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Chapter 104 - A Show of Force
🕑 Added 2018-07-04 10:41:45 +0000 UTC As expected, Zenlith wouldn't just leave like a beaten dog with its tail between its legs. Instead, he points his hand at me and performs a grasping motion, making me think that he's trying to compete with air pressure again.Instead, I black out for a second, before the world returns before me. I find that my altitude has dropped a little, but all my limbs are still there and my mass hasn't changed at all. What did he do?
"[A-are you alright?]" Tahiri asks me while looking unexpectedly concerned. It's the first time I've seen such an expression on her face, and I feel alarmed.
"[What happened?]" I look up to keep Zenlith, whose eyes are widened in anger as he lowers his hand, in my view, and ask the God of Storm. Whatever he did, it didn't have the intended effect of instantly ending my life. But still, I did black out, and I must have fallen a little bit before catching myself subconsciously.
"[You were just split into a million pieces...]" Tahiri glances all over my body as if she's trying to see whether I'm really alright or missing some pieces.
Wait, he could cut me that many times with just a simple motion of his hand? Even at maximum density, I couldn't withstand his previous invisible attack, but it wasn't very effective, and I remained conscious throughout. If he can somehow cut me and then scatter my pieces wouldn't I die? Or would each piece gain a new consciousness and turn into an army of my clones?
I can't let him do that again.
"[You are from Armeria?]" Addressing Tahiri, Zenlith speaks in a distinctive accent of the language spoken in Adanak. I already believed Mataku, but this is the last nail in the coffin of any lingering doubts.
"Leave her out of this." Glaring at the self-proclaimed Lord of the Sky, I quickly think of a way to take him out. If my suspicions are true, he must have all the powers of Tahiri, and much more. Her whole reality consists of being the God of Storm, while Zenlith is only acting out a character. Knowing about the Imagination Engine and what he can do with it gives him a huge edge over her.
"Is she important to you?" He turns his cold gaze towards me and asks in an equally cold tone. Then, before I can even react, he gestures at the goddess, and she disappears into a fine mist. Her presence in my Chaos senses disappears completely.
My mind goes blank.
"ZENLITH!!!" With a hate-filled glare, I roar at the man in white and imagine him getting shredded into a million pieces himself.
Then it happens; the Old Human's form explodes into red mist, just the way I wanted him to.
For a moment, I'm utterly surprised. The shock from seeing Tahiri disappearing on the spot still hasn't completely settled, and the rage didn't have enough time to express itself fully when the next unexpected thing happened. Is this the true power of the Imagination Engine? When there's a powerful will behind an image, it just gets realized regardless of the target?
"So, your name was Chaos." Zenlith's calm voice resounds across the area. Of course, he can't have died from something physical like that, and I shouldn't have expected otherwise. After all, I'm sure others have tried this against him before. "I have recognized you as an enemy now."
He doesn't rematerialize, and after a while of silence, I realize that he must have left. Maybe it was a heavy blow after all, but considering he could still talk in such a calm manner, that doesn't seem to be the case. Why would he leave, if even my anger-fuelled use of the Imagination Engine is unable to kill him?
"[You would get so worked up over me?]" Tahiri's voice comes from behind me, and I register a presence on my radar again. Spinning around, I look into the rainbow-colored eyes of the God of Storm.
"[You... you're alright...]" I mutter, recognizing the feeling welling up inside me very well. It's the relief one feels when a person important to them is unharmed.
"[Who do you think I am? Something like tha- woah!]" She begins quipping, but I fly straight into her and envelop her in my arm. "[What's come over you?]"
Suppressing my tears, I hug her tightly and remain silent. Realizing that I must have thought she really died, she returns the embrace and sighs. We stay like this until the whirlpool of emotions inside me calms down again, and I feel collected enough to show my face to her.
"[... I told you that each one of these gods is as powerful as Mataku.]" I explain my worry and separate from her to look her up and down.
"[And I told you that I'm the wind. The wind may cease for a while, but it never dies.]" She smiles at me warmly, and I feel my heart jump. It's been a while since I got to spend quality time with her, and while this isn't the best occasion, I'll take what I can get.
