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Chapter 16: Encore
<Divine City Amrita, Outskirts>
THE Cult of Ira—otherwise known as Mynoghra’s forces—had safely escaped Saint Lytrain’s attention thanks to Vittorio’s sacrifice at the final hour.
“Looks like…no one’s on our tail,” Yona’Yona said. “That painfully intense light is still hanging over Amrita…”
They lacked the numbers they had started with. Yona’Yona and the Elfuur Sisters had escaped together, but they had overwhelmingly fewer followers in tow. It’s not that they failed to escape in time. Judging by the fact Yona’Yona recognized most of the followers they still had with them, it seemed the people they brought to Amrita were unaffected. All the new believers they’d obtained in this city had reverted to their original alignment.
“Did she let us go? Or did she just not care…?” Yona’Yona muttered, staring absently in the direction of the city, her exhaustion weighing heavily on her features. Pillars of light rose from the city center, indicating the Saint was still shooting off Miracles left and right from that same spot.
Ӗňû m̂а̃
“The latter, I’d say,” Maria answered. “I’m positive saving people came first in the list of priorities recorded in that journal.”
“She didn’t seem to know her left from right anymore,” Caria added. “Better for us.”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Even the Elfuur Sisters seemed tired. The unobstructed moon hanging in the sky gave them power again, but the mental strain of fighting under extreme duress zapped their usual energy. That said, they should be safe now that they’d made it this far…as long as nothing came at them out of left field. All that was left for them to do was retreat to their own territory under the cover of night, and that was a forte of these girls who belonged to the darkness.
“So? What’ll you do now?”
Now that things had settled enough for them to move on to the next stage of action, Yona’Yona decided to take care of one small problem. Her gaze and question were aimed at Inquisitor Krähe Imlerith. The Elfuur Sisters had scooped her up while she stood there in shock and escaped this far with her. Perhaps it’d be better to call her FORMER Inquisitor. After all, she had willingly forsaken the god she believed in.
“As Nerim’s humble servant I… I don’t know what I should do anymore. Who in the world do I look to? I just don’t know…” she whispered.
Ё ñ ūm.а̀
“Mm…” Yona’Yona mulled it over a moment. “Well, it’s important to stop and take a break when things get too tough to figure out! Not to brag, but we’re experts at that. In any case, ya can’t return to your homeland anymore, right? Then come with us.” She cheerfully patted Krähe on the back.
Some of the hardest crossroads we come to in life don’t always have an immediate answer. It’d be cruel to ask her to decide her stance and future goals right here and now. What she needed most was rest. A hot drink and a place to lay her head. Once she rested enough to relieve her mental and physical fatigue, she could finally turn her attention to the future.
Yona’Yona’s own experience and the experiences of the people she’d shepherded until now helped her give Krähe the best possible advice for her situation. Yona’Yona’s position as Lector wasn’t just for show. She had the qualifications to serve as one.
Besides, Krähe had pledged allegiance to the great and mighty King Takuto Ira. Going as far as forsaking her own holy god to do so. Yona’Yona couldn’t imagine her great God not sympathizing with Krähe’s suffering. Evil gods, unlike holy gods, always save the suffering after all…
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“It’s hard to believe…” Yona’Yona muttered, her gaze softening as Krähe silently nodded and began walking with them.
The long-eared Dark Elf sisters overheard her quiet utterance and instantly understood what she was referring to. Their thoughts turned to the annoying man they had tried to put out of their minds.
Ēn u m̌ а. і́ d
“He died,” Maria supplied.
“Extinguished faster than a candle,” Caria added.
Vittorio staying behind until they could escape meant he protected them at the cost of his own life. There was a slim chance he was still alive since they hadn’t confirmed his death with their own eyes, but it seemed unlikely considering the powerful Saint he was up against.
Vittorio was not a combat unit. Anyone who had spent any amount of time with him came to understand as much. They would be lying if they said they didn’t think it possible for that supernatural genius of his to come up with an ingenious escape plan at the last second. But those hopes were dashed when Yona’Yona and the Elfuur Sisters sensed the last remaining dark aura in the city get completely extinguished.
