Chương 169: The Sanctuary in the Sky (18)

The Sanctuary's entire population gathered at the manatree's roots to honor the fallen. Simon had learned during his stay on the islands that the kish buried their dead in the ground, without a coffin or casket, so their bodies could return to the earth and help maintain the fragile ecological conditions keeping the archipelago in balance. In this case, there had been little to bury besides ashes and severed body parts.

Thankfully, having the Necromancer present meant they could call on ghosts and shades so the living could bid farewell to the dead. Eole had surprisingly refused to see her brother and father again, and left the ceremony early to check on Belzemine. Simon didn't ask any questions. She was grieving her family in her own way. At least we might be able to cure Belzemine soon, Simon thought. The Sanctuary was incredibly vulnerable with its barrier undone and its defenders decimated.

Lady Junon had moved the archipelago closer to Illusea, both to avoid the risk of Endymion spotting them and hopefully bring Belzemine to the Mana Goddess. As much as he distrusted the Oracle, Simon knew the elves were the only ones with the magic and will to possibly restore her. At least Shabram informs me no Endymian airship should be patrolling this area. The ceremony was coming to an end when Simon sensed something hit his foot, causing him to look down. A small, glowing manalith had rolled its way to him.

The Adventurer Crestone.

"You've dropped it again," Simon chided Voltobauta as he picked the Crestone up. It didn't burn him, unlike the Paladin one.

"I did not drop it," Voltobauta replied.

"It came to you. It keeps coming to you, may I add."

"Only because I removed my Class outfit," Simon replied with a scoff.

"Take it back."

"I do not rob the dead, and Alcyone had me swear I wouldn't raise her an undead. Besides, it won't stay with me." Voltobauta shook his metallic head.

"The Crestone either chooses you as its next wielder, or believes you will lead it to them. You're stuck with it." Simon looked back at the stone. Why would it find its way to him? Because he had wanted to be an adventurer once and shared its values? Or did it sense he had already consumed a small piece of its Vassal and mistook it for an Adventurer-compatible spirit? Either way, Simon had no use for it except as a source of Perks. How odd that it would actively seek out the Overlord.

"Alright," Simon agreed as he placed the stone in his Inventory.

"What will you do, now that you have fulfilled your promise to Alcyone? Return to piracy?"

"First, I will ask a few questions of that neglectful seer on her island." Voltobauta's tone implied he would get his answers at knifepoint if needed.

"Then, I do not know. I love my eternal life, but I would rather inhabit a relatively demon-free world."

"You could come with me. Now that I know I can destroy the crystals, I intend to wipe them all out." No matter how long or how many reigns it would take.

"However, we'll need allies."" Stronger allies," Voltobauta added. His iron gaze wandered to the kish people mourning their dead.

"It is an unfortunate truth of high-level battles that there comes a point when no strategy or numbers can compensate for a lack of strength." Simon scowled, but didn't argue the point. Voltobauta was right. Simon had assumed he could train the Sanctuary's inhabitants to become strong enough to take out Nodens, but no individual could progress from level one to sixty in a year's time.

Even a prodigy like Louis took six years of constant warfare to become the Warrior he was today, and the experience of someone like Anaximander couldn't compensate for a lack of high stats and Perks. Moreover, while Vassal Classes could hold their own to a degree, they remained inferior to the Noble ones. The ancient elves had designed them to work as a unit capable of taking on the Zodiac Fiends, and they had to be brought together again.

Is that why Father fought so obsessively to gather them all into House Magnos? Simon wondered. Because he hoped to reincarnate the Noble Heroes into an imperial unit capable of preserving his empire?

"Do you think you could get your family's Noble Class users to help?" Voltobauta inquired.

"Because frankly, I don't think we can save the world without them."

"I fear they'll just try to control the crystals instead of letting me destroy them," Simon admitted.

"But I'll try." Uniting House Magnos with the likes of the White Unicorn against a greater threat would be a tremendous challenge, but the world wouldn't survive their disunity. If Nodens was among the weakest of the Zodiac Fiends, then nothing short of dozens of Noble Heroes could take out the likes of a fully-powered Exodeos. Simon had to unite the Heroes, or find wiser inheritors for those who didn't deserve their Classes. One way or another.

