Ian's Declaration of War Against All Nations

Ian's Declaration of War Against All Nations (6700, please vote~)

Outside the royal city of the Radiant Land, after the Radiant King, Carlo Nemasus, received news of his rebellious yet returned son, Ace Nemasus, his brow furrowed deeply into a perfect V.

The ministers around him fell silent. Some pretended to be intently reading the documents in their hands, some looked around as though admiring the elegant and beautiful artistic style of the New King's Hall, while others lowered their heads to stare at their noses as if mites were crawling over them.

But no amount of pretending could truly avert disaster. The Radiant King raised his head and pointed at one minister—the minister in charge of the Radiant Land's intelligence reluctantly stepped forward.

"My son Ace Nemasus returned to the Upper Flying Flame Land two and a half weeks ago... Why did I not know about this?"

Do you even need to ask? There are spies within our intelligence agencies. Silverpeak Domain has infiltrated us!

Though he knew that was more or less the truth, the minister did not dare say it aloud. He immediately dropped to his knees. "Your Majesty, the Blazing Flame Lands now have free population movement. None of the nations impose restrictions. Whoever wishes to leave or stay may do as they please..."

"Bullshit," said the Radiant King. "Not stopping them is one thing. Are you telling me you do not even watch them? And my son is a Heartbane Demon. With his true form's appearance and temperament, how could he possibly go unnoticed?"

"Your Majesty, it must be a scheme of Silverpeak Domain! They blinded our eyes, making us unable to recognize him!"

The minister hurriedly continued, "Heartbane... Prince Ace's temperament has changed dramatically. He is completely different from before. Our lower-level intelligence personnel have limited abilities; they truly could not identify him!"

The Radiant King did not truly intend to make things difficult for his minister. He naturally understood that if Ian Silverpeak truly wished to send someone into the Blazing Flame Lands to make a major spectacle, it would indeed be effortless. He himself might not notice, so what ability could his subordinates possibly have to discover it?

But recently, after suffering repeated setbacks under the pressure of Silverpeak Domain, all his ministers had assumed an utterly defeated attitude. They would not do the work they were supposed to do, nor handle the tasks they were meant to handle. He found it truly unacceptable.

Even if Silverpeak Domain defeats us someday, that brat will still want people willing to work and make an effort. You old ministers should count yourselves lucky if you are not thrown out to placate the people's old anger. How can you be so lax?!

Letting out a long sigh, the Radiant King kept his brows tightly knit as he activated his terminal.

Within the terminal's light screen, a handsome young man with refined, almost beautiful features and an approachable air was preaching amid a crowd.

In a seemingly somewhat dilapidated cluster of shacks, the old and young alike gathered around one person. Passing travelers stopped in their tracks, and the surrounding soldiers not only did not disperse the crowd, but proactively stepped forward to soothe the passersby, telling them not to panic and that, should they have the time, they could listen to a little gospel—the path known as the Arcane Path.

The preacher was naturally one of the Radiant King's sons, Ace Nemasus, the son in whom he had placed little hope. He was one of the few successful subjects of the demon fusion project: the Heartbane Demon.

He had once infiltrated Silverpeak Domain, only to be turned, or perhaps brainwashed in return. Instead, he became Silverpeak Domain's spy and rendered tremendous service in its defeat of the Demon Legion. More than once, the Radiant King had thought that might have been Ian Silverpeak's most vulnerable period. Facing a great Fourth Energy Level demon had required his full strength. If they had breached the Southern Ridge Defense Line then, matters afterward would not have become so complicated.

Everything connected to Silverpeak Domain turned decay into miracles... Even my disappointing son had transformed.

The Radiant King could understand what Ace was describing. It was the First Energy Level details of the Fifth Energy Level bloodline known as the Soul Light Collective, which had previously enraged him.

By consuming specific foods and training according to special breathing methods and lifestyles, one could establish a foundation. Then, by meditating upon a particular structure and painstakingly inscribing it over a long period, one could engrave a Fifth Energy Level bloodline into one's own body...

For gifted children with sufficient resources, seven or eight years would be enough to make an initial success of it. Without resources, it might take more than a decade.