“Damn you, Archlector Idiot. You don’t get to go and croak on me like that after all you’ve done to screw around with me and our plans…” Yona’Yona cursed, loneliness creeping into her voice.
The Elfuur Sisters didn’t respond. They realized there was a unique relationship between Yona’Yona and Vittorio that they could never fully understand. Empty platitudes often become a thorn in the side of those who are already grieving. The twins had tasted the bitter sadness of loss, so they understood more than most that silence is the greatest kindness sometimes.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“You ruined my plans to put you through the wringer, beat the crap outta you, and say thank you…”
A cold wind blew between them. The biting night breeze rapidly stole their heat. As the heat powering them forward chilled, loneliness filled their hearts, as if they had lost something important to them.
“Let’s return to Seldoch first,” Caria said.
“We’ll consult His Majesty about what to do there,” Maria said.
At the twins’ command, their ragtag group began their slow march toward Seldoch. They were used to moving at night. As long as no one came after them, they wouldn’t run into any trouble on the journey to Seldoch—a city they controlled to the south.
But the situation was far from good. They might even be forced to abandon Seldoch depending on what came next. It would be a shame to let go of one of the most prominent cities in the Southern Province after they went through all the effort to conquer it, but fleeing was the only way to handle the berserker Scribe Saint. The rest would depend on what King Takuto Ira decided.
W̆ eb̂ n̊ оv̇ е̌l Е̄ n̂ ù m̈ӑ
After all, the master schemer they had come to rely on in their own weird way was no more…
Yona’Yona turned around and took one last look at Amrita as though to burn its scenery into her memories.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“…This sucks.”
Her muttered words disappeared with the night breeze. No one said anything in response.
◇◇◇
“THE drama acted out by foolish mortals burns brighter and more beautifully than any other. The greater their desire for peace, the more endearing their lamentations when it just slips through their fingers like water,” the schemester soliloquized.
W е b n о̀ v ėl̂ Ëǹ_u ṁа̄
The man who should’ve died was alive and giving a soliloquy.
“Aaah, what a tragedy. I truly showed that pitiful young lady mercy. Just like how my god gave me the hope to live. Pure, unadulterated happiness should have awaited her at the end of making the right choice!”
The man threw his arms open wide.
“Alack! Alas! Why do mortals always make the wrong choice?! And why do I so revel in their unhappiness?! My greatest lament is that I don’t have a bag of piping hot and buttery POPcorn on hand!”
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BAM! He struck a pose and flashed a disingenuous smile. The lights flicked on, illuminating the area, making it clear where he was. Familiar wooden floors and walls boxed him in with various furniture of warped and curious design.
A familiar figure sat upon the throne, another figure standing right beside him.
Ë ṅ ûm̊a .ĩ ḋ
“The prayers have been fulfilled and the time of celebration has come. I was originally planning to draw out the Mystic Saint, renowned as the strongest Saint of them all, but lo and behold, mon petit Scribe Saint stepped up to bat, saving moi the trouble!” he proclaimed.
“The appearance of a powerful foe that not even mon petit monstres with Hero powers could oppose! To think, o to think, everything played out exactly as moi wanted! With this, all of your plans have been stopped and sealed, my liege!” Vittorio announced, twirling around like a court jester having the time of his life. He sounded so gleeful as he alluded that everything had gone according to his plans. That his master had lost.
“Wouldn’t you agree?” he declared his victory to the man sitting on the throne. “Great God Takuto Ira!”
<Mynoghra Palace, Throne Room>
VITTORIO, who died while serving as the rearguard for the Cult of Ira, returned to the Accursed Lands earlier than the rest with one of his skills. Now he was declaring his victory over his master in the happiest of moods.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
This was why Vittorio was considered one of the most troublesome Hero Units in Eternal Nations. Once he was summoned into the world, it was extremely difficult to remove him from the game. Even if he was defeated, he would revive back at base and resume his activities as if nothing had happened. This was the huge bonus he got for not having any combat abilities. It was no wonder many Eternal Nations’ players were frustrated by the negative impact he had on the game world.
Incidentally, he was the sole Hero who would remain in the game even after Mynoghra—the summoning empire—was defeated. Considering he carried the risk of disrupting the balance of the game from the moment he appeared, it was easy to imagine how much players despised him.
