ut all of it was for vengeance, iksul.& At the same as the contorted voice broke off, the hood tilted slightly, and 5er Ga e-posed his face in front of Shasta)s eyes. $e still could not remember. 'o, even if Shasta could completely remember his former classmates, he would not have recalled this man)s name, because, perhaps due to some unknown effects of the poison, 5er Ga)s Ga)s face was severely deteriorated, into a form so bi"arre that even an rc would be frightened. =ithin the hood that was pulled down again, there were only two eyes flashing an intense light. #The poison now in!ected into your body is developed specifically to kill you, collected drop by drop, spending time on it long enough to drive one cra"y cra" y. According to my e-periments, it can even e ven kill a large(type 1round >ragon with a *ife higher than tha n DE,EEE in under an hour. =ith =ith your *ife, +)m afraid there are only two or three minutes left. So3 +t)s time for payback. ;y hatred and humiliation that + imbued onto you.&
9 Hatred& 9 Hatred& huh? huh? Shasta moved his eyes away from 5er Ga and stared at the poisonous needle lying on the black marble floor. 9 I 9 I was drien by rage and hatred hatred to murder the Em!eror Em!eror"" +er 7a in8e'ted this wea!on with e-a'tly the same strength to kill me" There%ore& my Slash sto!!ed" The 9In'arnation o% Slaughter: 'annot win against the 9In'arnation o% ighteousness:" #e%ore& the sword te'hni4ue I mastered when I 'rossed swords with that man$ Integrity )night *ommander #er'ouli; in the last 'riti'al moment& I still %orgot it all$ 7nable to support even his position with one knee against the ground, Shasta fell to the left and slid onto the floor. +n the middle of his blurred vision, at where the needle pointed9 There was the cube of ice inside the silver bowl. RRR 5er Ga, the avenger originally named 5errius Galgatis, opened his eyes wide, as if he was savoring the instance of !oy he had worked so hard for. >ark 1eneral Shasta, who had been playing with glory, was now lying under 5er Ga)s feet. $is skin, tough for his age, had turned the color of dirt/ his sharp ga"e was fading away, and his breath was close to stopping. =hat an ugly and pitiful way of dying. 0et Shasta)s death also proved the superiority of Poisoning Techniques Techniques over swordsmanship and >ark Sorcery. =ith =ith this new kind of comple- poison made out of ubelir To-ic To-ic Steel and lood Corroding *eeches, !ust one needle would not only forcefully prevent the enemies from drawing swords or chanting Arts, but also induce their rapid death. After seeing this sight, the 8mperor on the Throne would also als o reali"e how valuable the Assassin)s Assassin)s 1uild was. =hen mass(production of the new poison was complete, there would be no more need to please the :nights and Sorcerers. $e could redeem his name, return to the Galgatis Clan that disowned him, and take over the family as a new dictator3 5er Ga, whose entire body shook as he was into-icated in the "enith of e-uberance, completely overlooked the fact that outside his field of vision, the blade of Shasta)s sword was slowly melting back into mist.
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9 3i!ia" 9 3i!ia" efore his *ife ran out, Shasta called out within his heart the name of the only woman he ever loved. *ipia must have decided to assassinate the 8mperor because she was desperate in reali"ing the arrival of the new age that she had heard from Shasta. ecause she believed, as soon as the war of three hundred years ended and new laws and regulations were allowed to shine upon the >ark 8mpire, then the orphans, even those who would either starve to death or become temporary slaves would gain the privilege to live happy lives. 9 +er 9 +er 7a" 9 5ou were de%eated in the 5outh S'hool? 5ou 'ouldn.t swallow the loss& so you wanted to end yoursel%?
9 #ut& 9 #ut& at least you had your o!!ortunity o!!ortunity"" 5ou 5ou had !arents !arents who !aid your tuition& three three meals eery day& day& a warm bed and a shelter %rom the rain" In this world& how many more young lies had their lowest !riileges stri!!ed s tri!!ed %rom them at birth& used like they were trash& and disa!!eared? 9 +or 9 +or this world& 3i!ia risked her li%e to 'orre't it" I won. won.tt let her In'arnation be in ain" 5our 5our !atheti' little !ersonal hatred will be00< #3(T (= > W">!!& Shasta)s mouth, which was supposed to be completely numb, let out a terrifying roar/ at the same time, a gray tornado spun high in the air from the >ark :night)s right hand. This was eleasing ecollection of a >ivine +nstrument, only usable by a few within even the +ntegrity :nights. Shasta)s indomitable +ncarnation began to dire ctly rewrite the ;ain ?isuali"er ?isuali"er that stored and calculated all information of the entire 7nderworld. The gray tornado already became type(less, pure destructive power that broke down everything it touched. =ith no time to evade, 5er Ga)s thick black robe was surrounded by the tornado/ with a dry noise, it was reduced to a cloud of dust and dispersed. The stark naked middle(aged man who was thin as a twig threw up his hands to cover his deteriorated face. ut, his hands were quickly broken into countless pieces of flesh and blown around 9 then, his entire body became a thick mist of blood, swirling around in the air.
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+n the instant that the strange tornado rose from dying >ark 1eneral, the strongest >ark Sorceress >.+.*. had an e-tremely bad feeling, and with both hands, generated =ind 8lements and flew backward at full speed. ut, as she saw that the tornado had touched her right leg, and that everything below her knee had vanished without a trace, that chilling feeling became the greatest shock she had ever felt in her life. 8ven when > was bathing or sleeping, she was protected by do"ens of >efensive Arts. Apart from magical attacks, these >efensive Arts constituted an iron defense that was able to repel all forms of attack, such as pro!ectile weapons, swords, and poisons. f course, if the equal Priority ten 5eudal *ords all attacked with ma-imum strength, there would be a chance of running through the shield and and harming her skin. $owever, $owever, directly slicing away her physical body and *ife !ust by touching touching it as if the shield did not e-ist, was impossible. Absolutely impossible. ut, no matter how she denied it in her head, she still saw the deadly tornado bearing her down faster than her flying retreat, heavily impeding her right foot. A Sorceress like > could completely revive herself with $ealing Arts no matter the e-tent of damage to her physical body, body, but only under the condition that she was still alive. #$iih3 AA$3.22& 5inally, 5inally, a shrill scream came from >)s mouth. ut her voice was immediately drowned out by the shrieks of the two scrambling 1oblin 8lders. The ;ountain 1oblin 8lder $agasi and Plains 1oblin 8lder :ubiri, who had been kneeling at >)s left, ran for their lives on their short legs, wanting to escape the tornado. ut it was impossible to evade the e-pansion of the tornado that could even overtake >, who was flying at top speed. #Ku/yaaaaaah!!& =ith a grotesque noise, $agasi slipped and fell onto the floor. $e desperately stuck out his left hand
and grabbed :ubiri)s ankle with a viselike grip. #$igyaaah2 *eggo22 *e922& C0CH.
The two 1oblin leaders were effortlessly melted into blood mist and dispersed. C"CK.
>)s right leg was blown away at the hip !oint without leaving a trace.
$er beauty severely distorted by horror and despair, the *eader of the >ark Sorceresses watched as 9 the e-pansion of the tornado miraculously stopped. stopped. Shasta)s collapsed body was no longer visible. Around there, the diameter and height of the erected obconic storm had already swelled to about twenty ;el. The other si- 5eudal *ords, who were further away, speedily retreated to the western wall, and the officers of the ten armies lined up south of the $all closely c losely avoided in!ury. Among her e-tremely chaotic thoughts, with her outstanding reasoning, > deduced the reason that the tornado)s e-pansion stopped. To protect the ten or so higher level >ark :nights. +n other words, that tornado was created from Shasta)s willpower after all. As though it were proving this theory, theory, the upper half of the tornado slowly changed shape. =hat appeared was the translucent upper body of a colossal man, made out of mist. Although it was huge, that was undoubtedly the shadow of >ark 1eneral Shasta.
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As 8mperor ?ector, ?ector, 1abriel ;iller couldn)t help but watch the erected tornado giant with an e-pression that looked like surprise. Publicly displaying the female assassin)s head,/ the leftmost :night drew his sword as soon as he saw it 9 everything was e-actly the same as predicted up until there. To the man who wanted to slice towards 1abriel, the elder of the Assassin)s Assassin)s 1uild used numbing poison or something to stop him/ that didn)t seem out of the ordinary, either. either. Although it was different from his plan of beheading the traitor in one stroke and drive absolute loyalty into the nine remaining 7nits, a voluntary action to protect the 8mperor could be !udged as subservient. +t was because of this thought that he still sat and observed the progression of events9 ut a gray tornado suddenly spun up from the fallen body of the Traitor 7nit, and the 8lder of the Assassin)s 1uild who was surrounded by it and the two 1oblin generals were destroyed in an instant/ even 1abriel could not help but halt his thoughts. The 1eneral 7nits were supposed to be of the same level. Then, if they were to fight each other, it would supposedly be the same as duels in real(world r eal(world ?;;s< if someone)s $P dropped, it would heal back. ut now, how was it possible that three 7nits were demolished in mere seconds% Could it be that there were systems or theories he himself did not understand in this 47nderworld6%
ust as he was thinking, the tornado giant opened its mouth and let out an earth(shaking roar. 7nder the intense pressure, most of the glass windows decorating the Throne oom shattered in all directions. The giant slowly clenched its fro"en right fist9 And brought it down crashing down towards 1abriel. 1abriel reali"ed instantly that neither drawing his sword nor evading would have any effect. 1lancing left in his vision, he saw ad!utant ?assago simply raise and leap out of the way/ 1abriel remained on the throne, quietly waiting for the gray fist that came smashing towards him.
