Chapter 328: The Tin Knight and the Reviving Myth – Tuberose
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 328: The Tin Knight and the Reviving Myth – Tuberose
The moment the Eight Generals descended upon this world, taking physical form, Camilla was one of the first to notice.
Vampires are, by nature, sensitive to blood.
The blood flowing through her veins, the scent of blood wafting from somewhere…
It was screaming at Camilla, telling her exactly where she needed to go.
After flying through the night sky for some time, her body transformed into a swarm of bats, she finally located the source of the scent and found herself staring, utterly mesmerized.
A woman was there.
A woman with wine-colored eyes, draped in an air of utter listlessness, her appearance wickedly bewitching and aristocratic.
Camilla finally understood why her ‘parents’ had spoken so fervently of the Queen of Vampires.
The being before her was an incarnation of blood. A being who stood at the apex of all vampires.
The blood inside Camilla’s body urged her to fall to her knees at once and pledge her loyalty.
Had Camilla been younger and more immature, she might have been unable to overcome that instinct and been swept away by it.
Forcibly calming her pounding heart, Camilla quietly observed the situation.
And she felt a sense of bewilderment.
Why is that person here?
Sophia Hubris.
The Tin Knight’s party’s strategist? Diplomat? A double booster disguised as the brakes?
In any case, the woman who had reached the pinnacle of using her head and her words was facing off against the Queen of Vampires.
And she was doing so in a form Camilla had never seen before.
Long, unbound hair. Holy power radiating from her entire body. A flute with a strange luster. A pair of impossibly magnificent wings.
Sensing the aura emanating from Sophia, Camilla held her breath for a reason entirely different from before.
The Vampire Queen’s presence was so oppressive it seemed to crush its surroundings just by existing, but the aura emanating from Sophia was not the least bit inferior.
For Camilla, who had personally experienced how pathetic Sophia’s martial abilities were in their previous duel, it was a complete mystery.
But before she could fully grasp the situation, the clash between the Queen and Sophia began.
Schlick!
A gash was carved into the Queen’s body, and blood trickled out.
It wasn’t a wound from Sophia’s attack.
It was a self-inflicted wound, the result of the Queen slitting her own wrist.
As the Queen lifted her arm, blood dripped from her wrist to the ground.
It showed no sign of stopping; in fact, the flow seemed to increase with every passing moment.
It was a bizarre act, but in truth, Sophia was being just as strange.
As Sophia gave a great flap of the wings on her back, white feathers rained down to the ground.
Despite the considerable number of feathers that fell, her wings did not become gaunt or bare. Instead, the light they emitted simply grew a little dimmer.
Suddenly, the Queen spoke.
“Will you continue to stand?”
Sophia replied.
“I don’t mind either way, but if you wish, let’s sit.”
After the cryptic exchange, the Queen flung the blood flowing from her wrist toward Sophia.
Yet, watching the torrent of blood rush toward her, Sophia made no attempt to defend or evade.
And the blood, without so much as touching Sophia’s fingertips, struck a rock behind her.
The blood that enveloped the rock swirled violently for a moment before the rock transformed into a chair of antique design.
The Queen then chose a suitable rock for herself, transformed it into a chair as well, and sat down, crossing her legs.
Sophia, too, flapped her wings, rose lightly into the air, and settled into her chair.
It was then that the blood the Queen had spilled and the feathers Sophia had scattered began to transform.
Soldiers armed with swords, armor, and shields. Mages holding staves. Assassins wielding daggers.
Knights mounted on horseback. Scholars holding tomes. Martial artists with clenched fists.
And a myriad of other ‘soldiers’ materialized on the spot.
The Queen’s soldiers were blood-red, while Sophia’s were feather-white.
Their attire was varied, and even those who appeared to be identical warriors at a glance had subtle differences in the shape of their shields or the way they gripped their swords.
Sophia spoke.
“You have a richer knowledge of history than I expected.”
The Queen scoffed.
“Do not think a child who learned of the world through books can stand on equal footing with me.”
