Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Rebels and Traitors
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Somewhere deep underground in a fortress of the Saike dimension.
This was the final stronghold where the last minority faction, those who opposed discarding their bodies for the sake of immortality, had hidden away.
The rebels.
But what awaited the rebels who had fled underground was nothing but a slow, withering death.
They lacked everything.
It had already been three hundred years since their defeat in the final war. Using the barely preserved technology of the Golden Age, they could only barely keep their race's bloodline alive.
"Is that really true?"
Birex, the leader of the rebels, asked with bulging eyes.
He was a man in his forties with a face full of beard. His actual age was at least ten times that.
"We've cross-verified it. One hundred and forty-seven hours ago, one of High City's main arenas was counterattacked by humans from a lower dimension."
The intelligence officer reported again with a flushed face. At the same time, everyone in the command center erupted in cheers of emotion.
"Woooaaah!"
"Long live! Finally!"
"A counterattack! Who would've thought!"
"Uwaaaah! This lower dimension is different!"
In contrast, Birex closed his eyes tightly and then opened them, issuing a command to the satellite team at the back.
"Confirm the dimensional energy fluctuations right now. All data from one hundred and forty-two hours ago to one hundred and fifty-two hours ago."
"Yes, Commander!"
Dozens of analysis officers began moving quickly. Birex clicked his tongue and spoke to the deputy commander.
"If it's true, those traitors must be in an uproar. Isn't this the first time something like this has happened in the last three hundred years?"
"It's the first. Every dimension connected to Saike so far hasn't even been able to stop an invasion, let alone counterattack."
"I was wondering what happened since the grace period shrank to one year... Looks like this one is no pushover. What's the name of this lower dimension?"
"The official name is hard to pronounce. The traitors seem to just call it 'Ald'."
"I see. Ald, then."
Birex closed his eyes and fell deep into thought.
The control of the world had long since passed to those traitors.
They had occasionally launched counterattacks, but most ended in utter defeat. Since most newborns were weak-bodied, their forces could only continue to dwindle.
Three hundred years passed like that.
Pushing out the traitors through war was now impossible. Instead, they were hunted and dragged away whenever an opening appeared.
The ones who had discarded their bodies controlled civilization all too effectively.
They handled the two-front war of fighting the rebels and dimensional invasions with ease and without much effort. Thanks to that, one couldn't deny the efficiency of their chosen path.
But that didn't mean they could abandon their bodies.
Humans who discarded their bodies were no longer human.
Birex had endured and led the rebels all this time on that one conviction.
But even that was nearing its end.
The population was declining, food was running out, and everything had reached its limit.
Ironically, the reason the rebels still held out in these deep underground depths was because the traitors didn't try to finish them off.
Why?
Because the traitors couldn't reproduce on their own.
They had only one way to create new traitors: implanting the Core of Eternal Life into a living human body.
That birthed a new traitor. Though it was a 2-to-1 exchange that kept reducing their numbers, they could replenish from elsewhere.
The Great Game.
When a new lower dimension connected to the Saike dimension and they achieved victory, they could absorb and refine everything from that lower dimension.
What remained afterward was a new Core of Eternal Life.
In other words, whenever the traitors won the Great Game, the rebel hunts would begin again.
"We can't lose more kin again...."
Birex had witnessed it countless times over the past several hundred years.
Comrades with whom he had shared hardships being captured alive in battle, forcibly implanted with Cores of Eternal Life by the traitors, and turned into the same kind of monsters.
Each time, he wanted to give up everything. Why did he have to cling to this stubborn life and endure endless suffering?
He too had once pursued immortality.
The Saikans as a race had an excessive obsession with longevity or immortality.
Before discovering the method of discarding the body via the Core of Eternal Life to achieve immortality, they had poured all their technology into extending lifespans however they could.
So-called lifespan therapy.
Birex was one of the living witnesses from the Golden Age who had undergone that therapy. Of course, most of that brilliant technology had vanished since the traitors seized control....
"Dimensional energy fluctuations confirmed!"
At that moment, one of the tech officers removed his headset and shouted.
"Our last remaining cloaking satellite detected energy generation from the lower dimension right in the heart of High City!"
"Unique frequency?"
"The unique frequency is... very long and complex!"
The officer rushed over with the printed paper. Birex slowly scanned the two hundred or so characters printed on it, furrowing his brow.
"What the hell is this...? How can a single human have such a complex frequency?"
"I think it's because they wield a very diverse array of powers. That's how they managed to land a counter on the traitors like this, right?"
"I see. Understood."
Birex sent the officer back to his seat and let out a long sigh.
"Huu...."
Could this be the one?
The dimensional invasions the rebels had confirmed so far numbered six in total.
There might have been more they hadn't detected, but regardless, no lower dimension had ever won.
Should he believe in this one?
When there's only one chance?
Birex opened his drawer and picked up the small mechanical device inside.
A portable dimensional gate generator.
A relic from the Golden Age past, with no technology left to reproduce it.
The traitors had destroyed them all.
So this one in his hand was the last dimensional gate generator left in the world.
The energy charged inside could create only a single gate, and once expended, there was no way to recharge it.
This was their final shot.
Input the just-confirmed unique frequency into the device and head to where that person was.
Of course, crossing over wouldn't let him accomplish anything grand.
All he could pass on was limited information.
That, assuming the traitors hadn't preemptively fed them useless intel.