"[With this, it's done.]" I turn away from the God of Storm and look across the ocean of clouds. The moon shining above basks the scenery in a cold light befitting of the desolation that our short confrontation left behind - even though nothing was lost or destroyed. It just feels like a monumental battle just took place here.
Zenlith has received our declaration of war, and I'm sure he's gathering the other Old Humans to try and repeat what he did to my mother. But unlike that time, he most likely won't be playing by the rules he set for himself anymore. With the power to scatter a person into single atoms, he shouldn't have needed any help to defeat her back then.
But he was unable to kill me just now, so maybe a Crawling Chaos has some kind of defense against whatever he did? Tahiri did say that I was just cut into a million pieces, but I just consolidated myself instantly again or something like that.
"[Can we have some fun now?]" Suddenly, a somewhat familiar voice blows into my ear hotly. Shocked, I crank my head around. Silver glowing eyes in a beautiful pale-skinned face framed by long flowing white hair greet me with a mischievous glint.
"[Aratio!]" This is the second time she's blindsided me. My Chaos senses are keenly trained on my surroundings, but she was able to hide her presence from me - most likely by turning into wind.
"[You remembered my name! I'm so glad~]" She tilts her head and gives me a radiant smile. No matter how I look at her, she's really cute and falls well within my strike zone. However, her mother is right beside me, so it doesn't feel right.
"[Hey! You promised to play with me after your battle!]" The sulky voice of Aorutihaua causes me to turn around again. My exchange with Zenlith was really short, but still long enough for the Child of the Sun to realize that I wasn't going to come back right away. That made them think I concluded the duel with Chandra, and that I must be free now.
"[It's sinful to be so popular.]" Tahiri grins at me mischievously and teases me.
"[Under any other circumstances, I wouldn't mind it.]" Shrugging with a sigh, I address Aratio and Aorutihaua in turn. "[We'll talk about this later. And right now isn't the best time for games.]"
"[Don't make me wait too long, or I might lose interest, you know~]" The God of Whirlwinds smiles, but because she's upside down, it looks like a frown.
"[You've been saying this all day!]" The Child of the Sun is harder to deal with, as they don't accept a postponement again.
"[Alright, come with me, I'll play with you right after I finish my business with Chandra.]" Sighing again, I pet Aorutihaua's full helm. It feels weird no matter how often I do this, but it seems to have an effect each time, as they noticeably calm down.
With one last glance across the clouds, I begin to descend.
It turns out that after I left, Korenga jumped into the ring, and is now slugging it out with Chandra. I don't know whether she did that on purpose to occupy the crowd or was simply itching for a proper fight, but everyone seems to have forgotten about my departure.
The Black God isn't in her eponymous form but is still able to hold her own even against those six arms. It's clear that despite being hailed as one of the strongest demons - if not the strongest - she still can't defeat someone who has unlocked the powers of the Imagination Engine.
I'm actually curious to find out whether demons use that to cast their magic, or it's coded into their beings like the dragon breath. After all, it's something a dragon's throat is naturally able to produce, and I could replicate it without knowing the principle behind it. Or maybe it's because I saw how it was used and felt its effects first-hand that I believed I could use it, too.
Before I can lose myself in thoughts, I watch as Chandra wrestles Korenga down and begins to pummel her with all six of her fists. So, in her normal form, she's slightly weaker than the Ajura clan leader after all.
Just as I contemplate this, the Black God covers her body in darkness, as she gains a burst of strength. With a roar, she easily pushes Chandra off herself and grabs one of her arms. Swinging the ajura around like a ragdoll, Korenga throws her into the walls of the arena.
"[Hey, you overdid it!]" I drop into the ring before the goddess and stop her from following up on that. She didn't lose herself in her usual battle trance completely, so I get through to her. Dispelling her black form, she scratches the back of her head.
"[Sorry, you alright?]" Korenga calls out to Chandra, who has disappeared in an explosion of dust and rocks. Nobody on this continent understands the language spoken in Adanak, so no answer comes.
"Hey Chandra, you still alive?" I speak in the common language. Finally, there's a response from within the settling dust; Chandra bursts forth and charges straight at Korenga. "Stop it. This is over."