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The Tornado Tornado of >eath that was released because of Shasta)s +ncarnation before he died was a phenomenon e-ceeding the estimates of the 7nderworld system. system. +t was not measured attack power that decreased 5er Ga)s *ife and caused his death/ IThe =ill to >ieJ was directly sent into the *ight Cube< it first destroyed the 5luctlight and performed an inverse calculation, shattering the visual physical body. Therefore, the attack on 1abriel, or 8mperor ?ector, ?ector, did not affect his *ife. ut, the murderous intent created in Shasta)s *ight Cube was transmitted by the photon communication circuit to the ST* that 1abriel was using9 The fatal willpower of the one called >ark 1eneral Shasta that only a handful of swordsmen in the 7nderworld could produce directly struck 1abriel ;iller)s 5luctlight core 9 his 4Self(+mage6. At this time, Shasta felt that he had already completely melded with the full(body strike that he had released, and a nd shot into 8mperor ?ector. ?ector. Suffice to say, the *ife of his original body had already been e-hausted. As described, this wa s the last sword of Shasta)s life. $is only regret was that he could not see +ntegrity :night Commander ercouli once again. ut, that man would definitely definitel y understand. The >ark 1eneral)s wishes, and why he killed the 8mperor. +ncluding the Assassin)s Assassin)s 1uild *eader 5er Ga, the two 1oblin 8lders, the most bellicose belli cose of the Ten 5eudal *ords, had already died. +t was very regrettable that the >ark Sorceress *eader > had escaped, but it would be impossible to rebirth with a severe in!ury like that. Along with the >ark :night Commander, if even the 8mperor died, the remaining 5eudal *ords wouldn)t easily wage war against the +ntegrity :nights. +f only an armistice, armist ice, even a temporary t emporary one, could be established esta blished with the $uman =orld inhabitants who had also lost their ruler, so that they could talk to teach other and understand each other without drawing swords. $opefully from now on 9 the peaceful world that *ipia longed for can arrive. 5used with his +ncarnation, Shasta ran through 8mperor ?ector)s ?ector)s forehead and entered entere d the soul core within. +f only that was destroyed, even if ?ector ?ector was the 1od of >arkness, he would definitely definit ely and completely perish like 5er Ga. =ith a silent scream, Shasta)s Shasta )s will collided with the 8mperor )s soul9 Then, he e-perienced the last shock of his life.
'othing. The soul core like a cloud of light, a place supposed to be filled with the essence of vitality, had only deep, deep darkness. =hy% 8ven the soul of the recluse 5er Ga shined brightly, dedicated to life to the point of greed. Shasta)s +ncarnation was swallowed by the endlessly e ndlessly e-tending I>arknessJ within the 8mperor. 8mperor. +t disappeared, then evaporated. 9 This !erson& this man$ 9 (oes 9 (oes he not understand what what li%e is? A shining man who has no knowledge of life, a soul, or love. That)s why it)s hungry. hungry. That)s why it thirsts for the souls of others. 'o matter with how strong of an +ncarnation, 4The 4The Sword of ;urderous +ntent6 cannot kill this man. ecause this man)s soul has ceased to live. +t must be communicated. c ommunicated. To To whom% The person who will definitely definite ly fight this monster in the near future. Whom 0 To whom$ ut at this time, Shasta)s consciousness was covered by a bottomless abyss. 3 emorse$ 3 3i!ia$ After the two thoughts frayed apart, the soul of >ark 1eneral iksul 7l Shasta was completely destroyed.
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=hen he was pierced by the overly intense light of a soul, 1abriel ;iller was more !oyful than frightened. The >ark :night)s soul was filled with thicker emotion than the soul of the female assassin he consumed two days ago. *ove for that woman 9 and an incomprehensible substance equivalent to kindness, more widely known. Also, the strong killing intent that was driven by this. *ove and hatred. +s there anything more delicious in the world% At this time, 1abriel was completely unaware that he had e-posed his own life to danger. Seeing three 7nits blown to pieces because >ark :night)s attack, 1abriel thirsted more to swallow the :night)s :night)s soul than to care about his own safety. safety. +f 1abriel had fought for survival because of fear of the :night)s attack, Shasta)s murderous intent would have traveled through the ST*, destroyed 1abriel)s survival instinct, and blown everything away along with his 5luctlight. ut 1abriel ;iller was a person who Idid not understand lifeJ. To him, including himself, all life was merely automatic machines the same as the many bugs he had killed when he was young. 1abriel)s actual wish was unlocking the IsoulJ that was the energy source of these machines 9 the secrets of the mysterious shining cloud. Therefore, the destroy signal created by Shasta)s 5luctlight simply floated past the e-tended
emptiness within 1abriel)s 5luctlight and disappeared without any collisions whatsoever. 1abriel could not have known this theory, theory, but as he chewed the :night)s soul, he understood two matters< 5irstly, in this world, there e-isted an attack method without weapons or incantations like normal ?;; games. Secondly, Secondly, this attack method seemed to have no effect on him. *ater, he should get Critter to investigate the theory theor y behind the phenomenon !ust now. As he thought this, 1abriel slowly stood from his throne.
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The surviving si- 5eudal *ords 9 >ark Sorceress 1uild *eader >.+.*., 5ist 5ighter *eader +skahn, Commerce 1uild *eader *angel, 1iant Tribal Chief Siglosig, rc Tribal Chief *ilpin and gre Tribal Chief 5ilgul 9 stared stupidly up at 8mperor ?ector)s ?ector)s figure/ some with their backs against the wall, some with their behinds on the ground, some tending to other)s wounds. All that remained in everyone)s heart was fear. >ark 1eneral Shasta)s terrifying super attack 9 a ghastly attack that instantly sliced three 1enerals to pieces and blew away the right foot of >, who was seen as the strongest among the ten 5eudal *ords, harmed not a hair on the 8mperor who took it head on. Power dominates all. 8veryone deeply believed that 8mperor ?ector ?ector possessed power far insurmountable by the sis i5eudal *ords and the hundred officers awaiting orders behind them, combined. *ike a rippling wave, all knelt down and submitted themselves before the 8mperor. 8ven the >ark :nights who had their beloved :night Commander killed were no e-ception. 5rom above their heads, the 8mperor)s voice reverberated. #3 Troops who have lost their generals are immediately commanded by the ne-t highest ranking officer. An hour from now, we shall advance as planned.& =ords devoid of anger or denunciation towards the betra yal. This further provoked deeper terror within the general)s hearts. >, who had painstakingly stopped the bleeding on her right foot, raised her right hand and fingers high in the air, and shouted< #;o'/ )i4e His a?esty the 3mperor!! & Then9 verlapping voices cheering for the 8mperor shook the entire city. city.
5 Alice looked around the interior of a camp tent prepared for herself, and sighed softly. A simple bedsheet was pulled straight, without a single wrinkle. The cashmere leather laid on the ground was also brand new, and the air had only a dry sunlit smell. There were no problems with these, but at the same time it signified that this tent was not hurriedly vacated for Alice. +n other words, :night Commander ercouli had believed all along that Alice would !oin the battle, and
specifically prepared an e-tra tent for a :night. Although this proved that she was trusted, it would be better to say that man had thought of her own plans. 'o 9 that)s that)s unlikely. unlikely. 8ven if he was the :night Commander, Commander, there was no way that he could e-pect Alice to bring :irito along. There was only one simple bedsheet set up in the tent. Alice softly hugged the black(haired youth)s waist, guided him to the bed, turned him around and sat him down. Suddenly, Suddenly, a thin noise came from the boy)s throat, and he attempted att empted to e-tend his left lef t hand. #kay, #kay, wait here for !ust a moment.& >ashing to the luggage set in front of the tent entrance, Alice pulled out two black and white longswords. She returned beside the bed and placed them onto :irito)s :ir ito)s knees. Then, :irito tightly hugged the swords with his only hand, and fell silent. Slowly caressing the bowed black head, Alice softly bit her lip and became lost in thought. Although she boasted to 8ldrie that she was going to carry :irito to battle, in reality, it would be a little difficult. There would be no problem if it was only a skinny :irito, but if she were to bring along the super heavy 4'ight Sky Sword6 and 4lue ose Sword6, her movements would definitely be restricted. Although she considered directly sitting s itting on Amayori)s Amayori)s saddle, if the enemy had >ark :nights who could fly, fly, there would possibly be an aerial fight. f ight. Although it would be very regrettable, entrusting :irito to the supply squad after battle broke out would be the most realistic plan. $er old friends, the +ntegrity :nights would definitely go for the front line, and she didn)t know a single one from the soldiers made up of normal citi"ens. ut now she felt uncomfortable to request 8ldrie to introduce to her someone suitable for the !ob. #:irito3& Alice knelt down, scanning the boy)s face, and clasped his cheeks between her hands. She had never thought of :irito as a burden. nce he regained his heart, this youth will become a swordsman stronger than anyone in the garrison army. She brought him to the battlefield to find all possible ways of regaining his awareness. :night Commander ercouli said before that :irito had deflected his 4Slash of +ncarnation6. That was because he wished to protect Alice. =as it really rea lly believable% =hen she first met him at the Sword ;astery Academy, he was an arrestee and a criminal. Then when they met again on the eightieth floor of the Cathedral, he was a sentenced man and a traitor. Then in the instant when they had their last conversation on the highest floor of the Cathedral, no matter how much their relationship improved, it was only in a truce. 9 5ou.e 'learly lost your own heart eer sin'e that battle& so s o why did you still !rote't me %rom ,8i/ sama.s sama.s aggression? 9 In the end$ Who am I to you? you? This question bumped into :irito)s sightless ga"e and bounced back. Then, how did she herself see this boy% +f she were to use one phrase to describe the :irito in the Cathedral, #hateful& would probably be the most appropriate. $e was !ust a boy endlessly ranting about how Alice Synthesis Thirty was an
IidiotJ. ut, in the last battle, the shadow of the :irito confronting the $ighest ;inister Administrator9 Seeing the tail of the fiercely blowing black coat and the figure with both hands gripping swords, Alice felt her heart quake. Such an intensity, but a pang as though she were stabbed. The feeling from then had always been throbbing faintly deep within her heart. 9 #e'ause I am an arti%i'ial e-isten'e" A !u!!et !u!!et e-isting only %or battle& always o''u!ying Ali'e Ali'e S'huberg.s S'huberg.s body" I am not allowed at all to reel in emotions other than belligeren'e" $owever. $owever. =hat if. ecause + keep suppressing my own heart, + am unable to communicate my voice to you% +f, right now, + release all of my 4+ncarnation6 to you, will you respond to me% Alice inhaled a deep breath, and held it. The cheeks clasped between her hands were very cold. 'o, it was her palms that were hot. Slowly, Slowly, slowly approaching his face. She tilted her head slightly, and her hair fell onto her face. 5rom the e-tremely close distance, staring into the stars within his pupils, she gradually brought her face closer9 Suddenly a bell sounded clearly with a I iii'/J, and Alice recoiled in alarm. She frantically looked around, but there was not a soul in the tent. Then she reali"ed that the source of the noise was the bell set onto the knocker at the tent entrance. A guest. +ntentionally clearing her throat and a nd pushing her hair behind her back, Alice quickly traversed the tent. +t must be 8ldrie come to convince her yet again. This time, she must make herself clear that she will not yield, no matter what he says. Alice peeled back one of the double layer inner curtains, slid inside, and opened the thick outer fur with her left hand. Then, her half(open lips stopped instantly. instantly. The visitor before her was not an +ntegrity :night/ not even a normal soldier. She couldn)t help but blink in surprise. #T(This3& =ith a small, timid voice, the visitor held out a covered pot held with both hands. #+)ve3 +)ve come to deliver your dinner, :night(sama.& #3+s that so.& Alice glanced up. Sure enough, the crimson light of the sunset was already gradually sinking below the mountains. #Thank you3 0ou)ve worked hard.& Alice commended as she received the pot, and looked the small frame up and down again. She was still quite young, seeming to be a young girl of about fifteen or si-teen. eautiful red hair hung below her shoulders. $er large eyes were of the same reddish leafy color. $er fair white skin and high nose signified that she was of 'orthern 8mpire lineage. She wore the simple light armor of a lower guard, but underneath were a gray tunic dress and skirt/ it should be a school uniform.