Once the ceremony concluded, Simon flew back to his house with Darkflight and took the opportunity to try out the Adventurer Class. While its outfit itched a bit, it felt a lot more comfortable than the Merchant or Commander. It was like wearing a slightly mismatched glove rather than a dress of liquid fire. The Adventurer: The seeker of novelty, free-spirited thinker, and explorer, always looking for adventure, friendship, and what lies beyond the infinite horizon.

Strength B, Vitality B, Agility B, Perception B, Magic B, Intelligence B, Charisma B, Luck B. Innate Perk: Knack (Passive): You can use any item as if you met the prerequisite conditions, like race, Class, or morality-related criteria. Innate Perk: Fast Travel (Active): You can teleport to any place that you have already visited. This manifests as an interactive map on your System screen, showing landmarks you have visited. If you have formed a party with other people, you can also teleport them with you.

Although you cannot teleport past anti-teleportation wards, this Perk has no range nor chance of failure. Innate Perk: Divining Rod (Passive): You can immediately detect the presence of hidden treasures, hidden doors, traps, or enemies nearby. Their location will appear on your System screen. Innate Perk: Party System (Passive): You gain experience at an increased x1. 5 rate, rounded down.

Additionally, you can select up to five people to join your Party, granting them a similar bonus and allowing you to check on their location or status screens at all times; Adventurer Perks affecting you, such as Fast Travel, will also affect your Party members. Level 1 Perk: Jack-of-all-Trades 1 (passive): Can wield any weapon with medium proficiency (x1. 5 damage), and learn all crafts at a slightly accelerated rate.

Party System didn't include a stat boost in its current state, so Simon guessed the one he received from Alcyone was the result of another Adventurer Perk down the line. He had the sneaking suspicion the Class was a significant force multiplier as part of a group. Quick Learner can be overwritten with Party System. Huh? Oh right, he had gained Quick Learner from an Adventurer Vassal Class. It must be a watered-down version of Party System. All in all, the Perks were all interesting.

Fast Travel was a bit of a disappointment since it required a secondary Perk to bring along more people, but the fact that it had no range limit made it straight up superior to Teleport, which consumed mana, had a distance limit, and had a slight chance of mishap. Party System was a straight up upgrade of Quick Learner and would allow him to not only enhance a small team, but check on them at any given time.

Divining Rod had limited utility, since the reigns already gave him foreknowledge, and while Knack had potential, it remained situational. Simon's true limit was the fact that he had only had one Devour Crestone Perk left, and better options to consider. The Rogue's knack for bypassing anti-teleportation wards and the Summoner's ability to summon an additional Eidolon were simply better. In the end, Simon decided to overwrite Quick Learner with Party System to avoid wasting a Perk slot.

While Fast Travel was useful, he had plenty of options to travel around with, like the Attic or his Overlord Call spell; and every high-level foe of his could counter teleportation anyway. Taking Party System first meant he could unlock Fast Travel's full potential later on, if he chose to obtain it. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Beyond all those considerations, Party System would let him improve his allies.

Ensuring his retainers and teammates could keep up with him would improve their chances during the Zodiac Parade, whether in this reign or the next; maybe even train replacement Noble Class users should the current owners prove beyond help. And so, Simon consumed another Noble Crestone. Unlike the Mage and Merchant, the Adventurer Crestone did not resist its assimilation. In fact, it seemed to want it. Other people's memories flooded his brain in quick order.

He saw himself delving into old temples and planting a flag on a deserted island, clashing blades with knights in a castle's courtyard, fighting demons and monsters… However, all of those memories faded away in the wake of a far more vivid one. Simon found himself in a vast library lit by bright windows, with bookshelves filled with documents. A man sat on a table while meticulously copying a scroll. Elios Magnos. He appeared as he had been when alive, albeit slightly younger and livelier.

The smile he sent Simon was devoid of malice.

"You should get out of your library more often, Elios," Simon said with a lively voice that wasn't his own. His hands dropped a grimoire on the table.

"You must be choking on dust here."

"And you will break your neck stumbling on some forgotten treasure one day, Tiziano," Elios replied with a deadpan look. His three eyes stared at the book." The Goddess and the Dragon… Where did you find this?"

"Some old temple on the dragon island. The monsters there are so strong I had to pull back early." Simon crossed his arms.

"Gargauth's thralls were raiding the place too. Are you sure we shouldn't do something about him? His influence is growing by the day."

