Volume Four: Withering in the Mortal World - Chapter 294: Cooperation (Part Two)

"So, now it's time to speak frankly and openly!"

The bright moon thus declared.

Then, the talks that truly belonged to the high command of the Revolutionary Army began.

"Haha, Miss Tartaglia is surprisingly straightforward, which saves us the trouble of beating around the bush." Loxue's eyes sharpened.

"'Miss Tartaglia' is too formal. Just call me Haoyue. The others can also call me by my first name, since we'll be 'comrades' from now on."

Haoyue deliberately emphasized the word "companion," and Loxue narrowed her eyes slightly.

"... Okay, Haoyue, what do you think is the definition of 'companion'?"

"Of course, it's... people who come together because of shared interests, or people who are bound together by shared interests."

"'Common interests'... Do you also believe that, Lord Blood Emperor?"

"There's no need to emphasize the words 'Blood Emperor' so much," I shrugged, but became more wary. "I can assure you that it is absolutely true that I am Blood Fiend —the successor of the Blood Emperor you speak of."

"I certainly believe that, because all the evidence proves it, and I trust you in this regard, but if possible, I would like to 'trust you even more'."

"I am now the Blood Emperor, you know? Is it really okay to say that?"

"Forgive my bluntness, but you should also know in your heart that the so-called Blood Emperor two hundred years ago was nothing more than a murderous maniac that Francis installed to unite the people."

"..."

This woman... so easily revealed the forbidden truth. So, it turns out the highest levels of Blood Blade actually know the whole truth about Blood Fiend?

"Huh? What... what does this mean? Supporting a serial killer?"

Nid, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly widened his eyes, looking completely incredulous.

... Looks like I was overthinking it.

"I'll tell you the details later, my silly little brother. For now, I'll handle it."

"Oh..."

Nid retreated to the wall somewhat dejectedly, and I was a little dumbfounded. Logically speaking, the rank of the General Staff is lower than that of the Regiment Commander, but the actual relationship between these two siblings seemed to be reversed.

"Every second is precious, so in order not to waste it, let me first share my speculation. Please forgive me if I offend anyone -- ahem,"

Loxue cleared her throat.

"Miss Ye ...you are indeed the successor of the previous Blood Emperor, but you were originally unaware that the Blood Emperor was the spiritual leader of the Blood Blade Knights. It wasn't until Dorothy found you that, for certain reasons, you decided to come here and join the Revolutionary Army. I think the reason is...on this West Saint Continent, you have a goal that you are willing to achieve by disguising yourself as a revolutionary and gaining the immense power of the Blood Blade Knights ...isn't that right?"

"..." Depend on.

It's more than just "right or wrong".

It was a perfect hit.

I honestly admit defeat.

"I thought the sun rose in the west, but it turns out you were just showing off in the west. I admit defeat."

"... What do you mean? A lame joke?"

"That's just a local saying from my hometown... Never mind that. Although I have to admit you have a very clear understanding, instead of looking down on us, you actually took advantage of the situation and acknowledged us in front of all the leaders."

"If you don't agree, should I be your enemy? I naturally hope to coexist amicably with powerful people like you rather than resort to violence. After all, the Holy See alone is enough to give us trouble."

... Just as I expected.

This is a deal that benefits no one.

For her, announcing the Blood Emperor's return could greatly boost morale and unite the army, and she would also gain five powerful combatants, which was naturally a good thing.

As for me, her acknowledgment of me as the new Blood Emperor is tantamount to her tacit approval of my idea of relying on the power of the Blood Blade Knights. Moreover, for us newcomers, having another powerful backer familiar with the West Saint Continent is a win-win situation.

Only one uncertainty remains.

"I'm not one to pry into other people's privacy, but if we're going to cooperate, I think it's necessary for us to know your true motives. After all, if what you're doing goes against our beliefs, then the cooperation will have to fall through."

"Rest assured, what I'm about to do won't harm you; in fact, it will benefit you. Otherwise, you would really be at risk of being wiped out by someone."

"That's quite an intriguing statement... Well then, let's move on to exchanging valuable information? Tell me your purpose, and I will tell you everything about the Revolutionary Army in return."

"Of course, it's only fair to reciprocate."

Hmph hmph hmph. Hehehe.

We both looked at each other with forced smiles.

However, I felt much more relaxed.

Loxue Bradwich --

This woman is incredibly intelligent. Although I half-jokingly said something like, "So you were just showing off," she's actually far superior to the male and female protagonists in some works who use their high intelligence to show off. She's not the kind of cunning, vulgar genius, but a truly wise person, more like a strategist than a mere plotter. That's why she chose to be completely honest with us from the start. It seemed reckless, but it was actually quite effective. This directness actually made me like her more.

After confirming that Loxue was a trustworthy person, I told her the information we had.

It seems a bit inappropriate to say everything at once, but I no longer have the leeway to "hold back".

Organizational matters.

The matter of the nine Divine Item.

The reason why Blood Fiend disappeared back then was because it was forcibly absorbed by the organization.

Blood Fiend was still serving the organization as a high-ranking member less than a year ago.