Taking a child like this to the battlefield3 battle field3 Alice knit her brows, and suddenly thought of something. She seemed to have seen this girl)s appearance somewhere. ut the Alice living in the Cathedral then shouldn)t have had the opportunity to meet common citi"ens. At this time, another girl who seemed to hide behind the red(haired girl shyly stepped forward. #Th(this3 is bread, and stuff to drink3& Alice couldn)t help but smile slightly at the barely audible voice of the girl whose tea(colored hair was close to black, and took the offered basket. #There)s no need to be so scared, +)m not going to eat you.& ust as she was saying that, Alice finally remembered. She had once heard this e-tremely nervous voice. These two are from then3% #;ay + ask3 Could both of you be from3 'orth Centoria Sword ;astery Academy3%& At this, the girls) stiff e-pressions instantly soothed in relief. ut then they immediately straightened their figures, snapped their legs together and reported their names< #0(yes2 #0(yes2 +3 + am of the $uman 8mpire 1arrison Army Supply >ivision, 'ovice Trainee Tiese Shtolienen2& #+ am of the s(same division, 'ovice Trainee onye Arabel2& As e-!e'ted , Alice thought, and refle-ively saluted back. These are the two who 'ame %orward to beg to bid %arewell to )irito and Eugeo when I took them away %rom the A'ademy" 'o matter how lacking the 1arrison Army was in terms of manpower, manpower, it would never e-propriate students. Therefore, these two voluntarily left the familiarity of the Central Capital to come to the 8astern border. =hy would these childlike girls do this to such a degree3% $er right hand holding the pot, left hand holding the basket, Alice couldn)t help but stare at the duo. Seeing this, the black(brown(haired girl called onye hid behind the red(haired girl)s back again. The red(haired girl called Tiese curled up tightly, but finally opened her mouth with a desperate e-pression< #+3 +3 :(:night(sama3 + also well know that t(this is a highly disrespectful act3& Alice could not help but smile wryly at this e-tremely e-aggerated wording/ she squee"ed out a soft smile and interrupted her< #>idn)t + say that there)s no need for that kind of formality% +n this camp, +)m !ust a swordswoman gathered here to protect the $uman 8mpire. ust call me Alice, Tiese(san, and3 onye(san.& ight after her words, Tiese and onye who stuck her head out from behind both gaped. #3=(what)s #3=(what)s the matter%& #Ah, no3 +t)s !ust3. Comparing from before, when we met at the Academy, our impressions of you are completely different3& #eal3ly%& Alice tilted her head as she thought about that. She felt nothing about it herself, but possibly, in the half(year she had spent at ulid, she changed a bit without knowing it. The :night Commander had also said something completely completel y unfounded about her face getting plumper. plumper. ut now that she thought about it, Selka)s cooking was simply too delicious, and she couldn)t deny that she did eat more than normal3 ut it shouldn)t be to the degree that it showed on the
surface3 A smile floating onto her slightly tightened face, Alice continued< #Then3 +s there anything you want to talk to me about%& #Ah3 0(yes, there is.& Tiese rela-ed her nervous demeanor slightly s lightly,, sucked her lip and said< #+t)s3 =e)ve =e)ve heard tell that when :night(sa3 Alice(sama came on a dragon, you brought a young black(haired male3 So we guessed3 That he3 Could be3 Someone we know3& #Ah3 So it)s like this, indeed.& 5inally understanding the girls) reason for visiting, Alice nodded. #0ou #0ou both were on good terms with :irito in the Academy, weren)t you3%& ight after Alice)s words, the two instantly shined like blooming flower buds. onye even leaked tears slightly from her tea(colored eyes. #As e-pected3 +t)s :irito(senpai3& Tiese held onye)s onye)s hand as she murmured, and shouted, full of hope< #Then3 8ugeo(senpai also32& $earing this name, Alice sharply inhaled a breath of cold air. These two naturally don)t know. The night(and(day fight and ending that unfolded in the Cathedral. They had no way of knowing. 8verything, including the death of the $ighest ;inister Administrator who died inside, was known only by the +ntegrity :nights. Seeing Alice not utter a sound, the two revealed strange e-pressions. Alice looked from Tiese)s Tiese)s and onye)s onye)s eyes for f or a few seconds, s econds, and slowly looked down. 8verything has gone this far/ she couldn)t hide anything now. esides, these two have the right to know. Perhaps they volunteered to become 1arrison soldiers and come here to see :irito and 8ugeo again3 Alice lifted her head decidedly and slowly opened her mouth< #To both of you, this may be too cruel of a reality3 ut + believe, as the underclassmen of :irito and 8ugeo, you will definitely accept this.& Then she stepped back, lifted the fur drapery, and urged the two inside the tent. Contradictory to Alice)s Alice)s e-pectations deep down, :irito saw Tiese and onye, but displayed not a flutter in reaction. 8nduring her disappointment, Alice stood on the side of the tent, ga"ing at the tragic scene in front of her. >ropping to her knees in front of :irito sitting on the bed, onye took :irito)s left hand in both of her own small hands as tears slid down her cheeks. ut what was more painful was Tiese, who fell onto the fur carpet, staring at the lue ose Sword. $er paper(white face lost all e-pression as she received the news of 8ugeo)s death. =ordlessly =ordlessly,, she turned her eyes to the blade, which was snapped in the middle. Alice had nearly no opportunity to directly speak with the young man called 8ugeo. =hen she took him into the Cathedral and locked him into the dungeon, and when she engaged them on the eightieth floor of the Tower, Tower, leaving only when she fought alongside with him in the final battle on the highest floor against Administrator.
'ot only winning against :night :night Commander ercouli, he had transformed his own body into a sword, destroyed the Sword 1olem and sliced off one of the $ighest ;inister)s arms/ Alice felt deep respect for his willpower from the bottom of her heart, but his personal disposition was something she had heard mostly about from Selka. According to Selka, 8ugeo was a mature yet thoughtful young man. $e was often forcefully dragged along by his childhood friend Alice Schuberg on all different kinds of adventures. That kind of personality must be a good partner to :irito. :irito and 8ugeo must have created a lot of disturbances in the Academy as well. 0et 0et these two girls were drawn to them, and deeply affected. ust like how Alice was. 9 There%ore& There%ore& !lease& I beg you both to endure this !ain" )irito and Eugeo %ought %or many im!ortant things& and were in8ured and lost their souls and lie s" Alice prayed within her heart as she ga"ed towards the two. =hen they are sub!ected to an overly great frightening or melancholy psychological impact, the people living in the $uman 8mpire 8mpire often develop mental diseases since they cannot bear it. Some time ago, ulid, invaded by the >ark Army, Army, also produced a few villagers who had no physical in!ury yet were confined to their beds. Tiese must love 8ugeo deeply. At such a young age, having to endure the immense impact of the death of a loved one was absolutely no easy task. +n front of Alice)s sight, Tiese, Tiese, sitting paraly"ed paral y"ed on the ground, twitched her finger, inching towards the blade of the lue ose Sword. Alice an-iously watched Tiese)s every move. Although Although the lue ose Sword was snapped in half, it was ultimately a >ivine +nstrument of the highest level. Although she did not think that girl would be able to wield it, overly deep despair and pain could possibly possibly lead to une-pected strength. 'o one knows what will happen. Tiese e-tended a trembling finger, finally touching the light blue blade. She gently traced not the blade itself, but the side, which was ground to a smooth smooth surface. Then, in that instant9 ed light that shot into the tent via the skylight spread around/ Alice saw a weak, but surely flashing blue light emanating from the broken blade. At the same time, Tiese)s entire body shook violently. violently. 5eeling something, onye turned to look at her friend. +n the nervous air, large droplets appeared in Tiese)s Tiese)s eyes and fell soundlessly. soundlessly. #3 ust now3& A whisper came from her lightly colored lips. #3 + heard it3 8ugeo(senpai)s3 voice3 $e said, don)t cry3 ecause +)m3 always3 here3 $e said that3& As the pooling tears became more and more, suddenly, suddenly, Tiese laid her face onto the sword and began sobbing loudly like a child. onye laid la id onto :irito)s knees, wailing.
Alice was so moved by the indescribably poignant scene that she too was about to cry9 ut in a certain corner of her mind, she repeatedly thought about whether this kind of thing could really happen. Although Alice did not hear 8ugeo)s 8ugeo)s voice, there was an unmistakable instant when the sword released light. Then, the words that Tiese heard could not be completely dismissed as hallucinations. n the lue ose Sword, there still remained something that was the same as 8ugeo)s soul3 =as it like that% =hen Alice released the Armament 5ull Control Art, she also felt that the 5ragrant live Sword seemingly fused with her own consciousness. 8ugeo)s situation was not only the same as hers, he actually fused his own body with the lue ose Sword, and was fatally wounded in the process. Therefore, the idea that the remaining sword fragments could still have the owner)s soul may actually be possible. ut, Tiese !ust said that 8ugeo called upon her. +f this was the truth, then what remained in that sword was not the reverberations of a soul, but the actual consciousness 9 or +ncarnation. A hallucination caused by the girl)s desire% r3% This was frustrating. +f it was :irito, he would immediately see through the secret of this phenomenon. After all, he was from outside this world, dropped from where the mysterious 1ods live. Among her chaotic thoughts, like a small bubble, a phrase floated into Alice)s mind. *orld End ltar .
