Northern Grand Duke, Richard Pierce (2)
Northern Grand Duke, Richard Pierce (2)
'Something was definitely off.'
Thinking back, it was obvious now.
The Blood Rock Sect's obsession with Ian himself had a strange edge to it. Every time he made a move, it felt like Blood Rock cultists were somehow always in the mix.
Granted, their faction was the strongest, but they weren't the only villains in this world's setting. Even within Lichten Academy alone, several other factions held influence.
Yet most of what Ian had faced had been the Blood Rock Sect. And always in a way that meant disrupting their plans.
'Even so, they never tried to eliminate me.'
What kind of existence was the Blood Rock Sect? To them, people ranked below livestock. No—it was more accurate to say they saw humans as prey. Livestock wandering the streets like pigs.
If one of those livestock started disrupting their plans? The logical course was to kill and devour it on the spot.
But despite foiling several of their schemes, Ian was still walking around perfectly fine. More than fine—they had never even genuinely tried to kill him. Even when facing them directly, the intent to capture or abduct him, not execute him, was unmistakable.
He had sensed something odd. But this situation, right now—watching even the colossal figure before him, Richard Pierce himself, adopt that same attitude—confirmed it beyond doubt.
I am the Blood Rock Sect's target.
What exactly they stood to gain by acquiring him, he didn't know. Perhaps they simply craved his body and life force. Perhaps they intended to manufacture a powerful killing machine.
'...Like how, in the pre-possession scenario previews, Pongpongi went on a rampage and smashed the academy.'
The real issue was this: the Blood Rock Sect itself seemed to be divided.
The cultists lying brutally gutted near Richard had clearly been gunning for him, which meant there was some internal conflict brewing. Most likely, only a specific faction within the Sect was after Ian. Richard's shift in demeanor was probably connected to that.
'Anyway, Richard is curious about me now.'
Under normal circumstances, the focused attention of a middle-aged man stronger than himself was Ian's definition of repulsive. But in this situation, it was leverage he could absolutely exploit.
Richard Pierce. The ultimate final boss, overwhelmingly powerful even with his dantian obliterated. To face him, Ian would use whatever tools were available. Even if that tool was Sharon Pierce, sprawled out over there like a corpse.
His thoughts settled, Ian turned back to Richard.
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"It seems rather clear that someone high up in the Blood Rock Sect wants me."
"You're a remarkably confident child."
"This situation can't be explained any other way."
A deep smile crossed Richard's face. "Boldness. High nerve. All commendable. However."
"...?"
"If that nerve of yours begins to irritate me, do you honestly think you'll survive?"
The words were cold enough to chill the bones. Even Yergina, watching from the side, flinched. Ian did not move a single muscle.
"At this point, things can't get any worse. I have nothing left to lose."
"...Nothing left to lose?"
"When every viable approach is blocked, the only option left is to force open a new path."
"......"
Richard's gaze settled, cooling slightly.
Who was he? He was the Northern Grand Duke Richard Pierce, the very name spoken in fear across the Empire. Everyone who stood before him for the first time bowed their heads and trembled. Even now, with Richard actively radiating killing intent, the ordinary response was to fall to one's knees and beg for a single chance to live.
But what about this child? He stood before Richard as if it were nothing. The sight inevitably brought Sasha Asilia to mind. Her gaze, so brimming with resolve, was something that lingered even in Richard's memory—though he had swallowed countless souls.
Yet Ian was even more extreme. This child's eyes held no trace of resolve at all. He simply looked utterly matter-of-fact, as if this situation were the most natural thing in the world. At a glance, he almost seemed to have transcended worldly concerns.
'Just what kind of life has he lived?'
He exuded the detached composure of someone who had repeated this world countless times. Such unshakable serenity was a quality typically reserved for someone like the Blood Rock Cult Leader. What made it absurd was that this child was a pathetically fragile existence compared to the Cult Leader. A boy impossible to pin down. Richard now completely understood the Crimson Witch's blind obsession.
"Distinctive. You are certainly distinctive."
One of two things had to be true. Either the boy was so ignorant he didn't even know enough to feel fear. Or his vessel was vast enough to contain everything thrown at it.
"It seems you aren't planning to kill me either, Your Grace."
"Do you genuinely believe that?"
"Yes."
"And why is that?"
