Translator: Alpha0210

Anyway, while he managed to lure in the Death Worm with some smooth talking, that didn’t mean Retip's overall power had made any sort of dramatic improvement.

The enemies they had to face were still overwhelmingly strong, and compared to that, their side’s forces were pitiful.

“……”

Residue looked at the scorch marks engraved into the ground. It was where the Destruction had been.

Oddly enough, even the rising smoke irritated him, so he waved it away with his hand, then scanned the surroundings again.

The Executor had been blankly staring at the suddenly retreating Death Worm with a dumb expression, but snapped back to attention at Residue’s gesture. Then, with a composed expression, she looked this way... This one seemed to be the type who wouldn’t easily lose her composure in most situations, or even if she did, she’d regain it quickly.

If he had to find someone of a similar type, it would be Iris PeaceFinder.

In other words, the kind who’s fun to tease.

Could he draw in the Executor too? It wouldn’t be impossible, but definitely more difficult than the Death Worm.

Hiding his inner thoughts, Residue spoke with a kindly smile.

“Well, anyway. It’s not easy to have such prominent figures gathered in one place, so how about we speak a bit more honestly and openly?”

“What are you talking about?”

“There are six people here, so it’s not like we’re lacking topics. First, you over there. What’s your name?”

He asked, looking at the Absolute standing next to Retip.

Only then did the man respond.

“Arkuonside.”

It was a name Residue disliked. Meaning it was unnecessarily long.

Without showing it, he nodded his head.

“Right. Among Al, Kuon, and Side, which would you prefer to be called?”

“Call me Kuon.”

This guy speaks a bit too curtly.

Residue didn’t particularly feel offended, but he did take note that the man before him was quite rude.

“You seem to be an Absolute who was under the ‘Seven Fanged Dragon God.’ What business do you have with Agolet?”

He asked without much expectation, but unexpectedly got an answer.

“I’m looking for the Fangs.”

“Fangs… as in the dragon’s fangs?”

“That’s right.”

“For what reason?”

“To resurrect my lord.”

Though rude, he answered every question smoothly. Come to think of it, Retip had said to ask him directly.

Was this what he meant? Is he unexpectedly an obedient type?

Residue spoke with a puzzled expression.

“I see… Was that the dragon’s command?”

“It is, and it isn’t.”

It was a vague answer, but Residue understood the meaning right away.

“So it was an order given by one of the dragon’s personalities. Most likely, the others either don’t know or were against it...”

At that, Kuon looked at Residue with a strange expression.

“…The Remnant of the Lightning God, was it? Seems the talk of you being a former Ruler wasn’t a lie.”

At those words, Residue’s face twisted.

“What’s this, Retip? Seems the truth about me has spread like some kind of common knowledge. What’s going on here?”

“The Rulers spread it quite a bit. Especially the Demon God was very passionate about it.”

So that kind of thing happened during the week he was unconscious.

‘Petty bastard.’

Is he getting revenge for being backstabbed? Residue felt unsettled.

“Former Ruler? You, you mean?”

The Executor looked at Residue with a surprised face, then glanced at Agolet. She seemed to be wary of the White Knight going berserk. Of course, Residue had already revealed the whole truth for moments like this.

Indeed, when forming relationships, deception should not be involved. He once again realized how wrong it is to deceive others.

At that moment, he saw the Death Worm standing blankly nearby.

“……”

Of course, there are exceptions to everything.

In any case, even after hearing that Residue was a former Ruler, the Death Worm didn’t seem particularly shaken, probably because he was indifferent about everything.

“Right. Since you all have shared your names, it would be polite for me to reveal mine as well. I am Residue. The remnant of the former Ruler Lightning God, the current Beginning Wizard, master of the Top Universe, Tamer of End Destruction, and the one and only king to whom the White Knight has sworn allegiance.”

“That is His Majesty.”

Agolet added softly, offering applause as if to prompt others to respond.

Only Retip went along with the flow. It could have turned awkward if not for that. What a commendable fellow.

“My ultimate goal, of course, is to prevent Destruction. So I’d appreciate it if you didn’t lump me in with the fools running amok Outside.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I have a clear plan.”

“Everyone has a plan that sounds convincing.”

The Executor continued.

“What truly matters is whether the plan is feasible and whether one has the capability to achieve it.”

