I Will Become a Crow
"Caw~!"
"You want to become a crow?"
"Kahahahahaha! Oh, my sides!"
The God of Omen and the God of Ash laughed themselves hoarse. Plenty of beasts had coveted their power before — but never once, in all their existence, had either of them seen a creature volunteer to become a crow of its own free will.
"Is it that difficult? Beyond even the greatest of crow gods?"
I spoke as though genuinely disappointed. Those two deities had been locked in combat for eons. If the true reason for their endless war was simply to settle which of them was stronger, then the words "greatest god" ought to get a reaction.
"I am the greatest god. That much is true."
"I am the greatest god. That much is true."
"Don't copy me."
"Don't copy me."
"You little—!"
"You little—!"
Both of them agreed at the exact same instant, then launched into a lengthy bout of bickering.
Shwooooom.
Before long, two orbs floated into view before me. One was pitch-black. The other was blood-red.
The moment I saw them, I knew what they were.
Cores.
Monster cores. They wanted me to swallow them and transform. There was no doubt the two gods had already sensed that I possessed the Hidden Trait Glutton.
But these were nothing like the Corpse Crow core I had absorbed before. These two orbs did not belong to any ordinary species.
"If you wish to learn my techniques, become one of the Omen Clan."
"If you wish to learn my techniques, become one of the Ash Clan."
…Cores belonging to the Clans of Omen and Ash. Species of the highest order, incomparable to a mere Corpse Crow. They were telling me to join the bloodline of the Tower's administrators themselves.
Of course, if I grew strong enough, I would wield a raw might that far surpassed any mere administrator. For instance—
I've already tasted the Dreadful Omen once.
…Just like the Dreadful Omen. I had experienced that nightmarish form — the power that had driven Baal to the brink of death. And that had been nothing more than a borrowed shape and a borrowed strength. If I refined the technique properly and made it my own, the results would be unimaginable.
And what of Martial God Karas of the Ash Clan? I had challenged him once as Randolph and lost. I was far stronger now than I had been then — but even so, I still could not guarantee a victory.
"What is there to hesitate over? The power of Omen overwhelms the world."
"Nonsense. The power of Ash is what makes the world itself tremble."
Choose only one. You cannot have both.
Omen, or Ash.
The time to decide had come.
"I…"
The instant the notice appeared, Oliver abandoned every last one of his appointments and logged in. Manifesting in Pangenia as Hudson, he made straight for the Labyrinth City.
"As I'm sure you are all already aware, the situation has spiraled far beyond anything we can contain."
A great many of those who followed Randolph had already gathered in the Labyrinth City. Hudson cast a glance over them — Isabella, Serengeti, Saintess Seia, Isaac, Valte. Isera, Lucaria, and even the elf Auryll. A lineup strong enough to topple a kingdom without breaking a sweat.
And yet every face among them was set like stone.
Hudson drew a deep breath and spoke.
"The Randolph currently on the top floor of the Tower of the War God is the same man we know."
The master of this Labyrinth City. The Lord they followed with absolute faith. He was on the thirtieth floor of the Tower of the War God right now.
But Isabella still could not make sense of it.
"I'm certain… Lord Randolph was traveling with me toward the Balan Kingdom."
"He must have been forcibly summoned under the Champion's qualification."
"Then why has Lord Randolph become a target of subjugation rather than a challenger?"
Under normal circumstances, a Champion ascending the Tower was meant to receive the challenges of those who climbed after him. Instead, he himself had become the object of a subjugation — just as Laily, the Six-Hero of the old empire, had been when the Abyss Labyrinth first rose.
Back then, Gracia and countless other Players, the Empire itself, and even Death King of the Four Lords had all been mobilized — and still they had failed. In the end it was Randolph who completed the subjugation. So why, no matter how hard she turned it over, had the roles reversed this time?
"…Ordinarily, a subjugation announced to everyone applies to beings who are blocking something."
"What does that mean? Explain it simply."
At Serengeti's question, Hudson offered the conclusion he had reached.
"Laily, the Six-Hero of the old empire we faced in the Abyss Labyrinth, and Lord Solbaren on the first floor of the Rift Tower — both of them were subjugation targets announced to all. Not only to Players, but to every living soul in Pangenia. Players learned of them through system notices; the people of Pangenia received the trial through every channel imaginable. And this time is no different."
