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Interlude: The Worshipped
TAKUTO was alone with his thoughts. He was thinking about Mynoghra’s current situation and what strategies he should pursue from here. Numerous strategies, both good and bad, ran through his mind, but there weren’t that many options he should or could employ at this point. Many of the options were hampered by external factors that didn’t exist in the game, such as showing consideration for allied nations and living up to the Heroes’ and Dark Elves lofty expectations. Rather than being stopped short by these external factors, Takuto ran with them, his strategic mind never grinding to a halt.
First things first, take a moment to be happy about winning over Sutharland, he thought. I’m seriously relieved that went as well as it did, because it’d be hard to make up ground if we tripped right out the gate…
Unifying the Dark Continent was an essential task they needed to complete before anything else. At least that was less difficult than it sounded since most of the nations already had some alliance in place. Now that Sutharland had joined their ranks and the Dark Continent was effectively united under Takuto, he needed to consider their next move.
In other words, strengthening their joint military forces to counter the Lawful Continent Alliance.
We’ll have to tap into each nation’s treasury and assets to increase our military strength. Luckily, I’ve got the combined might of Mynoghra’s Market and Emergency Production, so we won’t have to factor production time into our plans… Of course, we still have to decide which armaments to increase, establish a management system for the alliance, train for specific military operations, and make fundamental reforms to get each country on the same page.
Ẃ ē b n̆ õ ṽӗ.l .Ӗ n̈ū m̊ a
The enemy alliance boasted tremendous military strength. The Dark Continent Alliance was made up of mostly ordinary soldiers, while the Lawful Continent Alliance consisted of powerful elite units, such as the Succubus Army and Paladins. Even if they armed every foot soldier with guns, overpowered weaponry by this world’s standards, the DCA was still at a disadvantage. Gathering enough military strength to counter them in just one year was proving difficult.
We’ll need to put our facility and technology research on hold too. I want to redirect all resources toward military expansion. Fortunately, Mynoghra has excellent units to choose from. We’ll push forward with a policy of investing our resources in producing as many Headhunting Bugs, Spirits of Ruin, and Botchlings as we can.
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Even at their current level, Mynoghra’s exclusive units were a threat to the LCA. The Headhunting Bugs could use their mobility to disrupt the rear, and the Spirits of Ruin could use Military Magic to greatly affect both armies. And the Botchlings’ strengths needed no introduction.
But Takuto realized that wasn’t enough to win.
Clashes between elite units and regular soldiers on both sides were, in the end, merely a prelude. The common sense of war didn’t apply to war in this world—it didn’t apply to a war waged by Players.
This was also a key factor in Eternal Nations. Because there were significant differences in the combat abilities of individual units, it often came down to a clash between the best forces on each side.
W̄_е̊ b ǹ о̆ v̆еl̃ E̊ñú ḿǎ
In other words, victory came down to who could prepare the most powerful, decisive weapons.
Saints, Witches, Players, Heroes. The outcome would be decided by these special units, who stood a league above ordinary foot soldiers. Ordinary soldiers, thrown into the mix from the non-Player nations, could only serve as rearguard or support.
This was why Takuto was so adamant about getting Keiji Kuhara to join him. It’d be a waste of resources to leave someone with his power out in the wild. The relationship between their factions was abysmal at best, but there was still a sliver of hope left, since they hadn’t reentered a state of war with each other yet. Of course, as someone who always planned his strategies by predicting two or three moves ahead, Takuto wouldn’t bet it all on a joint front with Keiji, which had a low probability of success.
And so, he chose to put another plan in place, one he naturally enacted in secret—the plan to strengthen Takuto Ira.
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Something stirred beneath Takuto’s feet. The lump, which looked like a bundle of rags balled up and thrown on the ground, made strange, rustling movements, then began to cry loudly. The sight would shock anyone who saw it, and leave others dumbfounded.
The lump was none other than one of Mynoghra’s very own Heroes—Gleeful Spin Doctor Vittorio.
Е ňům а̃..i̊ d̀
“Waaah, waaaah… I’m crying for all to see. Because I’m a girl.” Vittorio writhed on the ground, looking like a tattered piece of trash.