“Well said. So, what do you think of the forces I currently command? I’m the second-in-command of the powerful organization ‘PeaceFinder Armlet’ that spans the Three Thousand Worlds, and I’m also the master of the Top Universe where hundreds of thousands reside. On top of that, I have one of the Four Knights as my subordinate, two Void Lords as friends, and I myself am one of the Twelve Void Lords. Moreover, even End Destruction follows me.”

“…I acknowledge that you command an impressive force. However, the Half King’s faction is stronger than yours.”

“That’s not true.”

“Even though two of the Four Knights follow the Half King, and six of the Twelve Void Lords are under her command?”

“If you’re only looking at her followers, sure. But the relationship between the Half King and her subordinates is a peculiar one. It’s better to see them as completely separate.”

“What do you mean?”

“If the Half King is in danger, do you think her subordinates would help? Conversely, if the subordinates are in danger, do you think the Half King would step in?”

The Executor fell silent.

…They wouldn’t. The core principle of the Half King’s faction is, from the start, “All Destruction spread across the world will be dealt with by the Half King alone.”

So the role of the subordinates isn’t to assist the Half King, on the contrary, they are to stop anyone trying to help the Half King, even by force if necessary.

Laying it out like this again, it was truly the structure of a deranged leader and group.

Anyway, because of that, the Half King’s faction lacked the kind of organic movement or close-knit relationships typical of organizations. In particular, there was almost no interaction between the individual Void Lords or Four Knights. It was to the point where everything below the Half King could be considered a cell-based organization.

They had no interest in each other’s roles, troops, or ideology, at best, they simply didn’t interfere with each other on a superficial level. It was more accurate to see them not as one organization but as an alliance.

“If the Half King dies, her faction will naturally fall apart. It wouldn’t be too difficult to absorb them afterward...”

Residue shook his head.

“That would be a mistake. The Half King is a key strategic asset that shouldn’t be wasted like that. Ah, that reminds me.”

He looked at the two Void Lords and asked.

“I heard a rumor that the Half King was injured in a battle against Destruction. Do you two know if that’s true?”

“You must be referring to the battle that took place in space.”

The Death Worm replied.

“I don’t know the details. All I know is that three of the Twelve Void Lords accompanied the Half King in that battle.”

“They accompanied her? You mean the Half King cooperated with the Void Lords?”

“Not exactly. The battle itself was fought by the Half King alone… so it was probably for support. Maybe to create a more favorable combat environment.”

“……”

The Death Worm said so, but Residue thought differently.

As he’d said before, the Half King wasn’t someone who would be wounded by a mere few hundred Destructions. Not even Yang In-hyun’s Everlasting Plum Sword could pierce a single layer of her skin.

In other words, there was a high chance that ‘Hide’ was among the three Void Lords who followed the Half King.

“They’re the ones that need to be dealt with most urgently.”

Residue asked again.

“Who were those three Void Lords?”

“I do not know.”

You do not?

Naturally, the attention turned to the Executor.

Would this woman answer so easily? Surprisingly, she opened her mouth without hesitation.

“The Exile, Futurix, and lastly Golden Eye. From what I’ve gathered, those three.”

“Executor. You’ve understood the situation better than I expected.”

The fact that she revealed the information without hesitation proved that.

“Yes.”

The Executor let out a sigh.

“One of them is probably Hide.”

“Retract that. Your mind is still stuck in a flower field.”

“…Huh?”

“If this body’s reasoning is correct.”

Residue spoke in a low voice.

“All three of them are Hide.”

***

Whoooosh-

A gust of wind blew by.

Residue looked around.

The land where the White Knight had resided, the dead land. The time to leave had come, yet he felt no attachment whatsoever.

But that was just how Residue felt. What about Agolet?

He had stayed here for quite a while, so perhaps this land held some sentimental value for him.

“Let us depart now.”

However, the voice that came in response was as dry as a sand desert. Not a drop of emotion like regret or affection was contained in it.

Glancing back, he didn’t seem to have prepared anything in particular.

Agolet was in his usual armor, with his black sword at his waist and shield slung over his back, looking this way.

“…Don’t tell me you plan to stand next to me dressed like that?”

“No matter the time, giving my all to guard Your Majesty is a knight’s duty, is it not? Do not worry, Your Majesty. As long as I, Agolet, am here, no one will lay even a scratch on you.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. You stand out too much. It’s not like we need to advertise the White Knight to everyone around us.”

“Ah, so you plan to move in secret? Understood.”

As soon as Agolet nodded, his armor vanished into particles. Standing there now in plain leather clothes, he still drew attention because of his face, even without the armor.