“I also have information I’ve experienced through the Chalice, so you can’t say I’m just a desk-bound scholar.”
“Do you even know who gave you that power before you run your mouth?”
“Your ability was future-sight, wasn’t it? Isn’t my influence the reason your power has been twisted toward seeing the past?”
The conversation almost felt amicable.
But beneath their feet, a savage, bloody battle was unfolding.
Slash!
A blood-red knight’s sword sliced through a white soldier’s neck.
A white mage’s flames incinerated the blood-red knight.
A blood-red assassin’s dagger pierced the white mage’s heart, a white martial artist struck down the blood-red assassin, and a blood-red knight’s horse trampled the white martial artist.
They mercilessly exploited each other’s openings, and the moment one enemy was defeated, they were in turn subjugated by another.
No matter how powerful a soldier seemed, they could not overcome another whose abilities countered their own. The scene of them tearing at each other like a game of rock-paper-scissors repeated itself, yet the overall tide of battle remained perfectly, breathtakingly balanced.
Watching this, Camilla, the only outsider present, thought to herself.
…A board game?
Yes.
It was just like a game where players fought fiercely on a giant game board.
The soldiers on both sides uttered no screams or shouts, simply fighting fiercely according to the two women’s commands.
Thus, the battlefield was chaotic, yet at the same time, strangely silent.
And as if to fill that silence, the two women’s conversation continued.
“The ability to read the future is more effective when leading a grand army than when showing off one’s individual martial prowess. Do you know why?”
“Because even if you know how to change the future, whether or not you can actually execute that change is a separate matter. By yourself, you can only do one thing at a time. But as a commander giving orders, a much wider range of ‘choices’ becomes possible… That’s the first reason.”
“Hoh? Are you suggesting there is something more?”
“Well, isn’t it because having more variables makes it more enjoyable?”
“Hmm? Do elaborate.”
“There are many things to consider when moving an army. Even if you give an order ‘A’, you never know if it will actually be carried out. The soldiers might be less motivated than expected, the communication might get distorted, or information from the field might not be properly relayed to command. It’s easier to read something like a great disaster or a change in the weather, but calculating the individual actions of countless people—or should I say sentient beings in this case? Calculating the actions of so many sentient beings one by one is quite difficult. That’s why you, and the angels, preferred it this way.”
“What you describe sounds more like a reason for avoidance than preference.”
“Likes and dislikes differ for every sentient being. A person who only ever rolls a 6 on a die would find no fun in gambling, but if they were to use a magical die with an uncertain outcome, they might find some enjoyment in it.”
“I have no memory of finding the role of a commander particularly enjoyable.”
“But you still think of it as the lesser of two evils, don’t you? Otherwise, in a situation like this where your foresight is incomplete, you wouldn’t have resorted to such a method.”
“I simply dislike a lack of dignity. That Borealis creature wandered all over the place recklessly, but a general should at least have a sense of gravitas.”
The blood flowing from the Queen’s wrist trickled down her throne and took the place of the fallen blood-red soldiers.
The feathers falling from Sophia’s wings filled the gaps left by the vanished white soldiers.
Camilla noticed that the armament, physique, and skills of each newly created soldier were completely different from the previous ones.
Moreover, they were soldiers that seemed designed to perfectly counter the opposing side’s troops.
It was almost comical to see a unit that seemed to have only weaknesses play a surprisingly effective role in an unexpected place, while a unit that appeared superior in every way was vanquished in vain.
Chiiiiik.
As if displeased by the Queen’s leisurely chat with Sophia, the mask on the Queen’s face began to glow, putting pressure on her.
The pain, like her flesh was burning and melting, should have made her flinch, yet the Queen didn’t let out so much as a small groan, let alone a scream of agony.
“You’re throwing a tantrum like a child. I am doing my utmost to kill people as you wish, so what is your complaint?”
“Mm, I hear they have a strong tendency to be like that over there. It seems they’re the furthest thing from a good boss.”
“Is that what the thing inside you says?”
“It also said it wishes they’d all just go to hell.”