Glancing at this pathetic excuse for a Hero, Takuto clenched his hands into fists and muttered to himself. “Boy, am I glad I didn’t bring Atou. I don’t even want to think about what she’d say if she found out about this…”
“Ooh la la! Keeping secrets from your lady? Mon dieu has finally set foot on the road to becoming a gigolo, I see. I knew it. Sludge tits will always lose to a nice, big rack!”
Takuto remained silent as he directed a withering stare at Vittorio.
As Eternal Nations’ Player, Takuto had the powers of the Nameless Evil God. The ability was immensely powerful, but also an incredibly unstable double-edged sword. As the Nameless Evil God, he had the ability to become anything because he was nothing. The ability to imitate all things easily blurs one’s own definition, making their existence vague.
Thanks to Takuto’s quick thinking and careful preparation, he won the battle of wits with Vittorio, but that didn’t automatically resolve the instability imposed by his nature as the Nameless Evil God. Although Vittorio had achieved temporary stability by superimposing the personality of Takuto Ira the Player onto the setting of the Nameless Evil God, Takuto was neither ignorant nor foolish enough to leave the situation as-is. Rather, he’d been plotting to exploit a deliberate system for manufacturing evil gods, wherein a deity was shaped by the very belief of its worshippers, by utilizing the Cult of Ira’s faith to do just that for himself.
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Now, at long last, he was putting the final touches in place.
The sermon Takuto gave to the Ira cultists, despite his immense social anxiety, was working just as he had expected. The plan that Takuto devised by looking at everything from a bird’s eye view produced the exact result he desired.
Takuto’s intellect exceeded that of Vittorio’s. He thought he had just about proven that fact again, except…
“Vittorio.”
“Yes, mon dieu~♪?”
“I don’t approve of appraising women’s breasts like that.”
W ӗ b n о̂ ṽ еl E ñûm à
“What? You’re gonna kill moi just for thaaat?”
Countless blades instantly appeared and pierced Vittorio’s body. He faded away with a soft, indescribable death cry. Vittorio was an immortal Hero. Or, to be precise, a Hero who could resurrect infinitely. He’d return after a while, but Takuto wasn’t the kind of person to indiscriminately inflict violence on his subordinates. The fact that Vittorio received such a severe punishment showed the gravity of his indiscretion.
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◇◇◇
AT the very edge of the Accursed Lands, Takuto was lost in thought as he gazed out at the vast ocean from the western cliffs. The silent moment was broken when Vittorio, who’d revived at his base—Mynoghra’s Palace—returned with a brisk step, carrying sweets he’d pilfered from someone along the way.
“Mon dieu! That hurt like hell!”
“You came right back, didn’t you? Besides, you know what lies in wait for vassals who displease the king…”
W̃ ё bň о v е̇ l̊ Е̄n um̊а̂
“You killed moi a bunch of times before that! Never did I ever fathom the day would come when moi would be relegated to punching bag duty.”
“It’s necessary for me to confirm the ability’s working. Fortunately, the burden it places on me is within acceptable limits… Except for that time-based trap you worked into it.”
“Don’t go souring my lovely present by calling it something as nasty as a trap. I rather wish you would call it the countdown to a happy ending! Ils vécurent heureux jusqu'à la fin de leurs jours.”
“The Takuto Ira the Ira Cultists believe in, huh?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The Player Takuto Ira and the Lord Takuto Ira the Cult of Ira worshipped—though they were the same person, there were actually big differences between them. The unholy scriptures prepared by Vittorio referenced his ideal Takuto Ira, and the cultists had absolute faith in it.
In other words, the power of God Takuto Ira was the power of the Cult of Ira’s faith.
Е n̄u ḿ а . і̌ d
Takuto held his palm out toward Vittorio, and after considering it for a moment, changed his target to the tree behind him. Without any warning, the tree trunk exploded, and the giant tree collapsed to the ground.
Hmm… Takuto considered it carefully. It was a fairly powerful ability. Because the Nameless Evil God has no name, it can mimic the abilities of any being. By taking on the divine name of Takuto Ira the god, he could wield any ability the Ira cultists believed he had. However, that came with the drawback that these powers influenced his subconscious.
