Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: Chapter 3-1. Black Tree Tribe
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#Heavenly Realm, 3rd Layer ? Gabriel's Sanctuary
A serene temple filled with the fragrance of lilies, built entirely of pure white marble—it resembled an untouched snowfield.
Purity, fragrance, silence.
This temple, harmonizing those three elements, belonged to the third Holy King, Gabriel. Her symbol, the lily flowers, were in full bloom as always, quietly awaiting any visitors. Since the visit from the first Holy King last time, no one had come to Gabriel's temple. The biggest reason was that she herself had no desire to invite anyone for a meal and conversation.
Silently floating above the spring at the deepest part of the temple with her wings, eyes closed as she watched over the Middle Realm, she sensed someone entering the temple.
"…?"
'Of all times, now.'
Muttering that it was an important moment, she tilted her head in puzzlement. She didn't know who had come to see her, but she planned to send them away and tell them to come back later. Yet she couldn't sense who had entered the temple—only footsteps echoed, no presence at all.
Step, step—
The heavy sound of boots on the marble floor suggested it was a man, and only one. Then came a sound that shouldn't have been heard.
Rumble…
It felt like the temple itself was shaking. Her eyes snapped open. The temple doors, which only she could close, were shutting. Neither the first nor second Holy King would hide their presence and close the doors without her permission. Feeling an inexplicable unease, she spread her wings that had covered her body and draped clothes over herself. Divine power gathered, layering white cloth of purity over her form.
Whoooong!
The divine power filling the temple converged around her, emitting light. The footsteps drew closer, and she prepared to attack if needed. It was absurd for her—one of the Heavenly Realm's elite—to feel such anxiety and vigilance, but she trusted her instincts. The footsteps paused briefly, and the intruder ascended toward the spring where she was. As the opponent's face rose into view from below along with the sound of climbing stairs, she attacked without hesitation.
Dozens of orbs condensed with divine power shot out radiant beams of blinding light. The beams were powerful as they extended, but the man who had fully ascended the stairs swung his hand, and centered on him, the pure temple was dyed ash-gray. Even the beams heading toward him were no exception. Everything entering his domain froze in time.
"Your welcome is rather rough. And here I walked all the way from the entrance out of consideration."
"…Why have you come here?"
Gabriel glared at him with displeasure in her voice. Sian, the First Monarch. Like her—no, far before her—he was a powerful being who had endured this world's repeated fates. They could be seen as allies in knowing the contradictions of this world, but she wasn't exactly pleased to see him. Ignoring her words as if he hadn't heard, Sian walked forward, erasing all the light beams blocking his path.
In the world dyed ash-gray, her divine power attacks vanished futilely at the flick of his finger. She could only watch powerlessly. Having erased the beams pouring toward him, with no more obstacles in his way, he leisurely approached and stood before Gabriel, looking up at her.
"I don't much like being looked down on, but well. Since it's my fault for coming unannounced, I'll let it slide this once."
"Rude."
"That's why I'm overlooking it, right?"
As Sian moved to sit in empty air, a simple chair popped out from behind him. Seated, he snapped his fingers, and the ash-gray world returned to normal. Crossing one leg and clasping his hands, he looked up at her with what he thought was an affable smile. To her, of course, it was just an irritating grin.
"It's been a while, hasn't it? Since we last met in the temple, this is our first time, so it's natural?"
"Yes. No reason to meet, no need to meet, so it's natural. So. What brings you here?"
"Straight to business. Isn't that a bit cold? We're heading toward the same goal… yeah, we could even call each other comrades. You could at least offer some tea and play a game of chess while we talk."
Gabriel let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
"Ha! Even a passing dog would be too stunned to bark. Comrades? Tea? Chess? Ridiculous. Do you really think the Demon Realm's Monarch and the Heavenly Realm's Holy King could sit amicably doing such things? Do you think that's possible?"
Her words could be taken as an insult depending on how one heard them. Startled at herself for saying it to Sian, Gabriel flinched and glanced at him, but oddly, he nodded nonchalantly and continued smoothly.
"Well— you could think that way, but it's not entirely impossible. Ours is a very special case, after all. Nothing strange about it, right? Since we share the same goal, we could see each other as allies for cooperation's sake. Even a Holy King and Monarch could share a cup of tea, no?"
Chess wasn't bad either. It was a wholesome game.
Muttering as if wondering what the problem was, Sian glanced up at her and grinned.