“The Great God Takuto Ira.
It is a calamity that destroys the world. The harbinger of death and terror.
It is a raging inferno. A ruthless blizzard and explosive thunderstorm.
It is blood and blade. Screams and death throes.
W̌ е̊ bǹо̊ vё l̃ Е̃n ŭ m а
It is the sun that illuminates the world and envelops it in darkness.
It has infinite wisdom and infinite authority.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
It has eternal life and an eternal body, and it cannot be harmed by metal, hard objects, soft objects, ham, spam, the Six Elements, mistletoe, or anything else conceivable.
It is the beginning and the end. Complete and nothingness.
Praise the Great God.”
Takuto didn’t let the Gleeful Spin Doctor’s triumphant victory speech throw him off. He had the Cult of Ira’s scripture in hand and read out loud the passage on their God—in other words, the part that mentioned Takuto himself.
Еnu m̌å. іd
“I see what you did,” Takuto said thoughtfully. “You added to the ‘Passage on the King of Ruin’ recorded in The Ancient Saints’ Book of Oracles to make me a more complete existence.”
“Mwahahaha,” Vittorio cackled proudly in return.
The content change was arrogant to say the least. There was nothing particularly strange about the parts detailing the kind of person Takuto Ira was. But there were large discrepancies in the details about his powers. Powers and abilities the real Takuto didn’t possess lined the page one after the other, sprinkling elements throughout to further deify the being known as Takuto.
It’s common for there to be a discrepancy between reality and what’s written in a book. Exaggerations are more or less expected when it comes to things meant to amplify religious beliefs or promote the status of a specific person. However, anyone who knew Takuto personally understood how strange this passage about him was. And making up this content was exactly what Vittorio had set out to do.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Redefining Takuto Ira, taking advantage of the fact that I am the Nameless Evil God. You went all in, didn’t you?”
Vittorio swept into a deep bow, his eyes gleaming and lips curled into a wicked grin. Vittorio’s ideal image of Takuto Ira was recorded in the Cult’s scripture.
E ṅ_ûm̊а
“Is this why idolatry was prohibited, so they wouldn’t mistake the object of worship?” Takuto mused. “In order to ensure the new definition of godhood was correctly applied to me, you had to make sure the god worshipped by the Cult of Ira and I were one and the same. No wonder you were against the introduction of unnecessary concepts and interpretations. I can understand why you didn’t suggest the Dark Elves, the people living in the Accursed Lands, and Mayor Antelise to join the Cult of Ira. Mad props to you for earning their contempt with your antics and annoying behavior to get them to decide anything you come up with isn’t worth considering.”
Vittorio’s eyes widened ever so slightly at Takuto’s expert breakdown of his schemes. He was a tad surprised Takuto had seen through that much. But there was no undoing what had been done after reaching this point. The victor’s confidence made the jester extra talkative.
“The Nameless Evil God’s powers are extremely dangerous,” Vittorio said. “They are the very reason why you lost consciousness, my god. Simply put, the act of imitating all beings means altering oneself. It’s nothing more than a foolish strategy that dilutes the very essence of you as Takuto Ira.”
“The ability to be everyone and no one. You mean to imply it’s a contradiction for such an ambiguous being to call itself the individual Takuto Ira, yes?” Takuto concluded.
“Precisely! But, be that as it maaaay, you can win big if you handle it with care! If you’re an ambiguous being, then just take the ambiguity out of it! The lack of any kind of setting or backstory for the Nameless Evil God makes that possible!”
Namelessness means something is indefinable. Something indefinable can be named whatever someone wants. It can be defined how they want. And so, Vittorio came up with the irreverent plan to redefine Takuto while reviving him. Of course, the question remained if redefining the Nameless Evil God would bring about the birth of a new god. But that question had already been addressed. Vittorio’s theory was proven correct when Takuto regained consciousness not long after establishing the Cult of Ira.
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“So, going by what this trickster says, King Takuto’s memory loss wasn’t due to losing his power? But because his existence became too vague… Am I following this right?” Atou asked, breaking her silent observation.
