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Chapter 409: It’s All For Naught

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[That is, if they see you, boss.]

‘Even if they don’t, I’ve been going in a straight line from the day I re-entered this world until now and it was a trip that is bound to collide with some people that will not tolerate a strong competition like me in their path. I’m only half way through it, and I still got a long road ahead… I knew it myself. I’ll eventually clash with those people sooner or later. It may not be now, but I will…’

Here, he paused and clenched his fists, “Because I will keep gathering enough resources to establish Asgard as a haven for while Baron is recuperating, and that is aside to the mission that AG had given to me. Because I am aware that I will need unique resources and there will always be competition for them, my clash against those people is inevitable.”

AG knew about the ‘split personality’ and he wasn’t that much affected by it. To AG, this current Siva will subside, and the ‘other guy’ will come back.

So he just had to pretend by then. After all, he was aware of everything.

In concept, [he] had seen everything through the eyes of the world’s Rex Kingsley.

[You’re saying that because there is a possibility that those ‘clashes’ you speak of may include large names and renowned individuals, since they’re the majority, once they brand you as evil, there is not a thing you can do to change it?]

Siva gave her a nod, ‘That is a fact.’ and Cortana showed an expression as if she had understood something.

It was something, so to speak.

Cortana had unparalleled data-gathering abilities as she can access the Net anytime she wants. But she was nodding right now with a face of a student.

What Cortana lacked that she can never be able to naturally have, is insight. She can calculate and she can predict all she can; she can theorize and she’s unparalleled in the matter of profiling, but she can never share a hint of ‘insight’ for she lacked what a true person has, a soul —or what a soul is defined to people’s perspectives.

Siva found it secretly amusing.

[I’ve learned something valuable, sir.]

‘But just in case, I need you to be ready for it.’

[I will pull out my processing resources to build a plan for you sir, starting now.]

Siva glanced at her and smiled, ‘It’s a progressive plan, then, to allow us room for any adjustments.’

The talk went on for a good minute or so as Siva and she didn’t ‘talk’ using their neural link.

*****

“And this should be the last one…”

The sheer size of the mothership’s torso was really large but as time ticked by, more and more players and NPCs flew up and collected scraps along with a disguised Siva.

Minor fights broke out here and there. Siva chose to change how he looked since he ‘scanned’ that there were no eyes watching him within the 5km area closest to his location.

Siva concentrated his efforts to the central area to where the central region’s special metals were all concentrated. He was really infatuated in that new alloy that it was so hard and durable, even his full forced attacks only dented it a little.

[Liberty Drones have been deployed and the scan results indicated that this should be the last chunk of that’s left of the mothership’s central region.]

“It really has a ridiculously big size for a ship…”

He extended his hand and touched the biggest of the chunks around him and as he had been putting his all to collect only these special alien alloys since earlier, he had the most fruits in the entirety of the ones present.

Of course, since the area he controlled was 5km, he also sent out the ‘parts’ to collect as much metal and other useful parts as he can.

Minutes later, the large chunk of alien metal that his hand rested to vanished. This surprised all the scavengers that were collecting alloys as well.

Everyone looked around and saw them confused and to avoid any problems, Siva also pretended to be bewildered and looked around him, even asking as to what the hell had just happened.

But he didn’t linger on any longer there.

‘Huh? They’re still not done yet?’

The battle for The Box was yet to reach an actual end and it made Siva scratch his cheek as he was about to do something awkward.

“My main goal for this Box is to get the attention of the entire Armada away from the central region for when I fight the horse. I didn’t expect that it will also attract the attention of these guys. Alas, they’d only wasted their time… this Supreme is part of my experiment.”

But then again, that was his prize to begin with and he wouldn’t renege on it no matter what they say.

He silently controlled the Liberty Drone hovering in air hundreds of meters above The Box. With that as the signal, The Box that was in the hands of the Haven Dust Company, after so much sacrifice, flew in a sudden manner that caught everyone’s eyes in a stupor.

It was so fast that it seemed to be a meteor and as they follow where it was leading to, 3km away, The Box stopped and hovered beside a single man in a Blue Falcon Armor.

“That’s…”

Even if they aren’t that aware of the things that had happened during Invidia’s coming, they were still aware of the significance of the Blue Falcon Armor.

But what they found shocking is the fact that it was not Kladis that was in front of them.

It was someone else. But the thing is, there was no face inside the helmet.

Only darkness could be seen, giving the people an eerie feeling as if someone sinister had come forth from the grave.

Siva was falling towards the barrier dome, towards the two Flagships above the Grand Mansion.

“Everyone, stop him!”

“That’s our trophy!”

The Allied Force, Haven Dust, and then the Red Dagon Flag… these three organizations were in a heated battle but as soon as Siva recalled his spoil of war, they joined forces to stop him.

A ghastly voice rung from inside the darkness, “If you want to be minced meat, feel free to attack.”