The last time Takuto used this ability, he overused it, causing his self-awareness to grow too vague, and he paid the price by losing consciousness. If he overused the power of Takuto Ira the god, tainted by the desires of his followers and Vittorio’s scriptures, he would likely end up in a similar situation. He had no intention of repeating the same mistake, so he’d taken preventative measures this time.
This was why he was currently traveling around controlled and friendly territories. Quite the exhausting venture for an introvert. It was to make people recognize the existence of God Takuto Ira in a legitimate way, impressing upon them only the convenient parts he wanted to influence the ability. It also doubled as a way to pacify any encroaching issues.
Once I have it perfectly tuned, the power of Takuto Ira the god will be unmatched. I won’t lose consciousness due to my personality getting contaminated and distorted again.
His fully adjusted version of the Takuto Ira god identity gave him abilities that could be unironically described as godly. As a god, he was guaranteed all authority and could wield unparalleled power. As far as his personality was concerned, there was almost no contamination, thanks to people no longer harboring excessive misunderstandings about him. A truly perfect situation, as long as he overlooked the one and only, absolutely permanent, worst-case scenario it could land him in.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
…If I overuse the ability, I’ll end up marrying Vittorio, who’ll become an adorably cute and clumsy bunny girl. It’s the double-edged ability from hell. It makes me sick.
Even though Takuto desperately tried to correct the scripture, The Book of Ira, had a heart-to-heart with Yona’Yona, deepened his friendship with the cultists and tried to educate them in the way he wanted, this clause was the one thing he just couldn’t expunge.
“Vittorio is the one and only subordinate the Lord God Takuto Ira trusts the most.”
He knew the culprit. The problem was, he couldn’t find a way to stop it. The broad interpretation: Takuto and Vittorio were destined to get married in the future. The cultists believed that it wouldn’t be a problem if that happened because Vittorio would eventually turn into a cute, clumsy, bunny-eared girl who suits frilly dresses. Still, these crazy people seemed unable to comprehend the fact that a huge jester of a problem was sitting proudly before their very eyes.
Takuto pressed his fingers between his brows and shook his head. Even now, the notion that “Vittorio may be difficult to handle, but he’s a reliable subordinate I can count on” kept encroaching on his thoughts. He was playing with fire now. He feared not being able to tell whether this feeling was genuine or the result of the Takuto Ira god persona slowly but inevitably contaminating him.
He had a feeling it would slowly but surely erode away at his psyche like this, until, before he knew it, he’d be getting married to bunny-girl Vittorio. Moreover, the biggest countermeasure to this—continuing to lock his identity to the Player Takuto Ira—was difficult to maintain. By using that method, he might not be affected by the persona contamination, but it also meant he lost the boons of identifying with the god Takuto Ira.
Еń u m̌ а̊
With a major war looming, it was clear that he couldn’t give up this cursed power.
Vittorio was truly living up to his infamy as the worst Hero in Eternal Nations. His methods were nasty.
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Seriously, which moronic dev gave this guy such a nasty personality? Takuto wanted to yell and curse out the Eternal Nations’ devs, but he knew that wouldn’t get him anywhere, so he kept his grief to himself.
To make matters even worse, this was the one point Vittorio wouldn’t compromise on, no matter how he threatened him, so all his efforts to overturn this damning trap clause ended in futility. After all, marriage and that whole creepiness aside, Vittorio truly believed he was the subordinate most worthy of his God…
“I’m going to call this ability Ira’s God Authority. I have a feeling I’ll pay big time if I don’t make a clear distinction. I’m done with losing sight of myself.”
“I’d be on cloud nine if you end up paying for your neglect, though… Oooh, here’s a thought! How about you start by explaining the situation from start to finish to Sludge Tits?!”
Е̂ n úm а́
“Seriously stop calling her that,” Takuto warned. “And we don’t know what’ll happen if she finds out!”
“But you’ll have to tell her eventually! Like on our wedding day! Besides, you really need to do something about your bad habit of pushing off annoying things until later.”