“That’s one way to think of it,” Takuto said, vaguely answering Atou’s question.
Atou couldn’t keep up with their highbrow psychological warfare anymore. She helplessly watched things unfold. While she trusted her master’s genius, a piece of her still fretted over what she should do if things took a turn for the worse.
“That’s why Vittorio created the Cult of Ira and emblazoned my existence into its scripture,” Takuto continued. “All in order to give a fixed definition to the being known as Takuto Ira, the king of Mynoghra and the god of the Cult of Ira, through the power of recognition by its many believers. Essentially, he was giving a name to the nameless god. The redefining of a god.”
It was the redefinition of Takuto Ira using the abilities of the Nameless Evil God. Vittorio’s plan had undeniably paid off in spades.
“And…” Takuto paused dramatically, “that god is the real Takuto Ira. Not me.”
Ê n u m̌ ӓ.
Takuto glanced at the passage deifying him. There was one fatally glaring sentence contained within it.
“‘The Great God Takuto Ira counts Gleeful Spin Doctor Vittorio as his number one subordinate,’” Takuto read off. “…I can’t believe you were serious about the whole adorably cute and clumsy bunny girl thing…”
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“A Great God needs an equally great companion, obviously. Perfect in every way, adorable from head to toe, obedient and submissive, and with the biggest bazongas in the world! Why, with my skills, it would be a piece of cake for me to change my sex! Let me become your ideal bride right here and now, my god!”
“Please don’t decide my preferences without my input and declare yourself my bride…” Takuto’s face crinkled up in exasperation.
But he understood just how serious Vittorio was. His dark eyes blazed with the fanaticism to do it. The people of Mynoghra possessed the Fanatic trait, and they tended to turn their fanatical beliefs toward Takuto. But Vittorio’s fanaticism for Takuto was on an entirely different level that blew everyone else away.
“That said, I can understand you trying to boost your own standing, but I find it unfathomable for you to try and change me to fit your ideals,” Takuto said. “Your trust in me should make you reluctant to even consider it…”
W е b nov̀ ѐ.ľ Еn um̌а
Takuto understood Vittorio’s fanaticism, and it’s because he understood him that this particular action didn’t make sense. If Vittorio had acknowledged Takuto as his true master, he’d never have done anything as arrogant as to try to alter or redefine him.
What made him act out of character? Takuto wanted to know the answer to that question.
The answer was something Takuto never expected.
“It’s your fault,” Vittorio accused.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Mine?” Takuto asked.
“It’s impossible for the Takuto Ira I adore to be like this,” Vittorio gestured to Takuto. “The Takuto Ira I love and adore is even greater, more amazing, overflowing with intelligence, and filled to the brim with malice galore!”
W̊ е̇ bň ově l̃ .Ѐṅü m̆ а̀
Takuto furrowed his brow. He finally understood the root of his problem.
“Takuto Ira isn’t an unenterprising weakling who’d be flirting away the days with this sludge for tits girlie! He’s no namby-pamby who’d care about the feeble Dark Fae! He’s not an indecisive thinker who’d fall a step behind his enemies and lose one of his Heroes!”
Atou bristled with anger at Vittorio’s assertions and was about to lash out at him when Takuto lifted his hand to still her. He wanted to hear Vittorio’s infuriated soliloquy out to the very end.
“Your Vittorio understands better than anyone else how wonderful you are! The infinite wisdom and power you possess! You’re an even more amazing person than this! You’re not someone who should be shooting the breeze here!”
Vittorio was dissatisfied. Dissatisfied his master lost to an enemy. Dissatisfied the master he chose had made a disappointment of himself. He’d never abandon his master. He didn’t possess such debased thoughts. And that was exactly why he elevated his master as high as he wanted him to be.
“Therefore! I shall manifest the true Takuto Ira! I am the one who knows Takuto Ira the best! The one who loves Takuto Ira more than anyone in this world! And that’s why…”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Vittorio was unquestionably Takuto Ira’s subordinate. His loyalty and devotion would never waver.
“I shall arrange everything for you, my master! Status, power, subordinates, enemies, everything, all of it—I, your Vittorio, shall prepare for you!”