I enlarge my hand to a gigantic size and grab the battle-crazed clan leader. She tries to wiggle free, but my strength proves far too great for her. A murmur runs through the audience at the sight of my transformation ability, and I'm sure some are whispering about how my mother was capable of the same.
"Ya really yer mother's child." Finally, Chandra calms down and speaks with a resigned sigh. "But that doesn't mean I've accepted you yet."
"[What did she say?]" Korenga asks as I let go of the purple-skinned woman.
"[That she won't accept me as the queen just yet.]" I translate for the Black God and shrug. My powers have been made very clear in front of such a large audience, and the other clan leaders know what I'm capable of now. Chandra will eventually have to come around, even if it means that I won't ascend to the throne right away.
I know that I lack in political and governing skills. So far, I haven't put a single point into those skill trees, because I've been wholly uninterested in them. Well, I still am, but that doesn't mean I'll leave it to others; even if there's no succession in the dominion's royalty, I still believe I'm currently the one most fitting to rule. After all, who else here could ever hope to stand up to Zenlith like I just did?
"That's alright. I know I still have a lot to learn." Walking up to the ajura who's more than a head taller than me, I stare into her green eyes with determination. "I'll prove myself by winning this war."
"Big words. Let's see ya do this." Placing one of her hands on my head, she pets my hair with a smile. So this is how it feels, huh? I don't dislike it, but I think the gesture is quite disrespectful, considering I'm a princess, and she's my subject. And when she's doing it in front of so many people, it might undermine my authority.
"I will." Pushing her hand aside, I catch myself speaking with a pout. Am I a tsundere?!
"I'll follow ya until then." Crossing all three pairs of her arms, Chandra grins and nods. Was that an indirect pledge of fealty after all?
I'm guided to my room, the one I woke up in after reincarnating into this body. I haven't been here in such a long time, but the gaudiness hasn't changed. At this point, I can't even call it that anymore, since it's in accordance to both the location and the period this world seems to be set in - even if it's far into the future of a world that previously had an incredibly advanced civilization.
After the battle in the arena was concluded without declaring me the clear victor, my succession to the throne has been postponed. Still, the demon clan leaders have accepted me as their supreme commander based on the fact that I'm the daughter of Pelomyx, and I know that in their hearts they should already see me as the next queen.
When everybody dispersed, and I was on my way back to the castle, Aorutihaua flew straight into me and tore a hole through my body. They were angry that I seemed to have forgotten my promise to play with them right after concluding the battle with Chandra. All the demons that witnessed it were staring with their mouths wide open, but when I didn't show anger and instead seemed to bow to the little Child of the Sun, their jaws dropped further.
Some prospective queen I'm turning out to be...
Who knows how much time has passed since then, and it's already deep in the night now. I don't tire, I don't need to sleep, and I don't have any luggage, so I wonder why I'm letting the dragonfly maid lead me to my room. Maybe she thought I wanted to go to sleep because I was sighing so much after playing with Aorutihaua in the sky - which Tahiri cleared again after our confrontation with Zenlith.
"Umm... would you like me to lay with you tonight?" The maid with the large compound eyes, which look like a faceted bike helmet visor - it even has the rainbow-colored sheen of one - asks me in a somewhat bashful manner.
"Huh?" I make in a dumbfounded tone. Wait, is she mistaking me for Asoko? Whatever may have happened between the two of them has nothing to do with me.
"O-oh no! Please excuse my rudeness, Your Highness!" Bowing deeply in a very Japanese manner, the dragonfly maid beats her wings for a second before calming down again. "I meant to say: Would Your Highness deem me worthy to let me spend the night with You?"
"You don't need to be so formal with me. What's your name?" I gesture for her to raise her head and finally remember to ask. I'm going to inherit all the maids of the castle, and even if they most likely all joined Asoko's harem already, there's nothing wrong with at least learning their names.
"My name is Nymphylecitaphia." She responds while looking into my eyes - or at least that's what I think she's doing.
"Nymphy-" Scratching my head, I try to repeat it, but can't even remember the second half. Although I've heard many strange names in this world, this one takes the cake.
"Nympholecitaphia." Repeating herself, the maid speaks slowly and patiently.