That unfamiliarly named place seemed as though it had a way to the outer world. +f they were able to get there, would all of the mysteries instantly come to light% They might even take back :irito)s lost consciousness, wouldn)t they% ut, the ltar was was outside the $uman 8mpire, on the other side south of the 1reat 8astern 1ate. +n other words, the border of the $ar% Territory Territory, ruled by the >ark aces. +f they wanted to go there, first, they must not only defend against the army array beyond the 1reat 8astern 1ate, they must penetrate it. 'o, even if they could penetrate the enemy army, they can)t !ust leave the 1ate defenses behind and run to the south. As an +ntegrity :night bestowed with overpowering strength, Alice carried the duty of protecting the $uman 8mpire. She should !ust use herself to lure away the entire enemy army and lead them far away from the 1ate while heading for the ltar . ut, to the people of the >ark Territory, Territory, invading the $uman 8mpire has been their wish for hundreds of years. There cannot be something more tantali"ing than that3 +t seems that if they want to target the =orld =orld 8nd Altar, Altar, they must completely annihilate the >ark Army in front of them first. At this conclusion, Alice could not help but close her eyes. Although she came up with an e-aggerated solution like annihilating the enemy, at the current situation, simply repelling the enemy vanguard first will be e-tremely difficult. $owever, she could only do that. 8ven if it is for Tiese and onye)s protection, and that of :irito. Sighing softly, softly, Alice interrupted these seconds(long thoughts, and walked towards the two ceaselesly wailing girls.
% Solus)s Solus)s sunset had long disappeared into the east, eas t, but within the sky s ky of the >ark Territory, Territory, which appeared narrow beyond the 1reat 8astern 1ate, an ominous blood(red still shook steadily. As though they wanted to obscure that sight/ white tents were erected towards both north and south at the center of the the $uman 8mpire >efense Army camp, in the grassy plains that served as >ragon landing sites during the day. day. 7nder an A-iom Church flag flying high within, there gathered a total of thirty +ntegrity :nights and >efense Army Commanders, their faces all plastered with solemn e-pressions. Alice reali"ed that the :nights and soldiers had not separated at all/ she halted her footsteps in slight surprise. The +ntegrity :nights were clad in shining silver armor and the soldier commanders in black iron armor that lacked splendor, but still had a high Priority/ both sides were engaged in enthusiastic discussion, clutching cups filled with Siral water. As she listened in, she found that the soldiers) words had already lost all traces of convoluted honorifics. #Although it)s a makeshift regiment, it)s still pretty good, isn)t it, little girl%& A low voice suddenly came from her side/ s ide/ Alice turned frantically. :night Commander ercouli, with both arms crossed over his riental(styled clothing, stopped Alice who was about to salute, and continued< #+n this >efense Army Army,, everything related to the stupid formalities and stuff has been revoked. *uckily, *uckily, there)s no term in the Taboo +nde- that says that I'ormal citi"ens must perfectly perfec tly greet a :night before talking to himJ.& #$a, haah3 + also think that)s really unnecessary, but let)s put that aside right now3& Alice turned her eyes back to the army meeting. #9 =here are the other +ntegrity :nights% As far as + can see, there are only ten over there.& #?ery #?ery unfortunately, this is everyone.& #8h3 8$%2& Alice could not help but hold up a hand to cover her high voice, and looked up at the :night Commander, who had a slightly bitter look on his face. #$ow3 Can this be% +ncluding myself, there should be thirty(one of us +ntegrity :nights.& This was the same as Thirty@('e, 8ldrie)s given name in the Sacred Tongue. ercouli)s reply was mi-ed with a low #8ven though you say that& sigh< #0ou #0ou know as well as + do, little girl. About the 4eprocessing6 sett ing that Chief 8lder Chudelkin administered that caused memory discordance in the :nights. Since that guy died, the seven :nights who were still in eprocessing in the Senate have still not awoken.& #32& Alice could not help but widen her eyes. ercouli continued in an even more de!ected voice< #The only ones who knew the incantation for eprocessing were Chudelkin and the $ighest ;inister. They)re They)re both dead now, it)s impossible to wake those seven up without spending time to decipher the incantation, and there)s no time for that now. There)s There)s only one :night who is not in eprocessing but in stasis/ if we can think of a way to wake that guy up3& Alice felt that the :night Commander)s words were mumbled, so she asked< #;ay + ask who this is, that single individual%&
#3 +t)s the 4Silent6 Gayta.& #332& Although she had never directly seen this person and had heard only a few rumored names, Alice still held her breath. The reason was that those rumors were simply too chilling. ercouli coughed, hinting that they should discuss these matters another time. Then, he continued his e-planation< #3+n summary, summary, there are ar e only twenty(four awakened +ntegrity :nights as of now. 5our of them have stayed in the Cathedral and Central Capital for management, and four of them are acting guards at the ;ountain ange at the 8dge. The remaining si-teen3 This is the e-tent of what we can put into this line of absolute defense. f course, that)s counting myself and you, little girl.& #Si-teen3%& Alice wanted to add #only&, but bit her lip and resisted. +f they confirmed their situation again, half of the fourteen in the strategy meeting all lacked >ivine +nstrument 9 that is, they were lower :nights incapable of invoking the Armament 5ull Control Art. 8ven if they !ust considered close combat, they were warriors capable of slaying one or two hundred 1oblins, but they couldn)t be e-pected to have the e-plosive power to stabili"e the battlefield. To Alice who fell silent, ercouli changed his tone of voice< #Say, #Say, what)re you going to do with the youngster3% $ow about + go to the rearguard3& #Ah3 'o, don)t worry about it.& At the :night Commander)s Commander )s awkward concern, Alice shook her head with a smile. #y chance, there are people among the volunteers who stayed with him in the Sword ;astery Academy3 +)ll leave him in their care once the battle begins.& #$eh, that)s good3. Then, how did it go% =as =as there anything a nything when the black(haired kid got into contact with people he)d conversed with before%& Alice shook her head silently. silently. ercouli e-haled shortly, mumbling #*ike that, huh&. #3+)ll only say this here. $onestly, +)ve always wondered whether the one who can really decide the tide of battle is actually that youngster3& Alice looked up suddenly. #Although he had the help of you, little girl, and his partner, being able to slash and kill Chudelkin and the $ighest ;inister is e-tremely impressive. +f we !ust talk about the strength of his +ncarnation, +)m afraid that not even + can compare.& #3$ow3 can that be3%& Alice already had not the slightest doubt of :irito)s strength, but :night Commander ercouli)s had honed his +ncarnation for more than two hundred years. Conversely, Conversely, :irito was still s till an underage student. +t would be better to say that, regardless of swordsmanship or physique, it is impossible to win against the :night Commander in terms of +ncarnation + ncarnation willpower. ut ercouli !ust refuted Alice with full confidence. #efore, when we clashed with +ncarnation, + felt it clearly. This kid has built up real combat skills on the same level as + have. ust like that.& #eal combat3% =hat does that mean3%&
#=hat it sounds like. Putting your life on the line.& This was even more bi"arre. The people living in the $uman 8mpire were protected, or restricted, by the Taboo +nde- or the numerous laws of various 8mpires/ other than sparring with wooden swords, they usually would never have the chance to compete with real swords in their lifetimes. The only e-ception was when the +ntegrity :nights carried out actual combat at the ;ountain ange at the 8dge with 1oblins or >ark :nights attempting to invade. ut since that was unlikely to happen even once or twice between very long spans of time, and since the +ntegrity :nights possessed crushing fighting power, power, they honestly hardly counted as life(threatening conflicts. According to this, the one in the $uman 8mpire with the most real combat e-perience would undoubtedly be ercouli, who had fought the >ark Army when the :nighthood had been much smaller. +n actuality, it is said that when he had !ust become an +ntegrity :night 9 although hard to believe 9 he was pitifully defeated by a >ark :night and barely escaped with his life. Compared to the ercouli then, :irito has more real combat e-perience% +f that was true 9 it can)t be e-perience from this world. +t was from his real home, 4The utside =orld6. =orld6. ut that should also be the kingdom where the 1ods who created the 7nderworld lived. +t)s clearly that, but there is combat there% And who e-actly did he put his life on the line against% Alice did not know what to think anymore/ after hesitating briefly, she made up her mind. y now, now, she could only come clean to ercouli. The e-istence e-istenc e of the utside =orld 9 and the *orld End ltar that can connect to that place. #3 !i(sama3 Actually, Actually, when + was battling the $ighest ;inister3& ust as she was collecting her words, as they reached the tip of her tongue. Suddenly, Suddenly, a sharp voice came from behind the :night Commander. #0our 8-cellency, it is time.