“Either way, I’m waiting for a time you’re not around to tell her…”
Considering what awaited Mynoghra, there was no way Takuto wouldn’t use Ira’s God Authority, even though there were risks. In fact, the restriction had made it even more worthwhile to refine his strategies.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
One part of his gamer-focused mind was seriously concerned about how he would explain the situation to Atou. Even an introvert with no people skills like him knew it would lead to a big fight. He was aware he was putting off the problem, but it took courage for him to do anything that angered Atou.
Would she accept it if he prostrated himself before her and vowed to do anything she asked of him? He had an inkling he’d used that move on her one too many times for it to be as effective this time. Even so, the only viable option was for him to sincerely beg for forgiveness. Perhaps such fears were unbecoming of the King of Ruin, but even an evil king has things that scare the crap out of him. Takuto stoked the flames of conviction within his heart to better prepare him for the great storm ahead.
Ê ň ŭ.m a
“But, mon dieu, this power I prepared and you perfected is surprisingly effective, wouldn’t you say? I dare say it will give us the upper hand in the battle to come,” Vittorio trilled.
He was right. Ira’s God Authority was a power with terrifying potential. It’d grow stronger with time, without him having to lift a finger. As a Hero, Atou also had the ability to grow stronger over time. But the more followers Takuto had, the more faith he had, the greater his power grew and the greater the authority he’d wield. In that sense, Takuto’s ability was even more overpowered than Atou’s.
“It’s powerful, sure, but not undefeatable or perfect. Even if I overlook the ridiculous risk you are stubbornly enforcing as a part of it, there are other flaws,” Takuto pointed out.
If his time in this world taught him anything, it was that you could never grow overconfident and assume you had an invincible advantage. One might be tempted to see Ira’s God Authority as an invincible, overpowered ability. This notion was backed up by the fact that no basic attacks could harm Takuto while he used it, and even if he did get hurt, he’d heal instantly.
But when he looked at the big picture in this world and asked if that would be enough to get them through, the answer was a clear-cut no. Takuto thought about all the factions he’d faced up to now. Each one was a force to be reckoned with, and all possessed a vast array of insane abilities. Among their ranks was one particular faction that had the potential to pose the greatest threat of all.
“Thinking about the TRPG faction? Are they really deserving of such caution?” Vittorio asked. “I agree they have a troubling set of abilities at their disposal, but from what I’ve heard of their Player, he’s the embodiment of an absolute loser…”
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Vittorio cast Takuto a skeptical look that seemed to ask, “Are you sure you aren’t overestimating them?” Takuto decided to explain his logic to prevent Vittorio from letting his guard down and suffering an embarrassing defeat.
“Someone who has a powerful ability, understands it correctly, and yet is a coward through and through. That type can be the biggest thorn in your side in the long run. The Keiji I dealt with was absolutely a coward, but he seemed to be at a loss with how to correctly use his abilities. I was able to exploit that weakness and defeat him last time, but…”
“But you think he won’t have the same weakness this time?” Vittorio deduced.
“He might still be a wimpy loser, but I’ll bet he’s become an even bigger threat to us.”
Keiji still came across as a coward, a weakling, and vulnerable to exploitation and manipulation at the All-Faction Conference. But Takuto hadn’t forgotten the Chinese proverb that went, “A scholar who has been away for three days must be looked at with new eyes.” People can change and improve themselves when you aren’t looking.
Takuto believed you could never be too careful. He only wanted to deal with other Players after exercising an abundance of caution. He knew that the defeated sometimes came back with a hidden strength he shouldn’t underestimate. Experience taught him just how much of a threat they could pose.
Ŵ е̊ b́ň_ӧv́ėl̂ Ē nŭ mа
That’s why he wasn’t going to let his guard down.
That’s why he strove to get a hold on Keiji at this stage.
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Their first encounter was as enemies. How would their second encounter go?
“I wonder what Keiji is up to now.”
Takuto thought about the man he had yet to meet in person, but who was certainly a threat.
W̃ е̄b̌ ǹ o vе l Ё n uma
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