"I know this place used to belong to the Eight Greed Kings, but its still amazing how beautiful this place is..."
It had been three days since Blue rose had departed from the ruined city to meet with the Platinum dragon lord. While it would normally have taken at least two weeks to reach this location, such travel was trivial for those who possessed teleportation magic.
Since only one of them had actually seen this place before, the rest could not help but gawk at there surroundings, as if they had stepped into the realm of mythology, and were now in a world where creatures beyond their wildest dreams inhabited.
Even for adamantite adventurers, those who could be considered at the peak of humanity and who had seen a myriad of wondrous places could not help but be enchanted by such allure. This was clearly the work of gods at a glance. Even if its origins were shrouded in such unscrupulous actions, it did not detract from its beauty in the slightest. So no one could blame Lakyus for giving voice to her inner thoughts.
"I was shocked the first time I saw it as well. But I would expect nothing less from those beings. You can practically see the vanity within this place. And it shows their true nature clear as day."
Evileye's tone was clearly one of mockery, but it was not as if the others did not share the sentiment.
Though it happened long ago, it was still true that the greed kings cause unimaginable devastation upon this world. It was only natural that anyone who heard of them would not be favorable inclined to them. Even the few who believed in their existence did not care for them, despite the abilities they supposedly gifted mankind with.
"Honestly the fact that such a building could even be built seems impossible to me, but "Nothing is impossible for the gods" or so they say."
"Still as bitter as ever aren't you Crybaby?"
A youthful voice called out to Evileye – at odds with her appearance – and her expression turned into one of frustration(Of course, no one could see it) as she responded in turn.
"Its called being practical you granny. And enough with that pathetic nickname. Haven't you ever heard the term, "respect your elders?"
"The pot calling the kettle black?"
Though they seemed to be aiming for each others throats, Lakyus knew they were simply making playful jabs, as was their relationship, so she said nothing, and merely continued to watch from the sidelines.
"Well, in any case I'm glad you're here. Follow me. Tsa wants to talk to you all about something we've been planning."
They gave their acknowledgment and followed her to the one that had called them her. Though the castle was sprawling with passageways, she seemed to have memorized the exactly way to the room as she did not hesitate for even a moment.
However, when they finally arrived to his domicile, the person that was their to greet them was probably the last person she expected to see.
"Azuth!?"
"Oi, is that anyway to greet a family member?"
Her surprise was genuine. Though he had stated he would be able to escape, she still had doubts regarding his survival
"Sigh, I have a lot of things I'd like to say in response to that, but putting that aside, why are you here?"
"Same as you. Were here to help this big lug defeat that monster."
There could only be one person in the room he was referring to.
Indeed. It was the being who stood atop the mightiest race in the world. A being who's power could not even be measured in numbers.
It was the Platinum Dragon Lord, Tsaindorcus Vaision.
His shining form was one befitting one of his status, and as he spread out his wings, the luster emitted from his scales seemed to dominant the entire room, almost acting as a light source on its own, giving him a deific radiance that made anyone witnessing it feel inferior.
Though this was meant to be a formal meetup as equals, Lakyus had to resist the urge to bow in this face of it.
"I'm glad you have come, adventurers of Blue rose. It was actually Rigrit who had suggested that I call you, and if she trust you all, then that's good enough for me." the members of the room felt there bodies vibrate as he spoke, his deep voice being calming yet commanding.
"Truth be told, I likely would have called out to you at some point even without her advice. Simply put, we need as many people on our side as possible in order to obtain victory against the sorcerer king." The importance of the discussion reached the rooms inhabitants at the mention of his name, as they straightened themselves out to listen.
"Though im sure you've all heard rumors of his power, and some information has most likely reached your ears by now, I can assure you that whatever you have heard is true, no matter how ridiculous it may seem. Maybe it doesn't even reach what he is truly capable of. Whatever you've heard, assume he is twice as strong as that. That is how powerful he is."
Hearing even The platinum dragon lord speak with worry in his tone was more than enough to put even the most willful people in the room on edge.