But for a Fifth Energy Level bloodline, for the identity of a Sublimer, the Arcane Path's slow rate of advancement was not a disadvantage at all.

Ace's lecture was not quick, and First Energy Level details were not something that could be explained so simply, but... damn it!

That damned Terminal Network allowed Ace to send everyone a document after the lesson ended, and the document described every detail of the Soul Light Collective's Origin Matter Structure.

Though it was only the First Energy Level, this was a bloodline with a Fifth Energy Level ceiling! Everyone present bowed devoutly to the ground, filled with immense respect for Ace's achievement in imparting knowledge and resolving doubts!

"Hmph..."

Only after taking a deep breath did the Radiant King suppress his fury. He even smiled. "My son was originally used as material for demon fusion because his bloodline did not manifest. I gave him a chance to forge a new path—yet in the end, he switched to the Arcane Path and came to understand bloodlines this deeply? Deeply enough to teach others how to learn my royal bloodline?"

"Impressive. The Arcane Path is truly formidable!"

The more unreservedly the Radiant King praised the Arcane Path, the more clearly his ministers understood that the rage in their king's heart was swelling, exploding!

Because Ace alone could never possibly have analyzed the bloodline within his body to such an extent!

Only Silverpeak Domain, only Ian Silverpeak, could have used the captured Heartbane and spent several years separating and analyzing it to obtain such a detailed blueprint of that bloodline.

And it was only the First Energy Level.

Yet the First Energy Level alone was already unbelievable enough!

The Blazing Flame Lands were unusual. There were many Fifth Energy Level bloodlines, but only two Bloods of the Apex Seat. Though they clearly shared the same ancestor, they were extraordinarily independent from one another.

The Radiant King's Soul Light Collective blood was particularly special and possessed unique abilities within the Void Realm. Thus, he had led most research on the demon project. Nemasas researchers under his side were highly valued even if they were not Fifth Energy Level, and quite a few Fifth Energy Level beings had emerged throughout history.

But precisely because the Soul Light Collective was so special, passing down its bloodline was extremely difficult... Bloodline inheritance in the Blazing Flame Lands had always been difficult, but the Soul Light Collective was especially so. Among nearly a hundred children, only one might barely meet the requirements.

This was because human blood differed too greatly from the blood of the Soul Light Collective—at its core, the Soul Light Collective was a collective life-form, whereas humans were carbon-based mammals no matter how one put it. Only a handful of sharp-minded geniuses capable of multitasking could perfectly control the Soul Light Collective's power.

The Radiant King had always been proud of his bloodline, and his talent was the reason he was king.

And now, someone was telling him that one of his disappointing descendants had returned from another nation and used enemy technology... to spread the bloodline in which he took such pride?

And the Arcane Path could allow everyone to gradually obtain complete bloodline energy levels?

This utterly denied, at its roots, the Radiant King's confidence that he was a "chosen one"!

It also completely shattered the original caste system among Sublimers, in which rank was determined by the upper limit of one's bloodline!

What Ian Silverpeak had done was not merely "spreading a Fifth Energy Level bloodline"... What he was doing was destroying the very foundation of the Ascension Path!

A Fifth Energy Level bloodline was not merely a blessing... It was also a curse.

Slowly rising to his feet, the Radiant King stepped directly into the Void Realm. His royal expression was grave. "The power of the Soul Light Collective cannot be mastered so easily... The drain on the mind and the burden on the will would drive ordinary people mad even if they bore only a tenth of it."

"Ian Silverpeak... Ace. Before you, many have done similar things, but all of them failed in the end."

"What is so special about you that you can succeed in this?"

He wanted to see whether Silverpeak Domain knew of this problem and was spreading it simply to disgust him, or whether they had already solved the issue of the Fifth Energy Level bloodline's side effects!

At the same time.

Silverpeak Domain.

Ian was testing Elan's knowledge.

The weather in Silverpeak Domain had always been mild and favorable. Simply put, it rained when it should rain and shone when it should shine. It was neither damp nor hot nor stifling. This was an "artificially optimal climate" created by Silverpeak Domain's imitation of the Imperial Capital and the Heavenly Ladder System, with Terra's Heart regulating the surrounding weather and even the conditions of the Void Realm.