"We are too busy with the Zodiac Fiends to bother with a dragon, even an unusually malicious one. The Oracle doesn't believe he'll become a threat to peace for a handful of centuries." Elios looked over his shoulder.

"Thankfully, my new assistant found a way to recover our allies lost in Exodeos' rift."

"You give me too much credit, Lord Elios," a melodious woman's voice answered from behind a shelf.

"I simply served as your sounding board." A lovely lady stepped into sight, wearing a crimson gown the same color as the hair falling down on her shoulders. She was pale of skin, with grey eyes akin to steel sparkling with vivacious intelligence.

"My, my, no wonder you spend all your time holed up in your library nowadays…" Simon mused, with Elios coughing at his comment, "What's your name, Milady?"

"Ishtar." The woman smiled warmly.

"It is an honor to help the Noble Heroes in their quest, however mediocre my contribution might be..." Something about her smile set Simon on edge and jolted him back to reality, where a notification showed up on his screen. Quick Learner overwritten with Party System. So you wanted me to see this memory, Adventurer, Simon thought. That woman, Ishtar, had the Magnos family's eyes. Was she Elios' future wife and Simon's own ancestor? I don't recall her name from my father's genealogical tree…

Why did he have this sinking feeling in his stomach all of a sudden? Simon finally reached his house and landed on the threshold. He stared at the door for a long moment. He knew Eole and Belzemine were behind it, waiting for him to return. In spite of all the ordeals they had endured against Nodens, they had built a home there. A place where Simon had been happy. So why… Why did he feel relieved at the idea of leaving to gather the Noble Heroes?

Simon turned away from the door and looked at the sea of clouds beyond as he struggled with that question. It always looked so beautiful in the dawn, and never failed to inspire a thoughtful mood. What is missing? Simon wondered. As much as he had enjoyed his stay in the Sanctuary, he always felt he was lacking something here from the very start. Burying himself in work and enjoying his time with Eole and Belzemine allowed him to distract himself from that nagging feeling, yet it never quite vanished.

He had found a paradise where he could live in peace, a community willing to accept him, friends he could trust, and a woman who loved him. So why? What more could he need? It was then, as he observed the rising sun while meditating on those questions, that he spotted them.

"What…" Simon squinted at the horizon and spotted shadows floating in the morning light above the sea of clouds.

"What is that?" He had known Nodens would only be the first of their problems when the demon shattered the barrier hiding the Sanctuary, but he thought he would have at least a moment to recover. He had been wrong. Simon first thought it was Vouivre coming to take her lot of slaves, until he noticed the miasma shrouding the fleet of unwelcome visitors, pouring out of engines refined by a year of war. A dozen airships flew at them from the east, each of them proudly bearing the baleful emblem of the manticore.

"No, no…" Simon immediately put on his Overlord armor and rushed to open the door.

"Eole! Eole, sound the al–" He met steely eyes waiting for him on the other side of the door.

"Hello, brother," Louis Magnos said, smiling.

"How have you been?" A sword struck Simon too fast for his eyes to follow. It impaled him through the chest with such power and precision that he was pinned down to the ground on his back, struggling with a horrific pain rippling through his body. Simon immediately knew what blade had hit him long before the notifications popped up on his System screen; for he remembered the pain of holy power flowing through him, burning the Dark from within him. Warmonger negated by Mana Sword!

Unyielding Essence negated by Mana Sword! Darkbound negated by Mana Sword– Simon had gained many levels since that blade first struck him, but the pain remained so horrendous, so transcendent in its ability to burn at his flesh and soul alike, that he struggled to reach for the handle with his trembling hand. A weaker copy of the Mana Sword struck his palm from above and nailed it to the ground before he could reach it, and a second one did the same with his other arm, crucifying him.

"Worry not, brother. I avoided your vitals." It had been over a year since Simon last saw Louis, and he could tell the impact twelve months of slaughter had had on his brother. His aura had somehow grown even more menacing, his Class having dined on a steady diet of dead heroes and an empress' life. The royal manticore mantle of Endymion rested on his shoulders over his Warrior Class outfit, and a golden laurel crown sat atop his hair.

"I had the intuition you would be here somehow."

"How…" Simon whispered, struggling against the pain and the weapons binding him, to no avail. The Overlord inside him wriggled like a savage beast caught in a fiery cage.