"That being the case, in order to have a chance at defeating him, only the top echelon of beings will do. He has both a advantage in both strength and numbers, but I alone can overturn most of those odds. However I need a group of powerful people to act as a secondary main force. Which is why I have called you all, as you are currently the strongest human fighting force on our side. But I am the only one here who possess power to face him one on one."
"Are we certain of that?" The one to voice her objection to that statement was, evileye.
"Oh? And who else could do so?"
"Lakyus."
...What.
Likely everyone in the room had the exact same thought at the ridiculous words that had left her mouth.
"Lakyus, if he truly is as strong as he is saying, maybe its time you finally use 'That'. I doubt that even he could withstand it."
"..? What are you talking about Evileye?" Her face was one of complete confusion. Just what was this girl on about?
"If what we need to defeat the sorcerer king is absolute power, then why not use the "Power of Darkness" that you say can destroy an entire nation?"
"W-What?"
"Gagaran said before that she heard you muttering to yourself about keeping the dark blades power in check lest it control you, and while I know you probably didn't want to worry, should we use that power against the sorcerer king if possible? I doubt even he could withstand something so strong."
The second she understood what was said, her face instantly flushed scarlet from the scalding shame she was feeling at this continued misunderstanding. Why did she have to talk so loud?!
"Such a power exist within that blade? Even I had no idea it could cause such devastation." Even the platinum dragon lord was starting to believe this nonsense. Things were only spiraling out of control fast, and it was getting harder and harder to think of a way out.
Why does she keep bringing that up!? I need to hurry up and give a excuse before this goes any further!
But before she was even able to utter a word, someone was already there to explain for here.
"Huh? are you seriously still going on with that weird phase of yours? I thought you would have outgrown that by now and all your weird posing, but I guess that was too much for your dear brother to hope for wasn't it?"
"!"
"Wa-Wait! T-Thats not..." As she flailed her arms around in her vain attempts to defend her honor, a quick look around the room revealed eyes full of pity and shame upon seeing their allies strange habits revealed. The deathly silence that came afterwords almost drove her to tears.
After what felt like hours to her, the conversation finally started once more.
"Mmm... In any case, While its true I need fighting power, it is not to make them fight the sorcerer king with me. I have no doubt in my ability to handle the undead he has spawned, but I need to preserve my strength for my final battle. Though I will help where I can. For those remaining however, we would need adamantite level beings at the minimum to fend off the creatures he controls."
Though everyone had expected it, the statement still left everyone completely shocked.
Adamantite adventures were the rarest of the rare. The people who could claim to be a part of this exalted group was so small, they would likely only number in the hundreds in this worlds billions of souls. And the amount that they knew personally would be in single digets.
"The Slane theocracy will more or less be a sacrifice in this, since they want to wage war directly. Though I have told them to not attack, I have no doubt that there pride will get the better of them one of these days, and they will act on their own. Should that happen, we can use the opportunity to attack while they are preoccupied, though it is not the best case scenario."
"Why is that? Wouldn't having the two strongest nations in the region leading a two pronged assault be the best case scenario?" Gagaran's question was very sensible when considering the opposition.
"There are many reasons for that, and frankly too many to list at present. But allow me to enlighten you with the most glaring problem.
He took a deep breath, and sighed deeply before speaking.
"Before the siege on his city can begin, we need to lay the groundwork for his demise."
He paused for a moment to ensure everyone understood, then continued.
"As much as it pains me to admit it, the sorcerer king's intelligence is shockingly vast. And because of that, he has managed to get the general populace to accept him as a ruler, and not see him for the monster he truly is. As it stands now, we would need to have a justifiable cause to attack him, which is going to be a major source of concern moving forward."
Rigrit stepped up to explain just how that could be so.
"Because of the way that bastard operates, its practically impossible to make the first move. He makes diplomatic visits to countries, acts civil and plays by the rules, where both countries get a fair trade off. Thing is, he often times is saving those countries in the process. As a result, they become indebted to him, and in most cases, see them as their savior. Because of this, we can't take him down out of nowhere without justifiable cause, as the other countries would soon attack us, which would most likely result in a mass genocide."