And even if the information was smoothly delivered, it meant nothing if the Ald dimension lacked the capacity to stop the dimensional invasion.
But even so.
To those who had succeeded in a 'counterattack'—something that had never happened before—Birex felt an impulse to stake everything.
"...Men."
Birex addressed everyone in the command center.
"It seems this is our last chance. It's the first time the traitors have desperately shortened the grace period, and the first time a lower dimension has crossed over and struck back at them. So I intend to bet everything on them. Does everyone agree with my decision?"
"Woooaaah!"
In an instant, all the soldiers raised their hands and roared. Birex felt that their fate had been decided, gripping the device in his hand tightly.
* * *
"Even when I first saw Regal, I was really shocked, but...."
Dabi stared at the golden eagle in front of him in awe.
"This is even more astonishing. What was the name again?"
"Call me Teus. Do you get it a bit? This luxurious form of mine?"
"Yes. It's really magnificent."
"Thanks for the praise. For a human, you have excellent taste."
Teus shook his body this way and that in satisfaction, radiating brilliance. Ever since landing in the mansion courtyard while riding him, everyone had gathered to touch and marvel in an endless cycle.
"Whew, Claude, the people under you all have upright hearts. Even though we've only just met, I like them very much."
"Praising yourself means they have pure hearts?"
"Of course. True beings never hide the admiration that wells up from their hearts."
Ah, yeah. You're great. How can you and Regal, both ancient species, have such different personalities?
"Ah, come to think of it, you're not an ancient species. You're a core creature."
"Core creature? A simple yet piercing name. You're truly a wise being on my level. Thanks for calling me a creature."
Teus folded his wings into a bowing pose. Wow, with such severe narcissism, why isn't he annoying? Am I being mind-controlled without knowing?
"I've gotten a bit tired from all the introductions over the past few hours. Could you give me some water if it's alright?"
"Water? You drink water too? I thought you only absorbed mana."
"The Ancient Eagles must have planted prejudices about me. Those guys always eat only meat, so they probably think I eat nothing."
"Then can you eat anything besides meat?"
"I can drink any liquid. It's nothing compared to absorbing mana, but if it's nutrient-rich water, I can draw a bit of power from it."
"Really? Bring a bucket of sugar water here!"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Lania, who had been watching from behind, moved personally. As the head maid entered, the other maids squealed and disappeared into the mansion together.
"By the way, how's your mana? You seem drained from flying. Want me to recharge you?"
"I'm still fine. Flying is one thing I can do with excellent mana efficiency, at least."
"Oh right, I didn't tell you that story. How about fighting?"
"Fighting. It depends on the opponent, but if they have emotions, I can bind them with mental attacks."
"Like you did to me before?"
"If it's a single target, I could bind them that strongly. Usually, it's just a few dozen seconds at most."
"So you can do it on an area scale? Mental attacks? How wide?"
"From here."
The golden eagle suddenly spread his wings wide, pointing to the knight order headquarters nearby.
"Draw a line to that house and circle it around."
"Like drawing a circle with a compass?"
"Compass?"
"Something like that. Anyway, that's pretty wide."
But it has to have emotions, so it probably won't work on otherworld armies, looking at them.
"Then besides mental attacks?"
"Of course, wind magic too."
"Tempest?"
"That might be tricky. I know what kind of magic it is, but compressing such a massive spell that small doesn't quite click."
"Your Highness. I brought it."
Then Lania returned with the bucket. Teus stared at the large bucket placed before him for a moment and asked.
"May I drink?"
"Yeah. I brought it for you to drink."
"Thanks. Then...."
He dipped the tip of his beak into the bucket and sucked it all up in an instant.
"Gulp. A bit scant in quantity."
"Your size is just too big. I didn't expect to add a family member bigger than even Regal."
"But it's sweet and tasty. The Regal you mention often—is that the Ancient Wolf?"
"Yeah. But he's not here right now. He went to the dwarf lord."
Come to think of it, I thought he'd return before me, but has something happened to Regal?
"Anyway, if it's fighting, I'll fight faithfully. But I'd prefer you use me for something other than battle."
"For example?"
"Like showing off this beautiful form to the allies to boost morale."
"...."
"Not to your liking? Tsk, you're wise but your heart isn't pure enough—that's your flaw."
"I'll handle my own heart, so mind your own business. Anyway, you hate fighting? Then how about using you as a flying mount like now?"
That alone would be a huge help. Teus nodded as if it was no issue.
"Leave it to me. With enough mana, I can fly anywhere."
Definitely more efficient than me using Fly magic—him using wind magic. Speed goes without saying. Best of all, no fatigue.
"More importantly, didn't you say you'd give a core to someone? While we're on the topic...."
Wooong!
Suddenly, the golden eagle was enveloped in pure white light, producing a small golden orb right before his eyes.
"Whew, luckily it separated well."
"Whoa!"
He reflexively reached out and caught the falling core. Teus slumped in place as if drained of strength and nodded.
"Good catch. Excellent reflexes."
"This much is nothing. But are you okay? You didn't force it out, did you?"
"No problem. At worst, I'm weakened by about 1/120th."
"Can't you separate one more by any chance?"
"As I said before, no. The one I just gave you has been slightly absorbed, so it'll be a bit less effective."
"Really?"
It looks exactly like the eagle chieftain's core I ate a while back.... Ah, is this one a tiny bit smaller?