EPISODE 278: POWERLESS MEN PRAY 2

  — CONTESTED BORDER, NAAH’MI MOUNTAINS, YEAR: 7298. SEASON: NEW BEGINNING.

  Lawruthian Imperius Koltius Edryani chuckled.

  His expression was steady as the soft wind over Isiro’s Hammer blew against his face. He sat on a large, blue-black spherical object, his legs swinging as the time passed.

  He was high in the sky.

  So high that one wouldn’t be able to see him with the naked eye. So high he could gain a steady view over Edryan, the Federation, and into the desert of Az’Dawn. If he squinted, he might even make out the giant step that led upwards to the Warring Beastman Plains and the rest of the world.

  He was high in the sky.

  High enough that it satiated his craving for flying. Lawruthian was high enough that all troubles, all worries would fade with enough time. That was the illusion this height gave him.

  High in the sky, through nothing but the prowess of his physical body.

  It felt good. No, it felt amazing.

  He studied the platform, HASO, underneath him, courtesy of Starglow Valley under the research of Magi Laia Volkensha, adopted daughter of Thraag Volkensha. Her alongside his Research Mages of North America Research Center was on an exponential growth track, and the knowledge Minerva held was freely shared between them. Even if they couldn’t recreate the exact technology, the ideas opened from reading books, documents, and more opened their minds to a new world.

  “Inspect,” Lawruthian activated.

  The HASO was Lawruthian’s answer to several problems the nation of Great Edryan needed to solve.

  “First, the Federation, then the dungeons—Lily is taking care of the problematic people belonging to the Cult of Genesis in the Adventurer Association branches,” Lawruthian silently mused to himself as he waited.

  Smoke drifted upwards, but it was long lost before it could reach the Chosen of Madris. Below him, fires raged. Two forces clashed. That of Great Edryan, led by General Ameri, and that of the Federation.

  “Ugh, this is a bit boring.

  “Even if I drafted this plan myself, I should have thought about entertainment,” Lawruthian muttered.

  Operation… STAIN.

  Strategic Transition via Artificial Insurrection & Neutralization.

  A bit wordy on the name, but Minerva came up with it as they refined it together.

  Operation Stain… Lawruthian didn’t know if it would truly work. If it did… he would know in a few days before things truly got… hectic. If it didn’t, then it didn’t matter. Lawruthian would stop playing around with these people.

  “Sigh… I don’t have time to waste.

  “Is Ninjaro as smart as I believe, or is he someone…,” Lawruthian said, the ending trailing off.

  He was alone up here—alone, hundreds, if not thousands, of meters high in the sky, all for the sake of a single chance. Lawruthian glanced at his hand, feeling the power that gathered within it. The mana in the upper atmosphere was sparse, not as dense as what came from the earth. Lawruthian wondered if the world itself generated mana, if that was the case. All this meant the skill’s activation would be slower than it would be if he were near the ground.

  Five fingers.

  Five fingers… and a palm held the power to break through all barriers given enough time.

  “Status.”

  Two years ago, after making his initial decision, Lawruthian finally freed himself enough to spend time doing other things. He needed strength, and his mother, Queen Titiana, had given him the answer to acquiring it long ago.

  Dungeon diving wasn’t a new concept. Dungeons were known for their intense riches, treasures, and even special classes, should one possess the luck for them. But how many people could constantly put their lives on the line for that small hope and chance? To Lawruthian, diving had been… relatively easy. He was a Mythical, if not a Divine grade being. His classes were beyond the comprehension of most people, solely unique to him, gained through his knowledge and ability.

  His body was perfect—able to wield all elements like extensions of his fingers. Even runic comprehension wasn’t that difficult, so long as he put in the time and effort. Unfortunately, the former was what he lacked the most.

  If Lawruthian were to compare himself to the Common man… well… there would be no comparison. He was confident that without skills or magic, he could kill anyone beneath Legendary so long as they were within fifty levels of him.

  Forger’s Keep confirmed that confidence.

  “It’s unfortunate that it’s taking longer and longer to gain a level.”

  Elemental Magi.

  Lawruthian looked at his five fingers again, summoning the skill notification and casually reading through it.

  The prowess of an Elemental Magi was nearly like a cheat itself. No, not nearly, compared to any other mage or magic user, Lawruthian was cheating.

  Source Code Magic was something any high-level Magi, Archmage, or Wizard would kill for—even if it meant disposing of a loved one to obtain it.

  Lawruthian looked around, his eyes shifting with complex emotions.

  He could see it now… he could see the underlying truth of this world.

  Decay.

  Like withering leaves falling in the autumn. The world was decaying. Its rate wasn’t alarming, but slowly the realm would collapse.

  Aspects…

  Gardeners of the world.

  With their disappearance, who would prune the leaves? Who would sweep the grounds, gathering the decayed leaves and throwing them out? His vision wasn’t that deep, but even a casual glance allowed him to see things clearly.

  The Elrunian Realm was dying.

  “Well…

  “…

  “…shit.”

  The Elrunian Realm was dying, and here he was playing war games as the chess piece of Goddess Madris.

  The Twelve Thrones seemed unconcerned, or perhaps they didn’t know. There was information Lawruthian believed was only revealed to him during his talks with Aspect Rasheed.

  “Damned dragon.”

  Lawruthian looked up, a complicated smirk on his face.

  Damned dragon indeed.

  “Leaving the world in my care while you die… I don’t think the trade-off was fair.”

  Sure, he’d gain Atavism and broken away from Goddess Madris direct influence, but… he was already deep within the Edryan society. Their culture, their ways, everything about them was represented within him. And he had changed them.

  Children went to school instead of working for petty wages. They learned from teachers how to read and write, allowing them to take classes like Scholar and Scribe without much difficulty. Even the worst of those would be Uncommon.