Lakyus's shivered as she imagined such a event occurring, and the ease of the scenario coming to pass shocked her to her core.
Most of the countries that currently supported him were quite weakened due to attacks that had supposedly occurred, and thus would be completely wiped out if it came to pass. The holy kingdom had recently been torn to pieces by Jaldabaoth, and it would be impossible for them to engage in a war and win with the state they were in. though with rumors of the northern sides almost religious like zealotry towards the undead, they had no doubt they would fight until their last breath for him.
The Empire was also in a rather precarious situation. Even if they had not lost many soldiers from the battle with the kingdom, many of the soldiers requested to leave due to the mental damage. And with there vassal status, a portion of the army was replaced with undead soldiers, which
Even putting them aside, Spies in E-rantel reported that the dwarves that lived there were rescued from extinction by him, and thus shared a sentiment of pledging there lives to him. Though allies in name only, it did not change the fact it was yet another country under his banner. What they would do in the event of his death however remains to be seen.
Because of this, the sorcerer kingdom effectively had control over half the remaining human nations. Even so, an attack could theoretically still be carried out.
The Baharuth empire seemed to become a vassal due to being backed into a corner, at least if what was leaked from the Theocracy was true, and the south side of the Holy kingdom was still very much against the undead, and effectively cut ties with the north. This meant that there was still a chance to persuade them into an alliance, and to challenge him directly without the need for preparation.
Yet only a few days prior, the Draconic kingdom had announced its plans to become a vassal state to the sorcerer kingdom.
"Because of the amount of allies he has managed to accrue, We could not simply get away with charging his city without substantial interference from other nation, and a killing floor is not what I would want to have happen. Even in the best case scenario, the council states reputation would plummet, and the other councilors would place the blame squarely on Tsa. And if they were to fight, even more devastation would occur."
"Which is why we need to enlist the aid of Adamantite level adventures. They are the only beings powerful enough to hold off the sorcerer kings confidants while I deal with him directly. During the war with the kingdom, I done just that as I attempted to end the sorcerer king."
Every member of blue rose simultaneously froze in place, as if there souls had been snared by this absolutely jaw dropping news.
"Y... you battled the sorcerer king?" Gagaran could barely even get the sentence out as the shock of such a thing event happening right under their noses was to much to bear.
"Indeed. When he was only guarded by The prime minister of the sorcerer kingdom, I had Azuth distract her while I tried to take him down."
"So that's how you were able to escape the kingdom." As she thought back on it, his knowledge of the theocracy and other such things were probably gained from him.
"I told you back then didn't I? We need a monster to take down that monster. And it just so happens one is right here." He jerked his thumb back with a smirk, drawing their gazes to said "Monster".
"Indeed. As it turns out the sorcerer king was much more powerful then I had anticipated. Even my Had a tough time. Though I gained crucial Intel on his abilities and power. If I battle him in my real body, I cannot lose."
The statement that overflowed with absolute confidence seemed to put the room at ease. Hearing him say he could definitively defeat the sorcerer king filled everyone in the room with a feeling of relief that could not be described.
"However..."
Then that feeling was utterly dashed as they heard his next words.
"While the sorcerer king is an opponent that does not warrant to much caution, its a different matter for Albedo."
The prime minister of the sorcerer kingdom was extremely well known to the few people who maintained trade with the country. All who had witnessed her said she possessed beauty beyond compare, enough that men may go to war just to see her smile directed at themselves.
But it would seem her strength also lay within in that domain.
"With a single swing of her axe she managed to cave the ground beneath me in, then send me flying with a punch upwards. Her physical strength is enormous, and frankly I think she is the one we need to be the most wary of."
"Because of this, I have my doubts of facing her head on, and if she is still in the presence of the sorcerer king when I face him down, my defeat will be assured. It is because of this that we need adamantite adventures to hold her off as I fight, as one will not be enough this time. they will not fall for the same trick twice, and forgive my bluntness, but I don't think you could buy that much time. However, I only need enough to use my ultimate attack. So I must ask, Do any of you know who could be an ally in this?"