But since peeling off his face wasn’t an option, Residue had no choice but to be grudgingly satisfied.

“By the way, Your Majesty. Was what you just said true?”

“What are you talking about?”

“That Exile, Futurix, and Golden Eye are Hide.”

“I said the odds are high in terms of how things are unfolding.”

“So you don’t have evidence. It’s just intuition, then.”

Agolet spoke with a face that was half a smile, half not. Thinking he might be mocking him, Residue tried to look closely, but the expression disappeared as if it had sunk into a still lake.

'Not an easy one.'

Residue slowly opened his mouth, repeating a thought he might’ve had countless times before.

“For example, even if all of you Four Knights combined your strength…”

“…Even if we did?”

“You still wouldn’t be able to defeat the Half King.”

“……”

Agolet fell silent.

“Part of it is because the Half King is strong, but more than that, it’s because there’s no synergy in your cooperation to begin with.”

"I see."

Residue had intended to get under his skin, but Agolet calmly nodded without a hint of irritation.

“Still, even if it happened in the middle of a battle against hundreds of Destructions, could a single Void Lord’s betrayal, a sneak attack, truly inflict significant damage on the Half King? I think not. If the Half King really was severely injured…”

Residue opened his fingers.

“At least three. Three Void Lords must’ve worked together and struck at a decisive opening, simultaneously. Only then does it all fit together.”

“I see.”

“…Well, to be honest, I hope this prediction turns out to be wrong.”

“And why is that?”

“Exile and Futurix possess irreplaceable skills. Losing even one of them would be a fatal blow, but in the worst-case scenario, I may have to kill them both.”

That would create a huge hole in Residue’s plan. Especially Futurix. There were things he needed to do involving the Grand Galactic Alliance after recruiting that one...

“So what do you plan to do now, Your Majesty?”

Agolet asked again.

It seemed like he was simply inquiring about his intentions, or maybe concerned… but who knew. Perhaps because Residue understood this man’s devious nature, it felt like he was being tested.

In a situation with no answers, how would you break through?

“The pieces are in place.”

Residue chuckled and walked forward.

“So now it’s time to raise the stakes.”

To that end, Retip had been sent back to the Rulers,

And the Executor and the Death Worm were sent to the King’s Castle.

“We all need a place to sit down and talk face-to-face, don’t we? Just once.”

"By 'all' you mean?"

“Exactly as I said.”

Residue smiled faintly.

“The Half King.”

“……”

“The Rulers.”

“……”

“The Four Knights, the Twelve Void Lords, the Absolutes…”

Agolet’s expression changed by the second.

“And beyond them, anyone with influence in the current situation, or those with the qualifications to challenge the limited five seats.”

Even Agolet couldn’t hide his surprise at that statement.

“All of them, gathered in one place?”

“In one place.”

“In that case, that would be……”

Agolet, searching for the right word, murmured in an uncharacteristic manner.

“…It would be an unprecedented gathering.”

“That’s right. Come to think of it, the word ‘unprecedented’ always carries a certain thrilling magic to it. Whether in a good sense or a bad one.”

“……”

After a brief moment of thought, Agolet added,

“But do you really think they’ll agree so easily?”

“There’s nothing difficult about it. The Rulers and Four Knights, honestly, those guys have simple ways of thinking. As long as you bait the hook properly, gathering them all in one place isn’t hard at all. The real problem comes after that.”

“…Whether those gathered can engage in a peaceful conversation.”

Residue nodded.

“The worst-case scenario is that the meeting turns into a battlefield. So before this greatest summit in history takes place, there’s someone I must visit first. The only one who can serve as a deterrent to both the Four Knights and the Rulers.”

Residue burst out laughing as he spoke.

“Hey, Agolet. Since you're so good at scheming and plotting, use that head of yours. Think of a way to persuade that lunatic king. You don’t need to worry about methods or means. I don’t care if the tactics are dirty, go wild, just once.”

The moment he heard those words, Agolet paused. A strange sensation stirred his chest, and it took him a moment to realize it was bewilderment.

Come to think of it… had there ever been anyone? Someone who told him to go wild without restraint?

“……”

Agolet let out a soft laugh and followed behind Residue.

Maintaining exactly one step of distance.

“If the Half King ends up getting swept up in my schemes, may I devour her?”

“Not a funny joke.”

“It’s not a joke. If that opportunity comes to me, what should I do, Your Majesty?”

“Hold back. It’s still more useful for you and the Half King to remain separate for now.”

“…As you command, Your Majesty.”

*****

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