"But if you won't accept being comrades, then our relationship becomes one of superior and inferior, lord and vassal, king and subject."
For a moment, Gabriel found his smile chilling. The pressure on her skin made her body tremble.
"Just like now. Do you think you can defeat me with power? With experience? So what if you've stepped onto the line of repeating fates? Do you trust the other Holy Kings of the Heavenly Realm? Ah— Metatron. Impressive guy, but quite lacking by my standards. Or… Yophiel?"
"……."
"Too bad. Whether you bring Metatron before me or Yophiel, neither can defeat me. No being in this world can. I'm the mightiest existence in this world, this dimension, chosen by Him. Who knows, maybe if you unite all the Monarchs, they could kill this avatar of mine. Ah— want to hear something good?"
"…?"
"To you all, he'd be someone you'd dread facing, but somehow coax the sixth Monarch, Bel-Terza. That one could easily kill this avatar of mine."
Gabriel's eye twitched. His words dismissed every being in the Heavenly Realm. But frustratingly, she had no counterargument. He had the qualifications and the power to back such claims. Her own power as a Holy King couldn't even reach him—what more was there to say?
In the tense atmosphere, Sian now clapped his hands with a soft smile.
"Come on. Now that you understand, come down and sit here. You know how to play chess, right?"
A table and another chair matching his set slid into existence from empty space.
Jewels carved into black and white pieces, a chessboard, and simple refreshments sat atop the table. Somehow already poured, steam rose lightly from cocoa in the previously empty teacup.
There was no choice.
She slowly descended from the spring, folded her wings, and sat before him.
"Good choice. I'll take black to suit our styles, and you, Gabriel, take white."
White moved first. At Sian's urging, Gabriel sighed and reluctantly advanced a pawn. As always, the opening proceeded quickly without hesitation. White's knight moved, black's pawn advanced. The placing grew faster. The knight captured a bishop, then a pawn avenged the knight.
"Quite aggressive. Impressively so."
"Did you come here just to play chess?"
"Of course not."
Sian leisurely sipped his cocoa and placed a pawn forward. The pawn that had scored a minor victory was soon executed by a knight. "Oops," he muttered bitterly.
"I'm just here to stop you."
"What do you mean?"
"No need to play dumb. You knew fate wouldn't change, yet you manipulated that boy Cain to your will."
Gabriel's fingers trembled faintly as she picked up her knight. Sian noticed and chuckled softly, taking a cookie. Crunch—it chewed satisfyingly.
"No matter how you slice it, you granted him a fragment by manifesting your authority, even though things deviated from the fate you knew. Ridiculous. Pointless too. Did you think I wouldn't know?"
"What do you mean?"
"Indeed, what do I mean? Why did I appear at this exact moment? Think about that first."
Chuckling, Sian rubbed his fingers, dropping crumbs to the floor. Seeing the pristine floor, he muttered "oh" and belatedly snapped his fingers, vanishing the crumbs. Fortunately, Gabriel didn't notice. Her eyes were closed. Her vision pierced beyond the Heavenly Realm to the Middle Realm. The fragment's owner she had arranged, Quake, was about to hand it to Cain.
"That boy will soon be consumed by the fragment's madness. Unfortunately."
At Sian's words, Gabriel startled and tried to rise to prevent it, but invisible pressure pinned her shoulders, immobilizing her. Even her divine power wouldn't obey.
"No."
She murmured unwittingly. She saw the horrific scene unfolding. Cain, receiving the fragment, immediately slaughtered the nearby comrades who had gathered to congratulate him.
"Whoa— gruesome."
Watching, Sian just leisurely munched cookies. Gabriel gripped her knight tightly, crushing the jeweled piece to powder. Grinding her teeth, she glared at Sian with wide eyes.
"What… is this?"
========== Author's Note ==========
1) Damn, the exam material is so voluminous that those who didn't prep in advance are just screwed.
University students taking exams, fighting...!
2) Thanks for the coupons, but consecutive updates are impossible during exam period.
3)
Q. So where did the idea for this Pattern's Heart come from?
A. No surprise if you can't find it searching. Unless Google stored my brain too.
Q. Since he died, the hypnosis on Arhil should be broken, right?
A. Hypnosis breaks only if Arhil dies and revives!
Q. Didn't it revive once more upon death?
A. Slightly adjusted it to revive via the Sixth Monarch's blessing. __