The group thought to themselves for a bit on all of the people they knew. Unfortunately, many of them were citizens of the kingdom, so much of there fighting force had been reduced to ash.
But even so, one still Remained that they were confident could even hold back Albedo by himself. And a certain vampire was all to eager to to recommend him.
"Momon-sama would happily do so! With his shining blades that can cut through all the worlds evil, I have no doubt that he would lend us his assistance! His strenght could never be outdone, that im confident of! And since he is under the employ of the sorcerer king, we can use him as our eyes and ears to know what he is planning ahead of time! That great man will surely–"
"I would not feel that to be wise." The Dragon lord quickly interjected in the middle of her tirade on the dark hero to give his own thoughts on the matter. He was well aware he may not even get the chance should her ramblings continue.
"I will admit that if we could gain his allegiance , he would be an invaluable asset, as he was able to fight toe to toe with Jaldabaoth. However I still have some suspicious about him. I would like to know how he feels about the sorcerer kings actions before I can definitively say he is on our side. Though I think the chances are extremely low, in the event that he is more loyal to the sorcerer king then we believed, we may have to deal him as well."
He choose to ignore Evileye's mutterings as he turned to the others to see any other options.
"Hey I thought of one. What about your sister Tira? Isn't she still active in Ijaniya?"
"Hm, that's not a bad idea when I think about it..." Tia gave voice to her thoughts as she recalled her recalled her distant sibling.
Though both Tia and Tina had chosen to become adventures, their sister Tira had not made that choice, and instead remained an assassin for hire. She was the only reason the organization could still function with the loss of two of its best members, as she was easily the strongest and most skilled of the three, so she could keep it running efficiently.
Though she was not a hero, she was no villain either. If one had to rank her morals, she would likely be put in the same category as a sellsword or mercenary.
"Well, She probably won't help unless we pay her though. I can't see her simply joining out of the kindness of her heart."
"Well, in this situation, all we need is cooperation. If money is what it would take to gain her assistance, then so be it. The goal is not to defeat them, but to draw out as much time as possible, so loyalty to us isn't a big issue. Are there any others besides her who may be willing to help us?"
The 5 thought long and hard, yet after the prolonged period of introspection had ended, they could not think of a single person who met that criteria now. And that thought put into perspective just how much they lost in that war.
Seeing how the mood had fallen, the dragon lord took that as a sign there were none, and continued his breakdown of the plan.
"I see. Even so, though we may have a large quantity of adamantite level people already, we've already stated that raw power will not be enough to win. Mere manpower isn't enough to defeat one such as he."
As this was the main point of there plan, Tsa offered them all a summary on the specifics.
"While it pains me to say this, some sacrifices must be made if we are going to win. So I have conceived a plan with Rigrit that can destroy his reputation and give us our opportunity to strike."
simply hearing that sentence was enough to put Lakyus on edge. She could sense the ominous meaning behind those words, and she did not care for it at all.
"As of right now, the city of E-rantel has grown to become accepting of the undead guards, as to date, their have been no incidents involving unwarranted attacks. Not only are the undead his main security force, but when trading with other nations, they are also their lifeline, as the undead are there only notable export. So if we show to the world they are not as reliable as they claim, then things will come crashing down from then."
I don't like where this is going...
"As a Necromancer, Rigrit is adept at controlling the undead, probably more so then anyone alive at the moment. So if she were to take control of one of the sorcerer kings undead, and cause it to go on a rampage, the foundation he has worked so hard to build would come crumbling down. Unfortunately she does not posses the nessasary power to do so yet, but given time we can carry out the plan."
"I see. If people see the undead will attack of their own volition, and aren't under the sorcerer kings absolute control as he claims, then trust in his country will plummet like a stone. The plan itself is fairly simple, yet will be extremely effective, as his undead status will make people inclined to believe he did it on purpose." Evileye expressed her agreement with the statement
Though Lakyus expected her comrades to react with disgust at such a plan, she did not here a single word of of complaint exit there mouths, some of them even voicing there approval.