"Because if you'd decided to, I wouldn't be standing here running my mouth like this. Also..." Ian gestured beside Richard. There lay a field of corpses. Masked figures of unknown origin, Sharon Pierce, and crimson-stained Blood Men with their red-dyed heads. "You went out of your way to kill the experts the Blood Rock Sect sent. Surely you'd expect to gain something from that."
"Indeed. For killing them, there must be something gained. But that doesn't justify letting you live. There are countless ways I could absorb you."
"But keeping me alive allows you to accomplish far more. Sending people with your dantian fragment to absorb others must have been done with the same intent."
"So, in short, you're asking me to spare your life?"
"Yes."
"What an amusing creature. Just moments ago you were brimming with confidence, and now here you are begging for your life."
Ian laughed, light and empty. "I don't fancy my chances of beating the Northern Grand Duke, after all. But I do have a few conditions."
"...Conditions?"
"If I land an effective strike on you within seven moves, spare my life."
"Conceding seven moves to you... and what do I gain from this?"
"I will cooperate with you, Your Grace. In the most cooperative manner possible. If necessary, I'll even agree to a magically binding contract."
The corner of Richard's lips curled slightly upward. "Very well. If you manage to strike me within seven moves, I shall let you live."
"Thank you."
"However."
Cold energy bled from the Grand Duke's body, flash-freezing the surroundings pure white. "Should you lose... I will be far less merciful."
Yergina, who had been watching, seized Ian's arm. "...What are you thinking?"
"Just watch carefully."
"No—why are you suddenly begging for your life? Surviving like this... you can't possibly believe that's really living."
"Of course not."
"...What? Then why on earth?"
Facing the flustered Yergina as she whispered, Ian's lips curled up in a grin. "It's an act."
"What?"
"The way Richard Pierce is standing there right now, holding out. It's an act."
"What do you mean...? How can that possibly be an act?"
"An obliterated dantian cannot leave someone in normal condition. Not even Richard Pierce."
"Ian. I understand the urge to grasp at straws, but this isn't the time for false hope—you need to be coldly rational. Retreat is our best option."
Ian shook his head. "I can tell. Richard's current state is being forcibly sustained. Trust me."
"......"
"More to the point, retreating doesn't exactly skyrocket our survival odds, does it?"
"...That's true. So are you saying you have a way to defeat Richard?"
"No. Beating him is something we'll all have to do together. He is a scenario's final boss, after all."
"All of us?"
"Yeah. All of us." Taking a slow look around, Ian continued. "A scenario of this scale is best cleared as a group. That's what makes it fun."
"...Scenario? What does that mean?"
"Ah. Pay no mind. I was rambling. Anyway." A grin. The corner of Ian's mouth lifted. "Just watch carefully."
Watching Ian's back as he turned to face Richard, Yergina exhaled a long sigh. Watch? What was there to watch? This was the Northern Grand Duke. A supreme power of the Empire. Even if a man like that conceded seven moves, nothing would change. The corpses scattered around Richard proved it. The assassin he'd sent, the Blood Men, and for reasons she couldn't fathom, Sharon Pierce. All of them were mighty in their own right. Yet by the time Yergina had slipped out from the gap in space, they were all already dead. Even while his dantian was being overturned, Richard had disposed of every last one of them.
Right now, Yergina wanted nothing more than to grab this mad brat and drag him away. They'd tumbled through hell together—she'd admittedly grown a little attached to the boy. But that didn't mean she could see any clear solution. No matter how unhinged facing Richard might be, throwing herself into the fray didn't seem likely to shift the odds. As for Ian taking Richard down in seven moves... that was even more ludicrous.
'I have no choice but to watch for an opening.'
Richard Pierce. That man, who had once been her father, would at least honor a promise. Not because Richard was a man of truth, but because he possessed the absolute confidence of his own strength.
Yergina watched Ian's back, anxiety coiling in her chest. Then she shook her head. Ian. The child she had observed was undeniably shrewd and gifted. He wasn't the type to fight a losing battle. '...Please.' There was nothing to do but pray and trust.
But at the same time... Seven moves. That was ample time to identify a viable escape route. If things went sideways, she would grab Ian and run. With that resolve, Yergina took a single step back.
Richard smiled as he watched Ian step forward. "Seven moves."
— Craaaaackle!
Merely intensifying his aura a single degree froze everything around them stark, barren white.
A grin. The corner of Ian's mouth lifted.
— FWOOOOOSH!
With a sonic boom, Ian surged forward.