This was the celebration Vittorio had been alluding to all along. A pious ritual to make all the mistakes and disgraces a thing of the past and allow the true Takuto Ira to descend upon this world. A blessed first step to spread Mynoghra in its truest state across the land.
“Heed me, Great Player, Takuto Ira! Let us go back to those good old days and set out to conquer the world together! Please hear my plea! That is all your Vittorio could ever waaaaaant!” Vittorio declared loudly. He envisioned the glorious prosperity of Mynoghra and the glorious future with his master as if it were about to be made true.
“Yeah, I like that. Sounds real good. But I reject your proposal.”
“…Wha?” Vittorio squawked in response to Takuto’s refusal. He didn’t understand what his master was saying. Well, he understood the words, but couldn’t comprehend why in the worlds he’d say such a thing.
Е̊ n̂ um̂ а̊ . і́ d
“But wow. Now that’s the Vittorio I know and love. I’m really happy you told me how you feel,” Takuto said.
“Why…?”
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The most foolish thing a schemer can do is ask “Why.” The act of seeking an answer to a situation that one cannot understand, rather than trying to deceive the other person, is the same as admitting one’s defeat. Vittorio, of course, understood this. He understood and asked why anyways.
“Oh? Did you think I’d say yes? Well, I suppose it’s true this scripture defines Vittorio as my most trusted subordinate. It says his advice is all I listen to. Greedy, aren’t’cha?” Takuto added, a ghost of a smile on his lips.
Takuto was right. This was also why Vittorio was filled with such confidence he spouted his whole evil scheme right in front of him like a two-bit villain.
As far as he understood it, Takuto had regained consciousness through the power of recognition brought into existence by the followers of the Cult of Ira that Vittorio had founded. That could only mean that the cult’s scripture had the intended effect on the Nameless Evil God, which should also lead to Takuto accepting anything Vittorio said as his number one subordinate.
W е ḃ n о̄ v е̇ l Ёṅu̇ m̊ а
And that wasn’t all. Vittorio had laid the groundwork for several other strategies. He greatly increased the national power of Mynoghra by preparing a huge second domestic force under the banner of the Cult of Ira, and he also provided a means of control that was not bound by the state, called religion. And in hindsight, he’d prepared a powerful foe in the form of the Scribe Saint, crafting a scenario the current Takuto couldn’t deal with in terms of military strength.
Rejecting the existence of the strongest and invincible Takuto Ira depicted in the cult’s scripture didn’t make sense from a logical standpoint either. It shouldn’t have even been possible for Takuto Ira to refuse his most dependable and number one subordinate’s plan. The scripture removed his ability to do so.
Something…is terribly wrong. Vittorio’s eyes swam. An impossible notion plagued him—the notion his own ingenious schemes were crumbling from their very foundation.
“I had a feeling something was off from the start. I’ve always loved how you conduct yourself, but I sensed you were holding back. Just as you had misgivings about my abilities, I harbored the same misgivings about your actions,” Takuto said, sounding like he saw right through Vittorio’s schemes.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
But how could he? From the moment he awoke, he was continually transforming into Vittorio’s ideal Takuto Ira. How could a Takuto Ira, who counted the Gleeful Spin Doctor as his closest confidant, think like this? Wasn’t Sludge Atou absent from their last audience because he’d usurped her position? Hadn’t Takuto sent her away to make it known to all within and without these walls that Vittorio was his new confidant?
“Well, I won’t deny I had a lot of bum strategies and failed a few times because I underestimated the situation,” Takuto continued. He spoke with such casual ease that it seemed as though he were making light of Vittorio’s confusion. He spoke with the lightheartedness of someone catching up with an old friend on life. “I knew I disappointed you with that. So, I worked in my own countermeasures.”
Е̇ n ŭmа. i d
This doesn’t make sense. It’s not right. Something’s going horribly wrong. Vittorio wracked his brain as he reflected on his actions until this point. But he couldn’t find any mistakes or failures within. At what point did Takuto find out about his plans and employ countermeasures? Awash in feelings of amazement, shock, and a strange sense of elation, Vittorio awaited his master’s next words.
“Last we met, you said everything needs a second plan. Remember?” Takuto asked.