Ian did not summon Elan to his study or office for an examination. That would have been far too exam-oriented, and the brothers had not taken a walk together in a long time. So Ian brought Elan to walk through the Baisen Mountains north of Loneflame Peak and take in the atmosphere of mountains blanketed by late-autumn red leaves.

For an entire afternoon, Ian casually posed questions for Elan to answer. The subjects covered everything from his opinion on Ridgehold's recent worker welfare reforms to methods for simmering fuel oil. Questions related to Sublimers were even more fiendishly difficult, cycling through all sorts of questions on psychic abilities, bloodlines, and True Forms. Alchemy and inscriptions were equally profound and demanding. Had outsiders heard it, they would surely have thought that the Duke of Silverpeak was intolerant of others, to make things so difficult even for his own younger brother.

But in truth, Elan answered every question one by one. His responses might have been a little halting at times, and psychic light even flickered in his eyes, clearly showing that he had used Retrospective Vision—but that was obviously within the permitted scope.

"You did wonderfully, Elan."

Elan was now fourteen and over 1.7 meters tall, only half a head shorter than Ian. Though he still looked like a somewhat shy older boy, he was no longer at an age when Ian could casually ruffle his hair. Ian patted his younger brother's shoulder. "Do not think using your psychic ability is cheating—just like my prophecy, it is part of our abilities. You must use it whenever necessary and learn to use it flexibly."

"If you cannot remember an answer, return to the past, to when you 'read' that book. If something confuses you, experience that 'scene' again."

"Remember, if my Precognitive Vision is an eye that looks toward the future, then your Retrospective Vision is a pupil that watches over history."

"But I really did not remember."

Elan himself was somewhat troubled. He rubbed his temple hair and said dejectedly, "My memory is still no match for yours, Brother. I have memorized those alchemical texts many times, but I truly cannot retain them."

"Why are you comparing yourself to me?"

Ian laughed. He quietly shared a small secret with Elan. "I have the Silver Chip. There are many things I have not memorized either—I simply use the Silver Chip to retrieve them on the spot."

"And for many decisions, I only know after using my prophecy that the outcome will not be bad, so I give some ambiguous line, infer things based on the situation, and only then continue expanding the analysis."

"Everyone thinks I foresee everything and that my prophetic ability is the strongest in history. But you are my brother—how could you not know? My prophecy can only tell fortune from misfortune. When I was little, I used it more often to catch king clams and shells than to foresee the future. We have eaten plenty of seafood hotpot, have we not? You did not seriously think I was that skilled at catching seafood, did you?"

"Huh?"

Ian greatly enjoyed Elan's slightly dazed expression. After laughing heartily, he continued forward. "Do not think of me as too amazing either. Even if I had a photographic memory, would I really read every book one by one? I am busy with countless affairs every day. Where would I find that kind of time? I scan everything with the Silver Chip!"

Speaking of this, Ian thoughtfully said, "Now that you mention it, it is about time to choose a day to separate the Silver Chip and leave it to you as an 'Inheritance item.'"

"What? No!"

At that, Elan suddenly raised his head and looked at Ian in shock. "Only you, Brother, can make proper use of such a treasure!"

"True." Ian openly admitted it. "But this thing is fundamentally just a Star God's Gift, a catalyst—and I have already successfully completed the conversion and largely achieved the Star God's Body."

"Together with Terra's Heart gradually improving, the Silver Chip now has almost no significance to me at all."

At its core, the Silver Chip was the central processor of the Star God's Gift. It possessed a powerful computational structure and could connect to the Great Aetheric Circulation Database, allowing it to identify all manner of things.

The latter had been immensely helpful to Ian in the early stages. With the knowledge of the Star Gods, many things could be achieved through an overwhelming advantage of perspective. It was still the same now, in truth. Matters related to the Cradle and all kinds of Star God and Terminus-related things still required this database.

But Ian felt that this ability was not impossible to replicate.

As Ian advanced to the peak of the Arcane Path's Fourth Stage, what the world called the Fifth Energy Level, his mastery over aether grew ever deeper. It could even be said that it had reached a level beyond the imagination of everyone on Terra.