& Alice turned her eyes to the owner of a voice that replied #0es&. An +ntegrity :night stood there, wrapped in light purple armor that was still da""ling at dusk, equipped with a silvery(white rapier on the left abdomen. As soon as she saw the bird(of(prey(like winged helmet that completely obscured its owner)s face, Alice felt a lament floating into her heart 9 directly speaking, it was an #Ahh& feeling. To Alice, this was probably the person whom she could get along the least with. The Second +ntegrity :night and ?ice :night Commander, 5anatio Synthesis Two. Alice tried not to show her inner thoughts, and pressed her right fist to her left chest in a :night)s salute. Across from her, 5anatio performed the same action, her armor clanking. ut, different from Alice, who was standing straight with legs slightly apart, 5anatio shifted her center of gravity to her right leg and rela-ed her left shoulder, putting on a delicate figure. It.s It.s this !art about this !erson that I 8ust don. don.t$ Alice t$ Alice muttered silently as she dropped her hand. She probably wanted to hide it with her armor, helmet and stern tone, but as soon as someone of the same gender saw her, 5anatio)s 5anatio)s unconcealable femininity fe mininity would emanate from her words and actions like the fragrance of a huge flower. This was also a 4Technique6 that Alice, who was taken ta ken to the Cathedral at the age of a child, had not had the opportunity to appreciate. =hen ?ice ?ice :night Commander 5anatio was battling :irito and 8ugeo on the fiftieth floor of the
Cathedral, she suffered near(fatal in!uries from a direct hit by :irito)s Armament 5ull Control Art. ut according to lower :nights who happened to be at the scene, :irito had casted $ealing Arts onto 5anatio, whom he had painstakingly defeated, and used a strange Art to transport her to some place, saving her life. Although it sounded very much like what :irito would do, Alice)s Alice)s heart was still not calm. esides, although this person has always said for a hundred years that she was loyal to :night Commander ercouli, she named four lower :nights who were smitten with her as her direct subordinates. Are they, they, who can only yearn but not touch, not pitiful% At least stop wearing a silver mask day and night and show your face to other people. As Alice was muttering in her heart, 5anatio suddenly placed her hands on both sides of her helmet. =ith a click, she unlocked the buckle and casually raised the equipment that shined with a light purple glow. glow. *ustrous black hair billowed out, flowing in the night wind and emanating a silky gloss. Alice had only seen 5anatio)s face once, and it was a chance encounter while she was heading towards the Cathedral)s baths. +t seemed to be her first time seeing the ?ice :night Commander take off her helmet in plain sight of everyone. As she stared at the beauty that seemed to be even gentler than before, she understood. $er soft lips shone with light lipstick. She, who always concealed her femininity until now, actually put on makeup9% 5anatio smiled slightly at Alice, who stood s tood blankly, blankly, and said< #*ong time no see, Alice ne. +)m relieved that you)re so spirited wa.& #33& Ne? Wa? Wa?IJ Alice could not help but remain silent for a few seconds, then returned the greeting< #*ong3 *ong time no see, ?ice Commander.& Commander.& #ust call me 5anatio. Anyway, Anyway, Alice. + only heard tell3 0ou 0ou brought back that black(haired boy%& At this sudden question, Alice immediately purged her mind of all surprise, her alertness rising at the same time. Although the ones who healed 5anatio were :irito and the sage Cardinal, she might not know that. To :irito, who struck her down, it wouldn)t be strange at all for her to harbor hatred and loathing. #03 0es.& $earing Alice)s Alice)s short reply r eply,, the ?ice Commander nodded, maintaining her sweet smile. #h really. Then, can + go and see him after the strategy meeting%& #3 =hat for, your $ighness 5anatio%& #Come on now, don)t don)t make that face. f ace. +)ve never wanted to cut that child.& 5anatio shrugged with a wry smile. #+ only want to thank him. After all, the one who healed my fatal in!uries was that boy.& #3 +t is as you say. $owever, $owever, + think there is no need for you to thank :irito. As + hear, the one who healed you was the 5ormer $ighest ;inister, Cardinal. And that person3 ;ost unfortunately, unfortunately, left this world in the battle half a year ago.& Alice said, slightly rela-ing the tension in her shoulders. ut 5anatio looked leisurely up at the sky, nodded softly and said<
#0es3 #0es3 + vaguely remember r emember.. +t was the first time + had e-perienced such a warm and powerful $ealing Art. ut the one who sent me to that Sage was :irito, and3 There)s something else + want to thank him for.& for.& #Something else3%& #0es. #0es. 9=hen he battled me and struck me down.& 3 As e-!e'ted& she still wants to slash )irito" Seeing Alice take half a step back, 5anatio forcefully shook her head with a serious e-pression. #+)m serious. That child is the only man who has seriously crossed swords with me even though he knew that + am female, in the two hundred years + have been an +ntegrity :night.& #$ah3% =hat3 are you3& #+n the past, + didn)t wear this thick helmet and fought with my face shown, like you. ut one day, + reali"ed it. The male :nights who were my opponents in mock battles, even the >ark :nights whom + fought with my life, held back !ust a sliver in their swordsmanship. Showing mercy because + am a woman is a deeper humiliation to me than crawling on the ground after being defeated.& #ut that.s that.s 8ust something that 'annot be hel!ed" Alice hel!ed" Alice felt that that men who could ignore 5anatio)s facial beauty did not e-ist. After settling down in the outskirts of ulid, she learned for the first time that, in the ma!ority of the $uman 8mpire, there were almost no Sacred Tasks that made women hold swords. At best, the e-ception were nobles and the children of *ords/ in other words, ordinary female citi"ens were, in principle, unable to choose any method of of survival other than becoming a wife, doing housework housework and raising sons and daughters. +f this ancient custom bound the hearts of the men like the Taboo +nde-, it would really be ironic. +t)s this e-isting pre!udiced view that women should be protected by men that rendered many swords dull in front of 5anatio)s striking beauty. beauty. 8ven the >ark :nights who were inhabitants of the >ark Territory Territory were no e-ception. f course, 1oblins or rcs who had a completely different appearance were another discussion altogether. ut as a fellow female :night, Alice had completely ignored the musings of male :nights until now. She was sure that, no matter if the enemy held back or pushed with full force, she would definitely be stronger than them. 9 5our kind o% rage is the !roo% that you are bound by your own identity as a %emale" ust as Alice was silently talking to herself, 5anatio was muttering the same thing< #9 + used this helmet to hide my appearance and voice, and learned continuous sword techniques that kept enemies from nearing me. ut this also means that + am too mired within my gender, right% That child saw through this immediately, but still fought me with all that he had. +n my battle with him, + e-hausted all of the sword and Art techniques that + knew, and eventually lost. +)m luck y for Cardinal)s help that saved my life, and when + regained consciousness, all of the pointless bindings in my heart had disappeared3 +n other other words, as long as + can be strong enough to prevent prevent my opponent from having concerns, it)ll be all right. +t)s not unreasonable that + want to thank the boy who helped me understand understand this simple truth, and saved my life, now is it%& After saying this seriously, seriously, 5anatio suddenly smiled mischievously< misc hievously< #Also3 +)m a little annoyed. That boy actually said that he absolutely did not feel any femininity from my face. So + wanted to try and do this and that to to see if + can wake that boy up.& #=ha3& What the hell are you 8oking about?
I% )irito really woke u!& then won. won.tt eerything I.e done u! to today be 'om!letely worthless? Thinking %rom )irito.s angle& I really 'an.t say that there.s absolutely no !ossibility" =ithout concealing the dangerous look between her e yebrows, Alice replied in a shrill voice< #Thank you very much for your kind words, but he is already alr eady resting now. + will pass on 0our 0our $ighness 5anatio)s feelings to him tomorrow.& #Ahh.& *osing her smile, the ?ice Commander)s long eyebrows twitched. #+ need your permission to see that child% +n the Cathedral, when you requested to meet with $is 8-cellency the :night Commander while he was tending to public matters, + never declined because of my personal feelings.& #+ don)t need 0our 0our $ighness 5anatio)s permission to see !i(sama, !i(s ama, do +% esides, aren)t you supposed to see !i(sama if you want to be pitifully defeated by a male :night%& #Ah, +)d rather not for $is 8-cellency. $e)s the strongest swordsman in the world, and naturally he will hold back against everyone. 8ven if his opponent is a >ark :night, he)ll be merciful.& #$eh, really% =hen he trains with me, !i(sama drips with sweat and is really serious.& #30our #30our 8-cellency2 +s this true%2& #Anyway, #Anyway, it)s !i(sama who pampers this person too much32& Alice and 5anatio turned to the side at the same time. The :night Commander was not there. =here ercouli was standing a few minutes ago, there was only the night wind that softly blew on the dry grass.