What the hell are they talking about?! Aren't we just as bad as the sorcerer king then if we're killing innocents just to stop him?
Lakyus's moral compass was having a hard time accepting such a plan. Though she still suffers from the pain of losing the kingdom and those she swore to protect, she could not bring herself to bring herself to the same level for vengeance.
"How can you all say that with a straight face!? Don't you care about the lives that would be lost in the process?"
Her rage was genuine.
Even in the face of once considered at the peak of all life, she would not concede on such a point without a fight.
"I understand your reservations against such a plan, but I have no attachment to humanity. In the same way humanity doesn't see an issue with slaughtering Demi-humans, I have no qualms about the deaths of humans. And while I would prefer that death is not needed, I will do whatever it takes to defend this world from my ancestors mistakes."
"Bu..." Though her heart tried to form a rebuttal, it died in the face of undeniable truth.
It was hard to deny that humanity did not hold Demi-humans in high regard. Many villages of theirs were burned by the hand of the Slane theocracy, and even other countries would send adventures to dispatch heteromorphs, even when they were amicable and not a threat, a notable example being the empires martial lord Go-Gin.
Yet even so, she could not bring herself to accept such things.
"I understand your sentiment Lakyus, I truly do. We would rather not have it come to this either, but when the fate of the world is at stake, we most sacrifice the few to save the many." Rigrit's words did little to quell the anger in her heart however. In the end they were still trying to justify why killing innocents
"In what way is this saving the world?" her objection was quiet, almost inaudible, yet the rage behind the words was unmistakable, and that emotion alone carried her words to everyone present.
"How is any of this meant to be justifiable? Even if I hate the sorcerer king for what he has done to the kingdom, and admonish the path of blood he has taken, I'm also not blind to the fact that the kingdom instigated first. Though he may have gone too far, hasn't he made the lives of his allied kingdoms infinitely better!? Why do we need to kill innocents based on Speculation?!"
Lakyus had even shocked herself with how much she was defending the sorcerer kings actions, but that was secondary to the fury she felt at her colleagues. Her arguments were meant to rebuke them, not justify the sorcerer king.
The kingdom incident had already pissed her of, but this was taking it to new heights. These were not the actions of people who were known as the peak of adventurers.
"I see. So you feel we are going to far because you believe the sorcerer king has not done anything Objectively evil yet? And you feel as though we are taking action to prematurely? Do you not feel that sort of thinking is naive?" The Platinum Dragon lords Weighty voice reverberated through the room as he admonished her thought process.
"Of course! We should not be killing innocents just to get a leg up on the enemy!"
"And when he becomes too powerful to stop and decides to take action when he has complete control of the world, will you take responsibility knowing we could have stopped it?"
"Even for a hypothetical, those situations are the extremes! Wouldn't he have taken the world by force had he wanted to do that!"
The more she debated the more heated she became towards the Dragon lord. Though he may be deserving of respect from his position
Her allies when faced with this did not know who's side to take. Would they go with their leader, who, though naive, only wanted to end things in a peaceful way, unlikely as it may be, or would they go with the most powerful being in the world, who's plan was infinitely crueler, but had a high chance of ridding the world of the scourge that has plagued it?
Both sides has merits, and neither was truly wrong, it all came down to there own ideals.
Logic vs Emotion
Reason vs Loyalty
Empathy vs Callousness
Each represented what this argument came down to at its core. And only the individual could decide which was right.
"I see. It would seem your reluctance to accept this plan comes from your lack of knowledge to the current situation. Then allow me to ask you one question. This goes for you all as well as I feel it will help you make up your mind."
"Fine." her usual polite and graceful demeanor was nowhere to be seen as she complied with his request.
"Do you know what a player is?"
A/N Honestly, Platinum dragon lord and Ainz are very alike when you think about it. Only difference being one is completely wrong. Also, I'll be resuming my normal schedule, so no more month long waits and such.