“Y-Yes, of course. I’d never forget,” Vittorio replied.
A second plan—an alternative method or backup option. Unexpected factors can occur in every operation. It’s a habit of tacticians to devise various countermeasures for when this happens.
Vittorio had prepared Lector Yona’Yona for this purpose. From the start, Yona’Yona’s purpose was to control the Cult of Ira if Vittorio was immobilized by one problem or another. In that sense, she was a Lector in the truest sense. But Takuto wasn’t referring to Yona’Yona. He was talking about the need to prepare for the unexpected in advance.
“I see. Glad to hear it,” he said. “Then this should be enough for you to figure it out.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Takuto’s form blurred before his eyes. In his place appeared a deformed baby—Takuto’s powerful subordinate with the Mimic skill.
“It’s true that this problem occurred from me using too much of the Nameless Evil God’s power as Takuto Ira. I must applaud you for your magnificent plan. But it’s not like I didn’t think about how to deal with this problem. I did take precautions,” Takuto’s words spilled from the baby’s mouth.
A specific skill was needed to see through Mimic. Vittorio had a similar skill, but perception was outside of his realm of expertise. It’d be a lie to say it was an entirely unexpected move, but…Vittorio couldn’t see the point of it.
“B-Botchling!!” Vittorio cried. “Were you acting with Imitation and Telepathy? But why?! It can’t be…!”
Vittorio thought back to his last audience with Takuto. What did he say to him then? Was he speaking to the real Takuto Ira that time? What if he had sworn allegiance to the deformed baby monster mimicking Takuto and curried favor with it instead? But if he had…the rest of his schemes would fall apart.
All his strict teachings forbidding idolatry. It was absolute doctrine that one should not worship anyone other than Takuto Ira. If they did, then their recognition of him as god would disperse and give way to interpretation.
Е̃ ñ um ӑ
And I made that mistake! I worshipped the wrong being! Me, none other than the Archlector and founder of the Cult of Ira!
“Y-You deceived me?” Vittorio cried.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Takuto chuckled in response.
Vittorio didn’t know where the real Takuto was, but he was undoubtedly observing the whole situation from somewhere. He’d heard Takuto hadn’t taken back his Commander authority, but that was a bald-faced lie.
He played me. I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker!
“A battle of wits with you is always so exhilarating. How nostalgic. I remember how every time I guessed your schemes, I’d clap and cheer,” Takuto said, sounding truly nostalgic.
Е́ nù m̂ а̊_.і d
Their positions had flipped. Now Vittorio’s plans had been sealed and Takuto’s victory was assured. There was almost no way for the Gleeful Spin Doctor to spin his way out of this one. He had no idea what his opponent’s hand was. Vittorio wasn’t so naïve as to think he could recover at this stage.
“But!” he shouted. “I still can’t accept it! You should have been affected by my redefinition! If not, you’d still be unconscious! You couldn’t have plotted against me! I! AM! YOUR ONE AND ONLY TRUSTED CONFIDANT!”
“You were right in guessing that my loss of consciousness stemmed from my abilities as the Nameless Evil God,” Takuto replied. “You’re not wrong to think that is as much a part of me as being the King of Ruin and Mynoghra’s Commander is. Your one mistake was not realizing that applies only to Takuto Ira, not Takuto Ira.”
Vittorio gasped. He likely just figured out what was going on. But it was a humiliating blow. If Takuto was telling the truth, then Vittorio had been dancing all by his lonesome from the beginning when he thought he was tangoing…
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“I assume you’ve already started to grasp the bigger picture by now. Grasped that this world has a multilayered structure,” Takuto said.
Vittorio slowly nodded.
Еnum̈ а
Vittorio roughly understood there was a certain kind of wall those who existed in this world could never overcome. For example, beings that originally existed in the world, such as the Dark Elves, could generally be defined as being on a par with, or inferior to, beings like NPCs in games. On the contrary, reincarnated people such as Players were higher-ranking beings, and the Gods who summoned them to this world were even higher-ranking. Although there was no definitive division or difference in appearance between them, it was possible to distinguish them by their overwhelming difference in power.