>ue to massive murderous intent released by acting chair ?ice :night Commander 5anatio Synthesis Two Two and Alice Synthesis Thirty who was newly !oining the fr ont, the strategy meeting held at si- in the afternoon began with an unusually tense atmosphere. After Alice briefly introduced herself, she fiercely sat down on the portable chair set in the very front row. #3Alice(sama.& Sitting beside her, 8ldrie quietly held out Siral =ater. =ater. Alice grabbed the cup and downed the ice( cold, sour(sweet liquid. 8-haling deeply, she finally alleviated her mood. 9 In any 'ase" There were really very few higher +ntegrity :nights with >ivine +nstruments. The only ones she knew the name and appearance of were the :night Commander ercouli of the 4Time Piercing Sword6, 5anatio of the 4$eaven Piercing Sword6, 8ldrie of the 45rostscale =hip6, and >eusolbert of the 4Conflagrant 5lame ow6. +ncluding Gayta Synthesis Twelve Twelve with the alias 4Silent6, and the e-tremely young :night boy *enry Synthesis Twenty(Seven Twenty(Seven who seemed to be a >ivine +nstrument possessor, since this was the first time Alice was seeing them, she didn)t even know what kind of sword techniques they would use. 'o matter what, including the seven of the above and Alice of the 45ragrant live Sword6, they constituted the higher +ntegrity :nights. The remaining nine were lower +ntegrity :nights without >ivine +nstruments, including 5anatio)s direct subordinates, the 45our scillation lades6. =ithin them were also the shadows of those two
fearsome problem children, Trainee :night girls who gave gave ercouli endless endless headaches, *inel *inel Synthesis Twenty(8ight Twenty(8ight and 5i"el Synthesis Twenty('ine. Twenty('ine. Although Although they were sitting quietly on chairs in a corner in front of them, will they really be useful% 'o matter what, the mere si-teen people constituted the full force of what the +ntegrity :nighthood :nighthood was able to put into this absolute line of defense. Conversely, Conversely, the thirty >efense Army Commanders composed of ordinary citi"ens were present. Although they were not without vigor, at a glance it was still possible to see the difference between their swordsmanship and that of the +ntegrity :nights. Alice and the other higher +ntegrity :nights didn)t need to be mentioned, but even the lower +ntegrity :nights could probably effortlessly win against all thirty of them at once3 #9 +n these four months, we have reviewed all tactics, but3& Speaking again at some moment, 5anatio)s voice brought Alice)s attention back. #=hat we can finally be sure of is that it would be very difficult to repel the enemy)s total attack power with our own battle strength right now now, and when we are surrounded by the enemy, enemy, there would be no odds anymore.& 7sing the thin scabbard of her $eaven Piercing Sword as a baton, 5anatio pointed at a giant map spread out in front of the troops. #As you all can see, over here at the ;ountain ange at the 8dge, there are plains and rocky terrain spanning ten :ilol. +f we are pushed back there, we would almost certainly be surrounded by the fifty(thousand(strong army and annihilated. Therefore, we must fight to the end in the hundreds( ;el wide, thousands(;el long valley e-tending from the 1reat 8astern 1ate. =e shall set up a deep line formation here, focus on countering the enemy)s assault, and slice them away bit by bit. That is the basic operation. Are there any comments regarding this point%& The one who suddenly raised his hand was 8ldrie. The young man stood up, his wisteria(colored curls shaking, as his usually casual but now suppressed rang in the air< #+f the enemy were only made up of 1oblins or rc foot soldiers, we could cut down even fifty or a hundred thousand. ut the enemy are also very aware of this. The >ark Territory has within it an gre army equipped with strong crossbows, and a dangerous >ark Sorcerer division. $ow are we to counter their torrential long(range attacks soaring over from behind the foot soldiers%& #About that, it)s a dangerous bet3& 5anatio paused, turning her eyes from 8ldrie to Alice. She inadvertently straightened her back and continued< #3 At the bottom of the valley, there is no sunlight s unlight even during the day, and the ground is devoid of vegetation. +n other words, the Sacred Power in that space is very weak. efore the battle begins, if + and the others completely deplete that area, the enemy will be unable to invoke powerful incantations.& At 5anatio)s bold suggestion, the :nights and >efense Army Commanders all began to argue. #f course, we)re the same. $owever, we only have about a hundred Sacred Artists on our side anyway. anyway. +f we battle with Arts, the enemy)s Sacred Power e-penditure would far e-ceed our own.& That is true. $owever 9there were two problems with 5anatio)s operation. +n place of 8ldrie, who was now speechless, the archer >eusolbert stood up. The veteran knight clad in reddish(copper armor inquired in a steady voice< #So, perhaps the $er $ighness the ?ice Commander)s words are true. $owever, Sacred Arts are certainly not !ust for attack purposes. +f the Sacred Power is e-hausted, won)t we be unable to recover the *ife of in!ured victims%&
#That)s why + said it)s a dangerous bet. =e =e have emptied the Cathedral treasury treasur y of all advanced catalysts IJ and healing medicines stored there and transported them here. +f we restrict all Arts to $ealing Arts and supplement them with medicines, we should be able to hold the fort for two days !ust with catalysts3 'o, three days.& This time there was even more surprised hustle and bustle. =hen the treasury of the Central Cathedral was mentioned, most people knew of a guarding force secure enough to become the sub!ect of a fairy tale. They had only heard of treasures being moved inside/ it was the first time in $uman 8mpire history that they heard of bringing something out. 8ven the serious faces fac es of the heroic heroi c :nights displayed silently shocked s hocked e-pressions. =aiting =aiting until >eusolbert sat down with a moan, Alice stood up. #There)s still3 one problem, 0our 0our $ighness 5anatio.& Clearing her mind of their argument a while ago, a go, Alice brought up the second problem. #Although Solus and Terraria)s Terraria)s grace are thin, the valley is not completely dark, and moreover, it is not completely separated from the mainland. + believe that over the years, it has accumulated a massive amount of Sacred Power. 8-actly who can completely deplete that power in the time before the battle begins%& This time, even 5anatio was unable to give an immediate reply. The valley that ran through the mountains was certainly narrower than the grassy plain that e-tended behind the camp, but even so, it was a hundred ;el wide and a thousand ;el long. To immediately drain that e-pansive space of the Sacred Power that covered it, hundreds of Artists must cast advanced Arts at the same time, but it was as 5anatio !ust said< there were not that many Artists in the >efense Army. Army. r, even if they numbered few, as long as they could drive an e-treme(scale Art enough to change the environment, they might be able to completely e-pend the Sacred Power, but Alice couldn)t think of any people with that kind of power e-cept the deceased $ighest ;inister Administrator and the sage Cardinal. $owever, the ?ice ?ice Commander ga"ed at Alice with golden(brown eyes and shook her head forcefully. #'o, there is. nly one person can do it.& #33 ne person3%& ;umbling softly, softly, Alice looked around at the >efense Army soldiers. ut what came out of 5anatio)s mouth was a name she had never considered. #That)s you, Alice Synthesis Thirty.& #8$3%2& #0ou #0ou may not have noticed, but your strength now has e-ceeded the scope of an +ntegrity :night. +f it)s the current you, you should be able to use it3 that tha t world(creating, veritable godlike power.& power.&
#Are these Fhigher +ntegrity :nights) really that strong%& 1abriel ;iller asked during a bumpy ride inside of a gigantic tank dragged by a dinosaur(like two( headed monstrosity. monstrosity. $owever, this #tank& was more similar to a bo- on four wheels without treads tr eads or a turret.
The silk(covered bench softened shaking somewhat but did not suppress it entirely. Still, in comparison to the nightmarish roller coaster 1abriel had to e-perience in the military vehicle known as a #radley& IJ, this ride was nothing. =ine rippled regularly in a glass that stood on a folding table in front of him. Three days have already passed since they left bsidia, but even though 1abriel had never e-perienced continuous movement for this long in the real world, he was almost completely unfatigued. This was most likely unrelated to the pleasure of sitting in this so(called tank and actually because this was a virtual world. esides 1abriel)s feet, lying on a soft carpet, the beautiful woman in unkempt clothing massaged her bandaged right leg and nodded. #They are very strong indeed3 +n nearly three hundred years of combat history, not a single one of our >ark Sorcerers or >ark :nights has managed to kill one3 + don)t know if you can understand this kind of e-ample% f course, the opposite has happened countless times, as many times as there are stars in the sky.& #$m3& +n place of 1abriel who fell silent, ?assago, who was sitting on the opposite side with his legs crossed holding a bottle of distilled wine, asked in a half(suspicious voice< #ut listen, >, baby. +f those weirdly named bunch of +ntegrity3 :nights are really that awesome, how come they never invaded us themselves% The leader of the >ark Arts guild, >+*, smiled seductively and raised her inde- finger. #1ood question, ?assago(sama. ?assago(sama. 8ach of them does have the strength of a thousand, but in the end, each of them is !ust one person. +f this warrior would be surrounded by ten thousand fighters in an open space, he)d start to incur wounds, those wounds would accumulate and eventually his entire *ife would deplete. That)s why these cowards never go too far over the ;ountain ange at the 8dge. They are afraid of being surrounded.& #$eh, + see. +t)s like how you can take care of all of those tough mo)s even if your $oT I@J is very low but you stay in a safe place and shave away their $P bit by bit3& #$ah%3 Mo)s%3& 1abriel glared at ?assago, who had completely confused >)s artificial 5luctlight with his comparison, coughed lightly and said< #Anyway, you)re saying that if we force these +ntegrity :nights to fight us in an open space, we)ll be able to surround and e-terminate them, correct%& #That)s how it is in theory. ut we)ll probably have to sa crifice tens of thousands of 1oblins and rcs.& 1iggling, > picked a brightly colored berry out of the cup on the carpet and licked it with her lips that were !ust as crimson red. 'eedless to say, say, 1abriel was completely indifferent to the loss of infantry units. $e would not care if he had to sacrifice the entire army, including even >. +n a sense, this battle was the same as the tactical simulations he went through countless times back at 1low1en. $e will become the new ruler of the $uman 8mpire with his throne on a mountain of corpses, and issue a simple order across the entire country< find and bring him the girl known as Alice. After that, his mission in this strange world would be finished. As he thought, the e-otic high(class wine in the glass became increasingly precious. aising his glass, 1abriel sipped the dark purple liquid.
At this time, 1abriel ;iller)s mind unconsciously molded together the figure of 4Alice6, with the flawless, beautiful figure of his first prey that had an e-tremely similar name, Alicia Clingerman. *iving in some place that would be similar to his home, Pacific Palisades, she would be gentle, beautiful 9and absolutely powerless. That was the image in his his head. That was why 1abriel failed to consider another possibility. possibility. $e did not even begin to imagine 9that the 4Alice6 he sought would be one of the +ntegrity :nights leading the enemy army. A long military convoy, convoy, with the command car with a waving 8mperor flag bringing up the rear, was slowly but surely moving to the =est. =est. At the edge of the blood(colored sky, sky, the saw(like pitch( black ;ountain ange at the 8dge slowly revealed its silhouette. n the fourth day of the march, the seventh day of the eleventh month. The main forces of the >ark Territory approached the base of the ;ountain ange, where they could see the huge gate that was !ust about to collapse. A countless number of black tents set up by the vanguard covered the wide plain. Aoom. Aoom.