Randolph. His subjugation had been proclaimed to Players and the residents of Pangenia alike.
"And so?"
"What do they have in common?"
Hudson laid out his reasoning.
"Laily was preventing the Abyss Labyrinth from being incorporated into the continent. Lord Solbaren was enforcing the level caps set upon each race. But that is not all. On the verge of eruption, both of them were beings who would have unleashed catastrophic danger across the entire continent if left unsubjugated."
"……?"
"The Transcendental Dragon Laily was running wild. And Solbaren? After ages of slumber he had awakened inside the Rift Tower. Had the first floor not been conquered, he would have revived again — and, true to the title of Lord, he might well have set out to conquer the continent itself. …That, at least, is what Lord Randolph once told me."
Serengeti pressed further.
"Then you are saying Lord Randolph is on the verge of running wild?"
"Perhaps… I do not know the cause. But the subjugation reward is five Stars. Whatever this is, it is no ordinary matter."
"Five Stars? You don't mean—"
"Yes. I believe it refers to the Stars in Lord Randolph's possession."
The Stars. The Fragment of Ruin and the four Fragments of the Goddess. Ownership of every Star — including the Holy Star on God's Island — would be transferred.
"But Stars… don't they scatter across the continent when their owner dies?"
As Serengeti said, that was basic knowledge regarding Stars. Hudson cleared his throat.
"Well… strictly speaking, calling Lord Randolph a complete owner is a stretch."
"A stretch?"
"Because he did not consume the Stars to achieve Transcendence. He merely possesses them. True ownership belongs only to those who have Transcended through a Star — and Lord Randolph has simply held onto them."
"…He hasn't Transcended? In that state?"
Serengeti's eyes flew wide in shock. Fair enough — Randolph was stronger than most Transcendents. And yet, astonishingly, he still had not Transcended. He had never reached Level 10. Even with the level cap raised through the Rift Tower, the threshold for Transcendence remained fixed at Level 10.
"In any case, this is a subjugation that hands over five Stars at once. Crowds of every race will pour into the Tower of the War God — that much is certain."
"Then we climb as well."
"Yes. Moreover… looking at previous subjugations, there will almost certainly be mechanisms in place to weaken Lord Randolph. We must destroy those mechanisms."
When Laily was subjugated in the Abyss Labyrinth, he had been weakened by the Golden Tickets. Solbaren, too, had carried conditions that reduced his power based on points scored. Randolph's subjugation would have something similar.
From the very beginning, Hudson had no interest in the subjugation itself.
By any means necessary — no matter what it takes — I will protect Lord Randolph.
Randolph, a being on the verge of rampaging and bringing calamity upon the world? Nonsense. That was impossible. And even if it were true, Hudson would not have cared. So long as he could protect Randolph and Serengeti, the rest of the world could burn for all he was concerned.
And he was not alone.
"Very well. I will join you."
"…I will protect him. No matter what happens."
"Mm. I don't suppose I can sit this one out."
Everyone gathered here felt the same. Randolph was their lord to follow, their absolute benefactor. Anyone who raised a blade against him was the true target of subjugation. He had protected them all this time — now it was their turn to protect him.
PlayerTalk erupted. Every user was in an uproar over the notice that had appeared out of nowhere, and the conversation naturally centered on Randolph.
Even so, Randolph suddenly becoming a subjugation target left them all baffled. The prevailing consensus was that he had deliberately made himself the target — that this was a step toward completing some Myth, separate from the main quest line.
Gracia — once the strongest human alive. But after the fall of the Hero Association, no one knew what he had been doing.
Then—
The chaos was absolute. An unprecedented crisis.
And in that very instant, another message appeared before every eye.
Union, Mage of the Golden Rule, challenges Champion Randolph.
The contents of the sudden message left everyone stunned.
I had been through this once before. But this time was unmistakably different.
"Ohh."
"This is… beyond imagination."
The God of Omen and the God of Ash gazed upon my form and let out murmurs of awe. My transformation had surpassed anything they had envisioned.
I spread both arms wide — arms dense with black feathers — and roared toward the world.
"Caw~!"