Right now, since everybody knew that this Blue Falcon Armor —a Rune Equipment— belonged to one of Blue Card Legion’s key figures, and since he chose to use it, there was no need to hide who he was.

Whether they know or not that it was Siva was their own problems to solve.

The blades formed a circular domain around him; it deterred the people from approaching lest they all become the same minced meat as those seven thousand earlier.

And yet, on the other hand, these guys have long since lost too many comrades, resources, and also had to make an enemy of the Kingdom of Jeremiah just to have this ‘token’ that could grant them a way to join the Grand Quest.

Would they give away all their efforts in exchange for nothing?

“This is unfair!”

“Right! We fought for that trophy!”

“We have the right to get a share of it…”

Siva, hearing this, laughed at them. “Right? You say you have a right to get a share of it? Let me ask you something… have anyone of you actually ever thought what this box is?”

What that box is?

Isn’t that just a metallic box-like cage trapping that alien orc-face inside it?

Looking at the box, aside from it looking like a tiny prison for holding a single individual locked; there was actually nothing else they could think it was for.

Siva laughed as he knew what they were thinking.

“Let me show you then…” Siva first summoned his BMA and made it form a giant left hand.

Then, at the next moment, the ‘Box’ itself reformed into a right hand and in it held was the fire centaur, El Bravo Supreme, which he caught earlier.

“W-what the…”

“This…”

“Unfair…”

They aren’t blind. They could clearly see it. While Siva was in the middle, these two giant metal hands were obviously a pair of metallic weapons.

“And besides,” Siva’s voice was calm, “Who told you to snatch my package anyway? Do you think I would smile as you tried to demand me to give you my own harvest? And you even have the audacity to proclaim that you have the right to get a share of my harvest? If I tell you that since your wives ate the foods I made, based on your same logic, I also have the right to demand to share the bed with her since, like you said, I made the food she ate.”

Siva’s tone changed and it was layered with a chill of his bloodlust. This was just a game but this is a feature only a select few could actually execute.

He was mocking them, clearly, but they aren’t fools that will throw their careers and lives away.

In the end, they remained silent and let Siva dive down towards a warship and let them ‘jump’ away.

Only then did they howl in rage.

Why wouldn’t they? Everything they’ve done and all their troubles bundled together this goddamned time have all been for naught.

Seven thousand people died earlier because they let their geed cloud their judgement.

Right now, they number only a few hundreds left, will they still have a chance?

“Siva… this isn’t over yet.”

FLASH!

“God damn it! Contact the Elder. It’s Siva again. To the Aegerion, quick!”

FLASH!!

“Tsk… let’s go, we’re retreating! We’ve done quite enough blunders to this place…”

FLASH!!!

In the end, the three leaders could only tuck their heads at this cruel defeat, vowing to never let Siva get away with this blatant humiliation.

*****

The Union…

Seven shadows on top of a pedestal, their faces all veiled by the darkness underneath their cloaks.

In their midst were three people, one of which was the familiar Jack Stone. All of them kneeling as the fuming fifth elder roared in anger: [The first time is a fluke but now, we even lost this chance to get a lead on another front of the Grand Quest! This was supposed to be a quick sailing… what went wrong in this mission?]

On Jack’s right was the familiar commander, head bowed and solemnly reported, “Siva’s weaponry is able to deal with massive numbers of people at the same time. He dealt with Seven Thousand players and NPCs in under a minute. There was nothing we can do. If we had persisted, he can eliminate us as easily as making a thought.”

The Fifth Elder retorted, [If its weaponry, then we don’t lack them! Your men are a thousand elites of the entire Haven Dust Company, armed with the highest standards of equipment within this game world; so how can he be so strong as to be able to deal with you? It’s not as if his equipments were all of the Legendary and Unique Classes, right?]

At this point, a silent First Elder in their middle bid him a calm voice of rebuke, [Fifth Elder, I suggest that you should first watch the content of their fight in Jeremiah before making a judgement.]

[What do you mean?]

[I was watching the battle footage from our sources and I also feel that Siva’s feats aren’t just purely a fit of luck… aside from his mettle and equipment, I am pretty sure that his battle against those number of Mobile Suits and pursuit of the Aliens’ General, are all incredible. He fights as if something heavy is on the line and watching him fight off against those numbers makes me want to consider Jack’s words from some time ago.]

There were murmurs that followed and Jack felt his lips unwittingly beam a merry grin. He bowed down to try to hide and from above, he looked like he had received the praise with utmost humility.

[Alas,] First Elder continue; [our efforts to recruit him have all been for naught. Aside from the slight trace of Siva that we received from Kira, it would seem that from the event that took place in Walled City Alexandria, his image of The Union have been of a slightly unsound one. If only we could have some sort of leverage to entice him, then we wouldn’t have to resort to these violent means to get our hands on his part of the Grand Quest.]