The earth trembled from the thunderous war drums played by the tribe of 1iants. At the end of the line, 1abriel looked silently from the roof of his command car 9 as though they were countless blood cells pumped by a giant heart, the attack unit slowly e-panded into the final formation. The first vanguard unit consisted of several light infantry regiments composed of 1oblins and heavy rc infantry, numbering fifteen thousand overall. They lined up in a column barely the same width as that of the valley piercing through the ;ountain ange. $ere and there among the formation, 1iants resembling siege towers were stationed/ they numbered less than five hundred, but as the main force tanks supporting the infantry unit, they were worth it. ehind the ;i-ed >emihuman 7nit, there was the second line, comprised of five thousand 5ist 5ighters and five thousand >ark :nights. The young new leader of the >ark :nights wanted to wash away the shame of his predecessor and asked to be part of the vanguard, but 1abriel refused. That could cause a drop in morale of the other :night 7nits and he must eliminate such this unsure factor. The third line was built up of seven thousand gre Archers and an entirely female >ark Sorceress division that numbered three thousand. Their task was to charge into the valley behind the infantry and annihilate the enemy army with long range attacks. According to the head of the Sorceresses, >, even if they used long(range attacks, if they could recogni"e the main force of the enemy army 9 the shadows of the +ntegrity :nights, they could kill them with by concentrating their fire onto one point. $onestly, 1abriel really wanted to take on those invincible :nights by himself and consume their souls. $owever, any sort of accident could result in his high(level account being lost. esides, he could create as many 7nderworldians 9 that is, artificial 5luctlights, as he wanted in the future. ight now, now, the primary goal was to control 4Alice6 and escape the 4cean Turtle6. 5rom logging to now, now, eight days of internal time had passed, which corresponded to about fifteen f ifteen minutes in the real world. After 1abriel assumed complete control of the $uman 8mpire, the amount of time it would take to spread the order to find Alice to each corner of this world would take about ten more days. Thinking like that, he must end this war as quickly as possible 9 the longest being an entire day. #Ahh, we)re not gonna get any action after all%&
?assago complained from behind, clutching his umpteenth bottle of whiskey whiske y. 1abriel threw a quick look at him and reprimanded him with a sharp tone< #>on)t think + didn)t see you. =hen that :night called Shasta caused trouble, you hung me out to dry and ran off.& #$eh, our commander sees everything, doesn)t he%& ?assago ostentatiously laughed it off. #*ook, + speciali"e in +,+ . + didn)t sign up to deal with that disembodied monster.& monster.& 1a"ing into his subordinate)s eyes, 1abriel still failed to understand whether his e-planation was a !oke or not, so he asked curtly< #?assago, #?assago, why did you volunteer to participate in this operation%& #peration% 0ou 0ou mean >iving into the 7nderworld% +sn)t that obvious% +t)s fun3& #efore that. The operation of attacking the 4cean Turtle6. Although Although you are part of 1low1en >S support, you)re probably still !ust an internet e-pert. =hat is your motive for participating in a real fight, risking being hit by real bullets% At your age, you)re not like $ans and rigg, the -ar do.s who came back from the ;iddle 8ast. +t was quite a long question for 1abriel, but it did not mean that he was interested in this person called ?assago ?assago Casals. +t !ust suddenly seemed as if this young man was hiding something under his shallow behavior. behavior. ?assago shrugged and replied with the same answer. #+sn)t that obvious% +t)s fun3 That)s That)s it, + swear.& #$eh3& #Then according to your logic, sending college elites like you to the scene is weirder, whether or not you have any real military e-perience.& #+ am capable of adapting to my environment.& 1abriel replied, but internally he muttered< =assago& what is >%un to you? Shooting guns? ,r$ murdering !eo!le? ust as 1abriel was hesitating over whether to continue to question ?assago or end the small talk, the sound of clicking high(heels, resembling that of a walking stick, came from behind the command car. A beautiful woman revealing light dark skin 9 >ark Sorcerer Commander > appeared. After a respectful bow, she licked her lips and reported< #0our #0our ;a!esty, the forces have been successfully succe ssfully brought into their positions.& #;m.& 1abriel spread his crossed legs, stood up from his temporary throne and looked around. There were thirty(five thousand warriors in the main force, a ten(thousand(strong backup force built up of 1oblins and rcs, and the command car, flanked on both sides by a five thousand(strong supply unit of the Commerce 1uild. This fifty(thousand person army was 1abriel)s entire force. +f he suffered heavy losses and was still unable to break through the enemy)s defenses, he would be unable to correct his basic plan. The chances of securing Alice would almost completely disappear. $owever, according to reports from >ragon :night Scouts, the enemy had merely three thousand. +f everything went according to plan and he could take out the +ntegrity :nights, it would be
impossible to lose. #3 All right, good !ob. $ow much time is left until the gate collapses%& #About eight hours.& #Then, have the first division enter the valley an hour before the gate collapses. 5an them out as close to the gate as possible, and attack the very moment it falls. +f they can push back the front, immediately send in the second and third division and annihilate the enemy in a single strike.& #0es. #0es. 3=e will take the head of the enemy before tomorrow. f course, they will already have been charred beyond recognition.& > giggled. After quickly giving orders to the Sorcere sses awaiting them behind her, she bowed deeply and descended the steps. 1abriel walked to the front of his huge four(wheeled vehicle, looking far off at the gigantic stone gate erected in front of him. +t was still two miles off, but its si"e gave off the tension of a huge mountain. Seeing an ob!ect of that quality collapse would be an astounding phenomenon. $owever, the true feast will have only !ust begun. The thousands of souls that will crack and disappear will release relea se an unparalleled gorgeous glow. glow. The AT$ AT$ technicians locked up on the top floor of the 4cean Turtle6 will regret missing this most grandiose scene that they established themselves. Aoom. Aoom. Aoom. Aoom.
The drums were beat increasingly faster, arousing a hunger and madness that flooded the wilderness.
7 #Then3 Please take care of :irito.& Alice said, ga"ing at each of the two girls) faces. 'ovice trainees, no, already independent swordswomen Tiese Shtolienen and onye onye Arabel straightened their backs and nodded forcefully. forcefully. #0es, #0es, please rest r est assured and leave it to us, Alice(sama.& #=ee will definitely #= definitel y protect :irito(senpai.& eplying to Alice, Tiese Tiese and onye gripped the newly constructed wheelchair )s handle with their left and right hand respectively. respectively. Alice had used an Art to transform an e-tra full set of armor from the supply tent into the thin, long chair that reflected a grayish(white glow. +t was not only lighter than the wooden wheelchair they had used in ulid, it was guaranteed to be durable. 8ven so, she could not do anything about the weight of the two swords that :irito clutched onto. Alice worried in her heart over whether the girls could push them or not, but the duo inhaled and e-haled in collaboration, pushing the wheelchair straight in front of Alice. This way, way, they would not be delayed even if they the y received an emergency e mergency retreat order. 8ven so, when the time came that they could not help but escape from the valley, it would also be the time when the >efense Army would be surrounded and destroyed. +n honesty, as soon as the battle took a turn slightly for the worse, Alice would take :irito and flee towards the east. ut it would only be delaying their fate by a few months 9 no, !ust a few weeks.
+f the >efense Army was defeated, the four :nights protecting the ;ountain ange at the 8dge would also retreat, ordering citi"ens from each village and city to evacuate, and set up the city wall of Central Capital Centoria as the last line of defense. ut that would only be pointless resistance. 8ventually to be ravaged by the invading army, that beautiful city and its white Cathedral would be burned down. =ithin the wall(like, now sealed ;ountain ange at the 8dge, they would have absolutely nowhere to run3 Alice bent her knees down to :irito)s height and ga"ed into his eyes. +n the five days since they arrived at the camp, whenever she had time, Alice would speak to :irito, caress his hands, and hug him tight and close. ut, up to today, he still failed to produce any response that was worth mentioning. #:irito3 Perhaps, this is our last farewell.& Alice murmured to the black(haired youth, trying to keep her smile. #!i(sama said that he feels you can decide the outcome of this battle. + feel the same way, since this >efense Army was set up because of you.& +n actuality, if it were not for :irito and 8ugeo, the ones embattling the 1reat 8astern 1ate would be the $ighest ;inister Administrator Administrator and the entire +ntegrity :nighthood, and that ominous ominous Sword 1olem army. +f they had two to three thousand Sword 1olems, known for their chilling fighting strength, the fifty thousand(strong >ark Territory Territory army would indeed be not worth mentioning. ut that would also a lso mean the destruction of the $uman 8mpire. :irito and the others sacrificed a life and a heart to prevent that tragedy. tragedy. ut if this continues and the >efense Army is defeated, a different kind of heavy tragedy would bear down upon and attack the people. people. #3 + will also try my best. + will burn and e-haust this *ife you bestowed upon me to its very last drop. So3 +f + fall and use my last bit of strength to call upon you, you must stand up and draw that sword. As long as you can wake up, it wouldn)t matter if the enemy e nemy numbered thousands or tens of thousands. 8voke a miracle again, and protect the $uman 8mpire3 everyone. ecause, you are3& 9 The The one who de%eated een the Highest 2inister& the strongest swordsman" Silently murmuring in her heart, hear t, Alice e-tended both hands and tightly hugged :irito)s emaciated frame. After some time, Alice released the embrace, stood up, and noticed onye)s blue eyes, shaking with a complicated radiance, turned firmly towards them. Why would this be? She blinked a few times, and suddenly understood. #onye(san. 0ou3 0ou3 like :irito, don)t you%& After Alice said that with a smile, the delicate girl covered her mouth with her hands, her face reddening ear to ear. She looked down and replied in a feeble voice< #'o, it)s not, how can3 $ow could + be so disrespectful3% Someone like me, +)m only a novice trainee valet3& #=hat do you mean, disrespectful% onye(san, you)re the successor of a noble family, aren)t you% +)m !ust a civilian born in a border town, and even :irito is a moneyless, incapable, unemployed person with an unknown birthplace3& Suddenly, Suddenly, onye shook her head vehemently and interrupted Alice. #'o2 +3 +3& =ith her left hand, Tiese gently supported onye, whose eyes were filling with tears and had