His Guiding Star Soul Light Body allowed him to enter the "aetheric current" that almost no one else could access, witness countless azure veins—the Spacetime-Transcending Aether Tree Structure—and thus traverse past and future, witnessing many different "paths."

Ian's control over aether would soon reach the stage of "transcending time and space."

And when combined with the realm-like "nation" that Terra's Heart would help establish, similar to the one Axel had ultimately created, Ian believed this stage would be the true form of the Arcane Path's Fifth Stage. It would be above the Fifth Energy Level: the Sixth Energy Level.

By then, perhaps my aether can directly link to the Great Aetheric Current. With my authority, connecting directly to the database may not be difficult... In any case, it is possible. When that time comes, the Silver Chip may truly be dismantled and left to those who come after me.

Ian was not the sort of miser who kept everything he acquired from others. On the contrary, he rewarded merit, gave away what he did not need, and was extremely generous. So long as it benefited his cause, he could even give up a Star God's Gift.

In any case, he had already completed the conversion. Both soul and body had begun to become aetherized, and he was already a lesser Star God. The Star God's Gift was merely icing on the cake.

"You will have to perform exceptionally well before I can rightfully leave it to you."

Patting the back of his younger brother, who was still considering how to refute him, Ian smiled. "Perhaps it will go to Adalbert or Isengard instead? It may not necessarily be left to you."

"That would be fine too." Elan was instead unconcerned. "They are both your partners and comrades, Brother. They are naturally more suited than I am... I still have much to learn."

Ian could vaguely tell that Elan's true concern was not whether the Silver Chip belonged more to him. Rather, he had understood that when Ian no longer needed the Silver Chip, it would be time for him to depart on a distant journey.

Elan had instinctively objected because he was saddened by that.

Ian did not respond to that point.

Because he knew that his desire to leave... was selfish to everyone.

There was no need to speak of friends and family. To his subordinates, the departure of their pillar would be like a bolt from the blue. The reason Master Vannar had so fiercely demanded that he leave behind an heir was precisely because the departure of a "strongest one" would cause order to collapse and all of society and civilization to regress.

Without the Perpetual Motion Machine holding things down, it would not be strange for civilization to regress to the Lost Epoch.

So did he truly need to leave?

Ian was also considering whether he could become a true leader, the King of Terra, and lead the entire civilization out of the Cradle.

This was a possibility that none of the Ians of the past had ever considered.

But no matter what, he needed to train his younger brother.

Whether he became the King of Terra in the future or left the Cradle alone, his younger brother would be the best possible heir and assistant.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Ian's expression shifted. He turned his head and gestured for Elan to find somewhere secluded. Though Elan did not quite understand why, he chose a sunlit slope. A protruding rock shelf sat on the slope, just right for sitting.

The two brothers sat down. Before them, the Bison Mountains were covered in red leaves, like a brilliant sea of fire beneath the evening sun. Ian waved his hand, and a light screen appeared before them.

"Studying is important, but practice is even more important. Elan, you are about the right age now. I went out adventuring when I was your age. You cannot use me as the standard, but you should still begin preparing."

Ian gestured for Elan to watch the light screen attentively with him. "And you should carefully observe all major historical events, allowing yourself to form a 'connection' with them. That way, in the future, you can use Retrospective Vision to revisit their details again and again and learn more from them."

"Mm, I understand."

Elan nodded seriously, and two people confronting one another appeared on the light screen.

A father and son confronting each other.

"...Father, I have returned to the streets of the Blazing Flame Lands. This place has indeed changed greatly. People's lives have become much easier, and they can all eat their fill. All manner of human experimentation has disappeared, while thieves and bandits have decreased. These are things I could never have imagined in the past, yet they increasingly prove one point: in the past, none of the powerful gave even the slightest thought to the lives of the common people."

His once purplish-red hair had turned almost blackish gray. Ace Nemasus now resembled a holy missionary more than a Heartbane Demon who beguiled hearts. Holding a professional-grade terminal to his chest, he calmly said to the dignified man before him, draped in royal robes, "The better you do now and the happier the people's lives become, the more it proves that you always had the ability to accomplish all this. Yet in the past, you turned a deaf ear to it, even allowing such conditions to persist."