[I agree.] a voice coming from his left rung, [It was right with our calculations that Altair will show up in this year’s King Test. It is right to assume that he’s feeling it as well as Jack does… the swords are all resonating to each other. If we can find the key to unlock the secret of the Excalibur, then we would have succeeded in spite of all of the efforts and resources we have invested in this endeavor. The loss of men and resources are meager expenses... what truly is regretful are the delay this caused to our overall plans.]

[Right….]

[Indeed it is.]

[Mn. This Siva’s power is growing tremendously fast in short a time. It is good to assume that from the attack in Alexandria, during his time inside the dragon’s body, his body had been baptized and is thus now stronger than any normal player avatars.]

[—stronger than the Pioneers?]

[Perhaps. But who can tell? They’ve been playing the game since the Beta from the Panorama HQ in Sweetzerland, and they knew more about the story than the rest of the world… perhaps aside from the Payroll Agents of the Panorama Corp, only we are knowledgeable of the few secrets hidden within the game of Terroa.]

The Fifth Elder was quiet all this time as the rest of the Elders talked. Upon hearing this last note, he stretched out an arm and looked at his hand.

Everything around him felt real. While all of these elders were mere projections, it was only him who was in Terroa right now as an avatar body.

[Those Pioneers… what they’re after is really hard to tell aside from the Intel our insider to their circle had provided us.]

[It’s really quite vexing.]

[Yes. While the world is going after MODs and the Grand Quest, the Pioneers are nowhere to be found ever since the inception of the Open Server two years ago. They’re more interested in the history of the Game than the current chaotic era.]

[Do you think Siva is a Pioneer, in disguise to gain fame and glory?]

When this question was asked by the Fifth Elder, a silent reply came to answer him. Have they asked this question once before?

[Is he?], he probed the six.

The First Elder chuckled, [I don’t think so.]

[Why?] the Fifth Elder also wanted to know.

[Simple. Based only on his first meeting with Jack.]

Everyone’s eyes darted below and landed on Jack who was also startled but tried to hide it by bowing his head. After all, ever since he had joined the banner of The Union, he’d all reported everything he knew about Siva to them. That included everything that had happened in Anazon Forest.

[Back then, Siva wasn’t as strong as he was now. A complete newbie; and not to mention that he wasn’t even aware of the mission paths available for that said location, he wouldn’t be a pioneer even if he’d tried to pretend as one. He simply lacked that calm and knowledgeable presence all Pioneers had.]

Everyone’s eyes stared at Jack below them.

The First Elder continued, [And besides, have you all forgotten? Taking what I said before as anchor to this assumption, Siva fights recklessly without the planning and scheming impression of a veteran seasoned player of Terroa. In simple words, all he does is smash through all obstacles head on with brute strength alone. So far, his momentum had only grown for he was yet to meet someone with an unstoppable momentum like the one he’s showing the world now.]

[You’re saying that in order to handle him, we just have to find someone —and not an organization— that can contend with him in terms of strength?]

[Like a match up or a rival, is that it?]

[To be more precise,] the First Elder corrected; [a person with the same style as him.]

[Hmmmm…]

The elders became quiet.

At this point, the third person below the seven, the woman they got their Intel for Siva, spoke up.

“May I speak, sirs?”

[Kira… you are our guest here, you don’t have to be so polite and lower your head like that. Please, speak your mind.]

“Thank you for your gesture, sir. In regards to the topic about someone who has the same style and momentum-based battle flair as Siva, I do know of someone that matches this description perfectly. A few months have passed since the last time we’ve heard of him but he’s really strong.”

[Oh? Pray tell… who is this person?]

“If I am not mistaken, Siva had already met this one some time ago… not too long ago, in fact, back in The North, in one of the cities we controlled.”

[Who?]

“The Predator.”

[Oh, so it’s The Predator, huh…]

[I’ve heard of him. Didn’t he lose to your guild mate before, to Hagrid, and was imprisoned to be used as a sacrifice for your quest to free and enslave the Blood Dragon God?]

“We can say that it’s a mutual agreement between those two war mongers. Apparently, when Siva broke out of his confinement and released an NPC that looked like a Devil... with Cedric even telling us that he can summon a second NPC that seemed like a God… he was also one of the many who had escaped. Hagrid’s victory over The Predator was a premeditated and calculated ambush. But generally speaking, if they were to be pitted in an arena for a head long clash, I believe that The Predator is as strong as Hagrid is, sirs.”

Sounds of jubilant exclaim were heard. Hagrid was one of the four superstars of Blue Card Legion; as the first was Kladis, the Second being Hagrid, and the third being the real world genius, Genevieve.

While the fourth, as surprising as it was, is actually the number one strongest person in Terroa right now, Gats; and it was an Intel they bought through Kira with tremendously high price and promise of utter and complete secrecy.

Disregarding The Union, Blue Card Legion is next only to them as the strongest player-guild in RPG: Terroa.

The Fifth Elder then asked, [So where is this person now and how can we use him to control Siva?]

“He’s currently on the loose but I am in contact with him as he was wooing me. If I say the right words and gave him enough reason to do your bidding, I believe he’d be willing to work for your cause.”

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