stopped her words abruptly. $er reddish(leafy colored eyes also dampened as she began in a trembling voice< #Alice(sama3 0ou 0ou know of the Taboo that :irito(senpai :irito(se npai and 8ugeo(senpai broke, right%& #0eah3 #0eah3 + know. + heard that there was a conflict within the Academy3 They murdered other students.& $alf a year ago, when Alice, still oblivious as an A-iom Church elite s oldier, received the Senate)s order for arrest, she still remembered today the slight shock she felt then. There were never any records of that kind of ma!or Taboo Taboo violation involving Central Capital Academy students murdering other students in the Church)s historical records. #Then3 >o you know why wh y the Senpais broke the Taboo3%& #'o3 About that, +3& ust as Alice was about to shake her head, a wave of shouts resounded in her head. That was what :irito shouted at Alice, who did not need the help of a convict, when they were both thrown to the outer wall of the Cathedral3 #9 As long as it.s it.s not !rohibited !rohibited by the Taboo Taboo Inde-& it.s it.s tolerable %or 'om!letely inno'ent girls like Tiese and onye to be %reely !layed around with by the !!er Elite$ (o you think this way@@? ight" I heard the names o% these two then" 8lite students should be the students that :irito cut down. Then, the ones who were played with, are 9 To Alice, whose eyes opened wide, Tiese described in a quaking voice< #3 8lite Swordsman(in(Training aios Antinous Antinous and 8lite Swordsman(in(Training $umbert Gi"ek repeatedly issued humiliating orders to our friend and 'ovice Trainee 5renica S"eski. =e =e raised ob!ections to those two Swordsmen(in(Training and in our anger, carelessly used language equivalent to e-tremely disrespectful behavior. ecause of that, according to 8mpire 5undamental *aw, the noble class were able to e-ercise their right to punishment and reward3& After that, !ust thinking about it would be e-tremely e-tremel y painful. Tiese)s Tiese)s voice had already became stuck, and onye began to sob softly, softly, her head lowered. ust as Alice was about to open her mouth and utter #0ou #0ou don)t have to say anymore&, the red( haired girl continued determinately< #3 To To save us, who were dealt with unbearable punishment, :irito(senpai and 8ugeo(senpai swung their swords. +f we had been a little more intelligent, that would not have happened. ur Senpais would not have fought against the Church to correct the law, and would not have perished because of that. =e3 =e3 have committed an unforgivable sin. Therefore3 even if our mouths were ripped to shreds, we could not say that we like our Senpais3& After sputtering out her heartfelt thoughts, hot tears finally streamed down Tiese)s face. Carrying hatred and humiliation too harsh for their age, the young girls hugged each other, whimpering softly. Alice tightly clenched her teeth, looking up at the small skylight. She also knew of the corruption of the 7pper 'oble Class of the 5our 8mpires. Satiation, e-tortion, and adultery. ut the +ntegrity :night Alice from before believed that dwelling on these acts would cause herself to be contaminated, so she turned a blind eye to the noble class)s misbehavior. 'o matter what they did, as long as they did not break the Taboo +nde-, they could be ignored 9 As to why, it was because she was a Protector of the *aw summoned from the Spirit =orld. =orld. And she always deeply
believed that. ut this kind of ignorance was the real sin. 'ot touching the Taboo +nde- that :irito hated deeply was the actual ma!or crime. Compared to her inactive self, the two girls in front of her were many times braver. Alice inhaled and e-haled deeply, and said in a voice imbibed with strength< #'o, you)re wrong. 0ou both have done nothing wrong.& The one who raised her head, shocked, was onye. The girl who seemed to always hide behind Tiese stared with eyes tangled with intense light and shouted< #Alice(sama3 $onorable +ntegrity :night Alice(sama cannot understand2 ur bodies were played with those men, and our self(respect has been tarnished2& #The body is but a container for the spirit.& eplying like that, Alice forcefully thumped the center of her chest with her right fist. #nly your heart3 nly your spirit is the one true e-istence. And the one who decides the state of your spirit, is yourself.& Alice closed her eyes and gathered her consciousness within herself. =hen ulid was attacked about two weeks ago, Alice once used the power of the heart 9( that is, +ncarnation, to recover her lost right eye. She personally felt that as long as she firmly, carefully prayed, she could induce changes in her physical physical body even without relying on Arts. ut now that was still not enough. 'ot !ust her physical body, body, even the clothes on her body must be changed by the power of +ncarnation. +t is definitely definitel y possible. >idn)t :irito do it before% $e, who confronted Administrator holding two swords, flipped up an e-otic, long black leather coat completely different from the clothes he wore up until now. She can change back. She can change back to the Alice when she awoke in that huge, unfamiliar tower, before she blindly sealed her heart away with thick icy armor to eliminate the an-iety and loneliness from losing her memories. 9 I.m the same as both o% you& onye& onye& Tiese" I was born born as the 'hild o% a man& made made many mistakes& bore dee! sins& and now am here" I% Eugeo killed someone be'ause o% you$ #e%ore now& i% I had not broken that small Taboo Taboo when I was younger nine years y ears ago& then Eugeo and the others would not hae headed %or the *entral *a!ital at all" 0es, that was my crime. 8ven if + have no memories of her, Alice Schuberg is not an unfamiliar stranger, but definitely me from before. The days + spent in ulid taught me that much. 8ven as her eyes were closed, Alice was still aware of the white, warm glow that wrapped around her body. Alice slowly opened her eyes. ecause her head was lowered, the first thing she saw was the dress she was wearing. ut that was not pure white, the color of the A-iom Church, but dyed a"ure blue, re miniscent of an autumn sky s ky.. A plain white apron lay on top of her skirt. The golden armor and gauntlets had disappeared. As she felt the top of her head, her fingertips touched a large ribbon. $er hair also seemed to be slightly shorter. aising her head, she met eyes with the shocked onye and Tiese.
#3See, right% The body and appearance are merely dependencies of the heart.& f course, this transformation was temporary. The instant that concentration was broken, she should turn back into her original :night form. ut the meaning behind it should be able to be conveyed to the girls. Alice)s, :irito)s and 8ugeo)s 8ugeo)s longing. #0our #0our heart cannot be tarnished by anyone. orn in a border village, + was originally supposed to be raised thisIJ way. ut when + was eleven years old, + was taken to the Central Capital as a sinner, had my memories erased using Arts and turned into an +ntegrity :night, and + have cursed that fate before3& Alice was recounting a great secret that only :night Commander ercouli knew apart from herself. ut she believed that these two people would be able to accept it, and continued< #$owever3 8ven in that state, there are things + am able to accomplish and things + am supposed to accomplish/ that)s what :irito taught me. Therefore, + am no longer confused. + have decided to accept myself and step forward.& Alice raised both hands and firmly grasped onye and Tiese)s Tiese)s hands. #0ou #0ou have them too. A wide, long, and straight s traight path belonging only to you.& Several droplets landed onto the tightly clasped hands, dripping and dripping. The tears that slid down the girls) faces took on a spectral glow completely unlike before, shining beautifully. beautifully. Tightly embracing :irito in the wheelchair again, Alice entrusted him to onye and Tiese, and walked out of the tent. Although he was intentionally waiting for her, 8ldrie !ogged over, full of praise< #hh, how outstanding3 A form resembling that of the Solus)s condensed light3 This is my real mentor Alice(sama3& #+ will be covered with dust after an hour of battle anyway.& Coldly interrupting his words, Alice looked towards the eas tern sky. $er transformation before had long disappeared/ her golden breastplate and pure white skirt blindingly reflected the sunlight. As she ga"ed up towards the eastern sky, sky, she thought that if she came back alive, she would add a piece of sky(blue cloth somewhere. Solus was already leaning downwards. There were about three more hours before it would vanish into the hori"on. And then, the *ife of the 1reat 8astern 1ate would also vanish. 5inally, the three hundred(year(old seal was about to be released. The personnel were already at their limit. +n these five days, Alice trained along with the >efense Army/ their proficiency made it difficult to believe that they had only trained for half a year. year. =hat was more surprising was that everyone mastered combination sword skills completely absent from traditional schools of teaching. Alice heard that it was ?ice :night Commander 5anatio who generously imparted her skills honed over many years. The longest one seemed to be only a three(hit attack, but it was an encouraging weapon against the 1oblins or rcs, who randomly brandished their rough blades according to their instinct. f course, if they ran into >ark :nights with their own continuous(hit skills, it would be a very heavy burden for the >efense Army soldiers. +f high(speed continuous(hit 5ist 5ighters were added to the mi-, they could only count on the +ntegrity :nights to counter them. The important matter was whether they could defend against the great army of >emihumans that
would immediately swarm in once the battle began. Also, whether they could survive the bows of the rcs and long(range attack Arts while sustaining as little losses as possible. =hether they succeeded or not, it now seemed that everything rested on Alice)s Alice)s shoulders9 Turning her eyes back forward, she saw the rear supply team preparing their last supper, with a few columns of smoke curling upwards. 'ot far away, onye and Tiese Tiese should be taking :irito towards there to meet everyone else. ;ust protect it. 'o matter what. #3 Alice(sama, it is time3& 'odding at 8ldrie)s 8ldrie)s words, Alice turned around stepped forward. ut she stopped her feet at that moment, throwing her eyes towards her only disciple. #3 ;(;ay + ask what is the matter%& Staring at the young :night who blinked confusedly, confusedly, Alice slightly rela-ed her taut ta ut lips. #3 All this time, you)ve done your best to serve me, 8ldrie.& #$ah3 =(what)s wrong%2& She softly laid her right hand onto the left hand of the dumbfounded standing :night and continued< #To #To be able to have you by my side is a kind of redemption for me. 0ou 0ou did not seek the teachings of veteran :nights such as >eusolbert, but found me, who had not many achievements3 0ou 0ou were actually thinking for the sake of my heart, were you not%& #+3 + do not dare, there are no such disrespectful delusions within me2 + am merely reverent of Alice(sama)s outstanding swordsmanship from the bottom of my hear t3& 8ldrie denied, shaking his head frantically. Alice instantly firmly fir mly grasped his hand, let go, and smiled again< #ecause you were there to support me, + am able to finish walking this dangerous path today. Thank you, 8ldrie. 5rom the speechless young :night)s :night)s eyes, fat tears suddenly gushed out. #33 Alice(sama3 =hy3 do you say that you are finished walking3& $is raspy voice asked< #=hy must you say it like your path is going to end here% +3 +3 haven)t learnt anything yet. 'o matter in swords, or in Arts, + am still nothing compared to you. 5rom now on, + still need you to always, always train, and guide me32& +n the instant before his trembling outstretched right hand touched her own9 Alice suddenly changed her attitude and scolded sharply< #+ntegrity :night Synthesis Thirty(ne2& #$ere3 $ere.& $is hand immediately halting, the :night straightened into an upright, unmoving posture. #+n the name of your mentor, + hereby give you your last order. Please live on. *ive to witness the coming of peace, and bring it back. ring back your real life, and your loved one.& n the uppermost floor of the Cathedral, there were still sealed the 4;emory 5ragments6 of all the other +ntegrity :nights apart from Alice, as well as the 4*oved ne6 who had transformed into a sword. There must be a way for them to return to their original place and the form they once were. 8ldrie stood upright, tears silently pouring out, and nodded forcefully/ Alice fiercely turned around.
$er golden hair and pure white skirt sliced the icy autumn air. The visible valley and 1reat 8astern 1ate in the darkness were straight in front of her sight. 5rom then on, Alice will begin chanting an e-treme scale Sacred Art she had never e-perienced in her life. =ithout leaving a single drop, she will condense together all Sacred Space Power, provided without Solus, to deal a crippling blow to the enemy. +f she makes a single error in the words of her incantation 9 'o, if there is a single sliver of disorder in her concentration, the condensed Sacred Power will erupt and completely obliterate Alice)s e-istence without leaving a trace. ut she had no more fear. +n these five days, as an +ntegrity :night, Alice spent an enriching time with ercouli, 5anatio, 8ldrie and the others, and as Alice of ulid, she lived together with her little sister Selka for a half year. And the most important thing was, she met 8ugeo and :irito, clashed swords with them, touched each other)s other )s hearts, and understood the emotions of being human 9 sorrow, rage, and love. ther from that, what more was there to desire% Along with sharp sound of her armor, Alice walked step by step in a straight line through the center of the >efense Army that waited for the moment of battle.