"Nah, I'll just call you Nymphy from now on." Shrugging, I give up on trying to pronounce that name.
"Understood." Somehow she seems happy to have received a nickname from me. "Then, shall I accompany you for the night?"
"Don't mistake me for Asoko. I'm Chaos." I say it directly. Knowing that she belongs to Asoko, I can't just lay my hands on her; I told her to keep away from my girls, so I'll do the same with hers.
"Oh, I did not mean it that way. Asoko-sama never asked for my company." She replies, her voice sounding quite neutral. I can't help but feel a hint of loneliness in it though, as she seems to be a little dejected. Why would my other half not choose her? I thought our tastes would be the same, and in my eyes, Nymphy is a very cute girl - quite exotic, but cute nonetheless.
"That's a shame. Even though you are such a lovely thing." I lift the dragonfly girl's chin and look into her compound eyes. That's one thing I'd have to get used to; choosing which of those facets to look into. She blushes and purses her lips in embarrassed silence.
"Already flirting again, huh?" Senka's voice echoes through the quiet room.
Nymphy and I both look down to find the doll girl peering up at us with an expression of disapproval. I'm used to her appearing in the twilight like that, but the maid isn't, so she screams.
The ear-piercing shriek is something that feels like it should have a special move name. It reverberates through my bones and gives me the sensation that the very particles making up my body are vibrating. I cover her mouth with a hand and put a finger over my lips, signaling her to stop.
"I am sorry." She mutters bashfully after calming down again.
"What are you doing here?" I had the maids accommodate the members of my entourage in their own rooms, and told them that I wanted to rest tonight. During our journey, I've been spending a lot of time with Aurelia and Tokomaha each, so I felt that a break was in order.
Senka doesn't respond and looks up at Nymphy, wordlessly signaling to me that she wants to speak with me in private. I feel bad for sending the maid away after giving her hopes like this, but it must be something important if she wants to do this in person rather than through her telepathic abilities.
"Sorry, Nymphy." I pet her green bob-cut and mutter in an apologetic tone. "Something important has come up, so we'll continue this tomorrow."
"I understand, Chaos-sama." Since I made it clear that I'm not dismissing her indefinitely, she doesn't sound disheartened. With a bow, she excuses herself and leaves my room, a noticeable spring in her step as her translucent wings quiver in excitement. That's pretty cute.
"So, what's so important that I had to send away my date for tonight?" Picking up Senka and hugging her to my chest, I ask her in a half-joking manner. No matter how much I do this, I just can't get enough of her.
"Your date, huh?" Rolling her eyes, the doll girl lets my embrace happen and stays limp as a real doll would. "It's about the Imagination Engine."
"Huh?" I immediately stop the cuddling and hold Senka at arm's length, my hands under her armpits, to look into her eyes. With this, my mood is instantly sobered up, and seriousness returns to my thoughts. "Since when have you known about it?"
"Let's just say I didn't know about it myself before you found out." She replies and looks past me as if there is someone else. But I know for a fact that behind me is only a wall.
"What did you find out?" Walking over to the bed and lying down on it, I hold Senka up like a toy.
"Nothing much, just that I know it's not located on this planet." Her arms and legs are dangling as she still acts like a ragdoll. I don't really know what to do with that information since it doesn't help me to know where the machine is. It's not like I get more power when I'm closer to it or anything.
"And what about it?" I place her on the bed next to me and look into her blue eyes reflecting the light from the lamp crystal on the nightstand.
"I think you might be missing the big picture here." Sitting up from the bed, Senka frowns and stares at me in disapproval. "Have you forgotten where magic in this world comes from?"
Wait, is she suggesting what I think she's suggesting?
"Yes, I see from your expression that you finally understand what I mean." Plopping back down, she returns to being a lifeless doll again.
"Are you saying I should eliminate all magic in this world?" I mutter in bewilderment. The repercussions from that would be unimaginable, and everyone I know would lose their abilities. But the same would be true for the Old Humans and even Mataku. At that point, the former would be simple humans again, and the latter would just be a Crawling Chaos with a huge amount of mass.
And it would give the physically more powerful demons a huge edge over the humans.