“That is quite amusing. Indeed, the ones who look like goody-two-shoes are always the ones to bottle up their discontent. The truly vicious part about the heavens is that they make you unable to even properly recognize that you harbor such discontent.”
“Is the Underground different?”
“It’s like a family, in the worst way. A family that has passed down its ancestors’ grudges for hundreds, no, thousands of years. Occasionally, some who aren’t swept up by the grudges appear, but it’s of little consequence. Even they possess the desire to live in a peaceful and prosperous place.”
“What on earth is this grudge about?”
“The grudge of being driven into barren lands. And that which was originally ours—”
The rest of the sentence was not completed.
To be precise, she seemed to intend to speak, but the words never formed into sound.
The Queen clicked her tongue.
“These petty beings make it difficult to speak freely. You will have to figure out the rest on your own.”
“Understood. I shall do my best.”
Countless soldiers fought, fell, and vanished.
Each time, blood and feathers transformed into new soldiers, but that too was slowly reaching its limit.
The flow of blood from the woman’s body was gradually subsiding, and the light of Sophia’s wings had not only faded but was beginning to disappear from the tips.
However, Sophia was in worse shape.
The Queen’s gaze shifted to Sophia’s hands.
There lay the flute, covered in spreading hairline cracks, looking as if it would shatter at any moment.
The Queen and the angel were both mere remnants.
But while the Queen at least received support as a vanguard of the heavens, the angel was left with only her own power, making her situation far worse.
“But was it truly all right to use your trump card in a place like this? Had you left me alone, you could have used that power to save your pupil.”
The blood-red army began to slowly overwhelm the white army.
Bathed in a cold sweat, Sophia desperately maintained her defensive line, buying time.
“That’s true. But I couldn’t just leave you be.”
“The humans who would die at my hand? You’re quite the meddler.”
“And you as well, for that matter.”
“What did you say?”
Through the gap in her mask, the Queen narrowed her eyes.
She, who had always been bored by seeing the future, was now, with her ability incomplete, feeling a sense of ‘novelty’ through conversation for the first time in a long while.
“I don’t believe you and I are on such intimate terms.”
“But if I can hold you here, wouldn’t that alone be enough to displease those idiots in the sky?”
“Heh.”
The Queen let out a dry laugh.
And the dry laugh soon turned into a full-blown one.
Forgetting all dignity, she clutched her stomach and cackled.
“Indeed. A fine answer. That is reason enough. It seems you’ve left some things unsaid, but I won’t press the matter.”
The white army, which had been desperately holding on in a defensive posture, was finally defeated.
The mystical flute finally split in two, and Sophia’s wings vanished completely.
The mask covering the Queen’s face pulsated.
The Queen’s body moved, independent of her own will.
If she no longer had the strength to go and kill humans, it would be better to seize Sophia’s body instead.
Step, step.
The Queen walked through the ranks of her soldiers, who were kneeling and paying her homage.
She was close enough to reach Sophia just by extending her hand.
The Queen opened her mouth.
“—Do not bring me further shame, my descendant.”
Shunk!
A strike pierced her through the chest from behind.
Even as she looked down at the hand protruding from her own chest, the Queen’s expression was serene.
Camilla wore a dumbfounded expression at her composure, but her own body trembled as she mercilessly tore out the heart and crushed it.
The moment the mask began to glow, the blood-red soldiers tried to attack Camilla, but the Queen had already exhausted most of her power. The army could no longer maintain its form and vanished.
“Well done. What is your name?”
“It is Camilla, Your Majesty.”
“This is your reward. From now on, do not be bound by things like blood. Do as you please.”
Camilla silently knelt on one knee.
The Queen quietly shook off the mask on her face.
Looking down at Sophia, who was smiling faintly as if she had fulfilled her role even in defeat, the Queen clicked her tongue.
“…Next time, I expect you to win as an individual, not just achieve some strategic victory.”
The Queen’s form melted away as if crumbling.
Taros Labyrinth.
Tuberose, the Vampire VS Sophia Hubris (IN Angel of Divine Calculation)
—Victor: Tuberose, the Vampire.