  Lunch was provided, ensuring they always received a warm meal—hell, every school even held a school nurse. Lawruthian wouldn’t even mention the options available for them in terms of occupation.

  And… that was just the children.

  Imperius Academy—the greatest school in Great Edryan offered a multitude of paths. Yes, it was difficult to get into, but Lawruthian always made sure a third of the students were in on scholarship. That meant a third of the incoming students were guaranteed to be a part of the Common man. Not necessarily Common in the bloodline, but Commoners weren’t just called that because of the class. If you weren’t a noble or someone with serious strength and reputation, no matter the class rarity, you were a Commoner.

  Then… there were the Church initiatives he started. Late-night classes to teach working adults how to read and write. If Edryan held a literacy rate of less than 10% before his appearance, by now it was 65%, if not higher, never lower.

  Who could achieve such things?

  No wonder they began to worship him—even as an extension of Her.

  Sigh.

  Lawruthian sighed.

  “Damned dragon was tens of years too late. Should have kidnapped me as a toddler or something.”

  Even with freedom, he was far too deep in to leave.

  Lawruthian continued to stare at his hand as the mana of the world gathered on it. The barrier over Isiro’s Hammer would take a considerable amount to be displaced in the same manner as Forger’s Keep.

  When Lawruthian told Mojo the barrier would not come back on and he could bomb them until nothing remained… he did not lie.

  His skill, Source Code Magic, completely disabled the shields of Forger’s Keep. It broke the rules… or directly altered them.

  Lawruthian wasn’t certain if this class was something still in the bounds of the mortal realm from his first Core Skill alone. And, there were two more just as powerful as it.

  STAIN.

  The operation was a chance given to the Federation by Lawruthian. Of course, he wouldn’t outright say what he was giving the Federation, but through his actions, Lawruthian expected them to grasp it.

  And if they didn’t?

  Then it would be a stain upon their history, and they would be subjugated— harshly .

  “I cannot play around with the lives of my people. These are daughters, sons, brothers, and sisters—some are even fathers and mothers.”

  Lawruthian laughed. “Was it callous of me to do the opening act?”

  Who could question him if not himself?

  “Yes, but strategically, it was the best option. Fewer deaths, fewer lives lost—less resentment gathered. Less… renmants to be left behind for future generations to deal with.”

  Who could question the Chosen of Madris?

  His mother?

  Perhaps. But she’d pretty much let go of the last of her power since his gradual changes. This started with the Class-Based Constitutional Monarchy, but fully happened after his return and settlement of GENESIS. Once Lawruthian was out and healthy enough, there wasn’t even a conversation, just Lawruthian directing things with tacit approval from his mom.

  In all but name…

  Lawruthian was King .

  That only made everything harder from that point onwards. How could he lead from the front if his people were so resistant to it?

  Lawruthian smiled warmly as the faces of Madria, Alexandria, Ameri, and more passed through his thoughts. Fortunately, they were able to come to a compromise where he wouldn’t fail his famous vow, and he wouldn’t be in a position of compromise for too long.

  How could you fight if your boss was standing over your head?

  Lawruthian understood that, so he compromised.

  The opening act was left to him. While the true show would be left to Alexandria and the rest. There was a slew of new age heroes out there, and even they agreed that Lawruthian shouldn’t be doing what he was doing.

  He sighed again, gazing down at his hand. It will be ready soon.

  “It’s hard being an asset and a liability.”

  It truly was. It wasn’t a joke to say Lawruthian could suppress an army by himself.

  He clenched his fist, feeling the energy of his roaring blood and body.

  His bloodline had mutated.

  Putting on a show to scare the hardened soldiers of Forger’s Keep wasn’t on his bingo card. Lawruthian expected it to work… but… not… that fiercely. He closed his eyes, and the terrified expressions of the Asigbonle appeared.

  Lawruthian shook his head.

  They looked at him like he was some sort of monster.

  He wasn’t that bad… was he?

  He’d taken a few dozen lives, yes, Lawruthian would not deny his murder of the people. He still didn’t like killing—at least living, breathing, humanoids. Beast and the like didn’t bother him, but… if killing was required to prevent more deaths of his people and theirs… he would do it.

  Without hesitating.

  The suppression of Battle Terrance One wasn’t initially supposed to be only him and his golems. It only changed after Lawruthian received the notification of his Dragon’s Aura inflicting Fear on those far away… and Despair on those near. This was his first… field test, and it was practically a Mortal Reminder in its effect on the Asigbonle.

  Even their commanders were affected by it.

  “ Effect intensifies when reinforced by surrounding atmosphere and visual dominance ,” Lawruthian internally mused.

  Sun at his back, a crown of sharp daggers upon his head, matte-black armor that seemed to absorb and not reflect the sun’s light. Lawruthian was starting to get the picture.

  “Maybe it was amplified by my reputation as the Chosen of Madris? It would be nice if the Prime System had something to measure your reputation.”

  With more time passing and more use of the Prime System… Lawruthian was beginning to recognize its… inadequacies.

  He shook his head. He could always research that in the future. In magi years, he was still young, barely out of his teenage years. Lawruthian was only 23. Each point of Vitality extended his life by one month. So long as he didn’t gain any extreme injuries, then with his current Vitality, he would receive an additional 77 years of life span. With magi living until 150 without system attributes, Lawruthian was certain he’d live long and well.

  Lawruthian continued to gaze downward. Smoke and ash rose into the air, and tiny dots of intense magic flared. General Ameri sieged Isiro’s Hammer, and by tonight, it would be subdued.

  Lawruthian sighed. He was doing that a lot lately. It would get better after all of this was over.