Then comes the most crucial part— Madam Winsani, one of the organization's top leaders, was hiding in the shadows, waiting for the two sides to fight and for the third party to benefit.

However, I didn't reveal the specific cause of Blood Fiend's death, nor did I mention that I had traveled from Earth.

"..."

The siblings listened attentively to what we had to say and then fell into deep thought.

After a long while, Loxue finally reacted.

"Hmm... to be honest, what you're saying is indeed unbelievable, but it seems we can't help but believe it..."

"I swear I'm not lying at all, and that lady is definitely a major hidden danger."

"Tsk..." Loxue frowned, thinking carefully. "This is troublesome. Even if we know there is such a powerful being waiting to reap the benefits, the revolution cannot be stopped. Moreover, if that lady is really as powerful as the Heavenly Law Goddess, we may not be able to resist her."

"That's why we exist. Madam is a variable for you, but our existence is also a variable for her."

"You mean... when we join forces to conquer Gloria City and that lady finally shows herself, you'll be the ones to deal with her? And the key to dealing with her lies in—"

"--That's right, it's the Truth Incantation. That's her target, so if we can control the Truth Incantation before she does, we can gain the upper hand. That's why I want to join forces with you."

"And this will also deal a significant blow to that organization, right? This is a bit troublesome... Now that we know such a dangerous organization exists, we can't just sit idly by, because once the Revolutionary Army successfully seizes power, there will inevitably be a clash with the organization."

"It's wonderful that you can think of this so clearly. By the way, it seems you already knew about the existence of the Divine Item."

"Ah, actually... well, it's not really something that needs to be told, but I'll tell you anyway— Nid, show it to them."

"Okay."

After a long silence, Nid finally regained his presence. He took the Greatsword from his back, placed his hand on the blade, and seemed to be channeling power into it.

Zzzzz!!!

The once plain and unadorned Greatsword suddenly emitted a brilliant light, its surface revealing extremely complex patterns, and it released an incredibly terrifying pressure! At the same time, I felt the Rakshasa True Word within my body tremble violently, as if it had generated a response! The four of them also sensed something and gathered around.

Givinia observed carefully and said in surprise, "Incredible! This sword is already a top-tier Saint Artifact, but... its aura and pressure are probably far beyond that of Saint Artifact. It's almost like—"

It's practically a magical Divine Artifact.

"Actually... this sword is already a semi- Divine Artifact. You've all heard about that history, right? After the Saint Emperor died, the Divine Artifact he wore, the Emperor Slaying Sword, broke on its own."

"Of course, and then the fragments of the Emperor Slaying Sword disappeared during the struggle among the palace people—wait, could it be?"

"That's right, this Greatsword contains fragments of the Emperor Slaying Sword."

""""...""""

Godly, divine equipment!

"Of course, its power is nowhere near that of the original. It is said that the real Emperor Slaying Sword is so sharp that it can easily tear through space, allowing its wielder to traverse tens of thousands of miles in an instant, while this sword can only unleash extremely powerful slashes."

I see... but that must be pretty impressive.

"A good horse needs a good saddle, and this sword is perfectly compatible with Nid's special abilities."

"Superpowers?"

So, I still don't know the true nature of Nid's superpowers; I only know that he can behead enemies from hundreds or thousands of meters away.

"Let me demonstrate..."

Instead of using his sword, Nid pointed his finger at the cup on the table and made a small, impalement motion in the air.

There were more than two meters between them, but just as Nid's finger poked out, the blanket seemed to be touched by something and fell over on its own.

It was as if Nid's finger ignored the spatial distance and poked directly into the cup.

"This is my special ability: 'using solid, liquid, and gaseous media to conduct attacks.' Just by swinging a fruit knife, I can decapitate an enemy up to two kilometers away."

It's here!

It's another superpower that "doesn't sound impressive at first, but is terrifying upon closer inspection"!

His attacks are conducted through a medium, meaning that—first, his attacks can kill from a great distance without any direct contact; second, since they can be transmitted through mediums such as solids, liquids, and gases, these mediums must include solid objects like shields and cover, meaning that ordinary methods are absolutely ineffective in defending against his attacks; and third, everyone is enveloped by the medium of air, leaving no place to hide, meaning that ordinary methods are absolutely ineffective in dodging his attacks.

From this perspective, this ability is completely bugged!

But the problem is --

"But what about the power of the attack? If your weapon is just a small blade, the strongest slash you can deliver is at most 'cutting a throat.' In that case, although you can't defend or dodge, its power is only enough to kill one person at most."

"As expected of the Blood Emperor, you saw the problem immediately... That's why my special ability requires very high-quality equipment. With the skills I've accumulated over the years combined with the power of this sword, I can kill hundreds of people at once with a single strike. If I activate the power of the Emperor Slaying Sword fragment, I can even wipe out a small army with one strike, but it's very energy-consuming."

"Soga..."

In other words, it's a superpower that only the rich and powerful can wield... huh?

Xiao Wu seems a bit off?

Haoyue noticed it too and gently nudged her. She only glanced at Haoyue before looking away. Before that, she had been staring intently at Nid's sword.

... I don't understand.