"We detected a big pulse of miasma coming from here and mobilized the closest fleet on short notice. I avoided alerting Shabram, since I had the suspicion she was playing a double game of some sort." Louis sidestepped Simon as he walked out of the house. His boots had blood on them.

"My seers also detected Firewand here, so I went to deal with her personally. From what I could tell, it was an act of mercy." No… Simon's blood ran cold as he looked up to see a puddle of blood.

"Eole…"

"The shifter? She tried to sound the alarm, so I had to silence her." Permanently, his tone implied.

"Where is the Zodiac Fiend? The miasma signature disappeared all of a sudden."

"I…" Simon glared at Louis in an attempt to channel all the fires of his rage through his eyes, but the flames fizzled out. The Mana Sword and its copies interfered with all of his Overlord abilities.

"Destroyed it."

"Oh? Then you have my thanks." Louis' lips pursed into a thin smile.

"Now we can drop these islands on Illusea unimpeded." He uttered those words so casually it took a second for their true horror to sink in. A thousand small details suddenly fell into place for Simon; the Oracle's prophecy that Louis would do something disastrous unless stopped, his funding of Isabelle's research on floating manaliths, his determination to develop an airship fleet that answered to him alone…

"You were planning this from the start," Simon realized, horrified.

"It's why the Oracle didn't want you to take the throne."

"I was toying with the idea of raising our own floating bombs when Isabelle approached me with her theory, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover natural ones." Louis glanced at the Sanctuary as airships approached its shores to lay waste to its people.

"We have enough ammunition here to annihilate Illusea, Lore, Muse, and all of our enemies in a single bombardment. This cannibalistic war is about to end, brother."

"You are insane," Simon hissed in horror.

"Destroying the Worldtree will devastate the world's ecosystem… millions will die!"

"Yes, that was taken into account." Louis frowned at Simon with what could pass for bored curiosity.

"Don't tell me you thought there wouldn't be any consequences to your desertion?" Simon's jaw tightened so hard it hurt.

"I thought someone… someone else would save the world."

"Then you were a coward in the end." Simon could almost taste the disappointment in Louis' voice.

"Protecting sheltered weaklings, hiding away from the world, playing hero… What good did it do? Did you think you could live a dream without ever waking up?" The new emperor waved his hand at the airships fast approaching the Sanctuary, ready to bring death and war to its shores." This? This is the wall of reality, brother." The world had already begun to divide as it had the last time Simon had been struck by the Mana Sword.

A vision of the Sanctuary overlapped with a terrifying vision of its islands burning, of dead trees under a starless sky, and shambling corpses. Perhaps that was a glimpse of the world that would follow the Zodiac Parade, or Hell itself.

Simon thought back to Eole and Belzemine, to all the progress he had made to save the latter and romance the former, to all the fleeting moments he shared with the Sanctuary's inhabitants, only to see them enslaved and destroyed by his own family a mere day after they saved the world. Bitterness and resentment swelled in his heart. As Borsh said, the words of the weak were wasted on the strong, and no one else would save the innocents.

"Yes… yes, you're right. I was a fool… to think anybody would step up!" Simon clenched his teeth and struggled against the blades holding him. His acidic blood was eating away at the fake Mana Swords and corroding their blades.

"Endymion is a nation of slaves besieged by stubborn fools who can't look past themselves!" He managed to wrench his left hand free, though it cost him half his palm. His acidic blood turned to miasma when exposed to the air. Louis observed without moving, looking unconcerned even as his face blurred with that of a burning corpse.

"You may kill me here, brother, but I will come back! I will rise again!" Simon ignored the pressure on his throat and gripped the real Mana Sword's pommel, even as it burned his hand. Flashes of Gargauth's claws and Mardok's hand superimposed themselves on his fingers.

"And when I do, I shall not rest until I become the strongest creature to walk this earth!" He pulled out the Mana Sword from his chest, darkness and poisonous blood leaking out of his wounds.

"And then I will destroy you, Louis! I will break you under my heel, alongside Vouivre, Verney, the entire Zodiac!" Simon snarled as he pointed the Mana Sword at his brother's face with the last of his strength.

"And then you will all learn your place!" Louis smiled without fear, his visage twisting into a skull with a ghastly grin.

"Do your worst." A tide of miasma erupted from Simon's chest and engulfed all of time.