"Father, can you tell me why? Here, before this crowd, beneath everyone's gaze, can you answer my doubts?"

...You were always this sharp-tongued. That was why I thought you could accomplish it.

The imposing man who appeared young, the Radiant King, narrowed his eyes and stared at his son, who had become so different from him and no longer feared him in the slightest. He could not help but laugh. "But by asking that question, you are offending every powerful ruler. You are also bringing disaster upon the Silverpeak Prophet behind you."

"What disaster?"

The young missionary smiled. "Are you saying that my words condemn every Fourth and Fifth Energy Level?"

He said this, then swept his gaze across all the onlooking residents, to Elan's astonishment, and proclaimed, "Yes, I am condemning every Fourth and Fifth Energy Level."

"All powerful rulers, all kings who once governed the earth, sky, and sea—I ask you, I question you... If the temptation of the Perpetual Motion Machine could enable you to improve everyone's lives by more than a full degree, why did you not do so in the past?"

"Can you answer with the truth in your hearts, without deceiving anyone, including yourselves?"

"As for you, Father."

Turning around, Ace looked at the Radiant King, whose expression had already darkened, and calmly said, "You think these words will bring disaster upon the Silverpeak Prophet, do you not?"

"Why do you think that? Can you explain it clearly?"

...The Radiant King remained silent, but Ace gave a soft laugh and raised his voice. "Because you also know that Silverpeak Domain was the first place that, from the very beginning, from the earliest days, from when its lord was still a Second Energy Level 'minor noble,' had always used its full strength to improve the lives of its people!"

"And the results of Silverpeak Domain's construction, every achievement of Silverpeak Domain, the way Silverpeak Domain stands today—those are the finest answers!"

"We humans can live in heaven just the same, without a Perpetual Motion Machine!"

"The reason we humans have not created a heaven on earth has only one point..."

"Shut up!" the Radiant King roared. "Do not say another word. If you still wish to live, then..."

But Ace did not shut up at all. Instead, he raised his voice further and, with a psychic force that was almost an ability and almost a charm, conveyed his will to everyone. "That is it! From the very beginning, those Sublimers, those powerful Fourth and Fifth Energy Level beings, even all Sublimers, never regarded themselves as mere 'humans'!"

"Their own lives transcended the entire age, so they did not care at all how the other 'insects' lived—if the Perpetual Motion Machine had not tangibly forced them to look upon all living beings in this world, they would never have Overlooked us—they simply did not care for us, nor did they love us!"

"That is the truth!"

"Brother, that man..."

Elan was shocked. Why did this half-demon, whom he occasionally saw in his brother's office, now possess such immense courage? Why did he dare utter words like a declaration of war against all nations?

Yes—what Ace said was a line of thought that anyone who had inherited even a little of Inaga II's wisdom could have conceived.

But no one would say it aloud. Some even believed it was simply correct, simply the truth, and required no saying at all.

But when Elan turned his head, wanting to ask his brother why Ace dared speak such words, he discovered that Ian was smiling.

It was not a gentle smile, nor an uninhibited laugh, but a smile almost mocking in nature, filled with deep ridicule.

"Answer this question."

Ian Silverpeak softly said, "This scene has already been recorded by Terra's Heart and will soon be forwarded to the entire world—so answer this question."

"Why were you arrogant before and respectful afterward? Why had technology not changed greatly over these past two years, yet humanity's quality of life improved by more than a full degree? Why, why was it that the moment the powerful seemed to take out a portion of things they did not need, the darkness looming above everyone's heads was entirely dispersed?"

"Step forward, candid sages, honest kings, all those in this world who still possess a trace of shame in their hearts, and speak the dark truth within your hearts."

"Or you enraged tyrants, you evildoers who hate me, this 'sole righteous man,' step forward and fight me."

Come... Hurry and come.

I can wait no longer.

This world is the same.

This is my declaration of war against all nations.

A proclamation called "Righteous Cause."

Please vote~