“Takuto Ira is nothing more than a character in Eternal Nations. And is a part of Takuto Ira, a higher being,” Takuto explained.
The Nameless Evil God was just one facet of Takuto Ira, the world’s best Eternal Nations’ player. Just as a chess piece can’t attack the hand that moves it, it is extremely difficult for lower-level entities to directly influence higher-level entities. Even if the entity known as Takuto Ira disappears, the person known as Takuto Ira won’t. Especially when it comes to matters of existence and spirituality…
Such is the law of this world.
“Ultimately, even if Takuto Ira lost his personality to the power of the Nameless Evil God from the start, it didn’t affect me.”
Since the day Takuto Ira reincarnated into this world, he had always acted as an Eternal Nations’ Player, making him Mynoghra’s Commander, the King of Ruin, and the Nameless Evil God. But his true nature was always that of Takuto Ira—the gamer boy who conquered many campaigns with his absolute favorite characters and died well before his time. That was who Takuto was as a person—his unwavering true nature.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“But you see…I think I might’ve been playing the Commander a little too long,” Takuto said. “I should’ve been more self-aware.”
Takuto’s loss of self actually had to do with getting too into his roleplaying. He self-inserted so much into the game, he ended up confusing himself with the game character. Just as some people can have seizures when watching certain movies, Player Takuto was influenced by the concept of the character Takuto Ira and temporarily got pulled into the nature of the Nameless Evil God.
Fortunately, Takuto had anticipated something like that might happen and had a solution.
“The solution was having the girl I trust the most in the world, who came to learn all about me through thousands of campaigns, keep telling me about her memories with Takuto Ira, reminding me of who I am. Simple, right?”
He had Atou with him. By Atou regaling him with their memories while he was bedridden, he awakened to his true nature and broke free from the spell that was Takuto Ira. It was almost like he was the princess and she was the prince coming to awaken him from his fairy-tale slumber. This made it possible for him to recover as fast as he’d predicted.
He knew that Atou would act according to his predictions, because he would have done the same for her. Takuto’s revival had nothing to do with Vittorio’s schemes. It was just that the timing had perfectly coincided with what was actually due to Atou’s devotion.
Е̄ n̈ um а
Takuto would save Atou from any predicament, just as she would save him from any predicament. It was far too embarrassing to say aloud, but immeasurable trust existed between them.
“Those who have intelligence that surpasses all others, manipulate and ridicule everything in their wake. But that also just goes to show they have never been deceived before.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The sound of light footsteps scuffing the wood floor filled the room. The door creaked open, and someone entered, but Vittorio was in such shock that he didn’t have the energy to turn around.
“Those are the type who tend to get tripped up in the most unlikely of places. Their self-confidence that they’ll never be the one fooled turns into the very arrogance that sees them killed.”
Could this situation even be defined with arrogance? Vittorio’s defeat was decided from the beginning. The groundwork was already laid before Vittorio was even summoned, and it was completed to perfection. It would be impossible for Vittorio to turn things around. Just as the past can’t be changed, there was no room for him to interfere with an already completed revival.
“Why don’t I just put it in terms you can understand?”
E n̂ů m̌ ӑ .і d́
A voice came from directly behind Vittorio.
Aaah, this is it. This is the voice. His voice.
It was the voice of the only person who could control Vittorio and make him dance in the palm of his hand. The voice of the person who had amassed all sorts of knowledge and used his ingenuity to control the Gleeful Spin Doctor who made a mockery of the world.
“From the very beginning, everything was set to be resolved as long as I had Atou.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
A hand rested on Vittorio’s shoulder. Tears poured down the jester’s face.
Е̇ ńūṁ а
He was happier than could be to see the master he’d been waiting for, to know the master he believed in was as great of an entity as he’d always imagined.
Aaah, hurry up. Hurry up and say it!
Let me taste the sweet humiliation of defeat!
“You were always my second plan, Vittorio. Looks like you never got your shot.”
Takuto moved around in front of Vittorio and looked him in the eyes. His gentle words were more precious than gold. They were the first words Vittorio had heard face-to-face with his true master.
The taste of defeat drove Vittorio into greater madness, greater fanaticism.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
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