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Chapter 080: Order for a Certain Command

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If Vasuki is in Dragona, then this invasion wasn't Mefisto's plan. It was Vasuki's plan all along!

The [Corruption] of the [Darkness] brings out the darkest side of any man. It removes all limitations, all restrictions... all obstructions in one's soul that could reveal their own potential. In short, it takes away one's sense of morality and only leaves out the person's basest logical instincts, meaning, the 'corrupted' will forego any notion of an importance of life and would always redirect their emotions in the direction of taking another's life——

———or corrupting it.

Vasuki was the strongest of the Dragon Kings in the past and in order to pay his debts to Siva for saving his kin, he became his battle companion.

Siva didn't know what happened to him after the eruption of Ragnarok but Sefirah's words back in their clash; the "irony" she said of him being "the one to be burdened by his pet's curse" was in fact an indirect confirmation that Vasuki was still living.

If [Siva] had been corrupted back then and Vasuki hasn't left his side even once, then it only meant that Vasuki, too, had been corrupted as well.

A [Dragon King] without any sense of morality and respect for life, corrupted to its basest instincts of destruction and chaos, was a frightening [enemy].

The Blood Dragon God Church was Vasuki's toy and with the Sacrificial Magic they've been using to the citizens of this world, affirmed by Metheus' Intel about the Bloody Church's activities, also further confirmed by Mohindra's Intel records and Gabriel's information about the Medallion of Time, although Siva don't know what they plan on using Terra's Token for, he at least already had a very vague feeling that Vasuki's followers were aiming to revive someone —or revive him, Vasuki, if this doubt was correct.

If that is indeed the case then it explains many of the events lately, as well as the evidence of their activities' purpose in the past.

At this point, Siva recalled Gabriel's words back at the time when he fought against Sefirah.

Gabriel said that he was tasked of keeping watch over a certain [Eternal Ethereal Chains] that seals a particular prisoner.

It was a task that he was given as the Final Test for his Ascension Ceremony but he can't directly meddle into it for reasons he refused to tell, and can only guide his [representatives].

To Siva's [memories], the Eternal Ethereal Chains was a Divine Artifact that's as mysterious as the Memory Crystals that had the power to seal and imprison one's soul and divinity.

Back then, it was used to punish those corrupted individuals. Siva recalled that he once caught one Chaos God who was corrupted and they used this chain to punish him and destroy his divinity.

—But, this is the first time I heard the chains not being able to kill someone and only imprison him.

As far as his memories go, there was nothing that could destroy the Eternal Ethereal Chains. And as far as his memories go, no one could survive the suppressing power of the chains.

So, if Vasuki in Terroa and the Bloody Church has always been planning to restore his power, there are two things they need to accomplish and also one thing that they would desperately need.

Firstly, they need to make Vasuki strong enough to escape the chains by himself which needs the second part of this plan: something that could at least weaken the Eternal Ethereal Chains, if not completely destroy it.

Perhaps the Bloody Church is planning to restore Vasuki's power by all those sacrifices, but that only solves the first hurdle.

To weaken the chains' effects, what do they need to accomplish it?

What more, if all of this actually fails, then they'd need a backup plan —which is the item that they should be desperately searching for.

Terra's Token... the [Medallion of Time].

——if destroying the chains failed to work, then going back and preventing it should work without any problem.

To put an end to everything by going back in time using Terra's Token, it surely does possess great merit of possibility and the only person stopping the Bloody Church is the whereabouts of it... until Gabriel confirmed that the Bloody Church finally found a trace of it in Maria.

Although he assured Siva that without his consent it will never be found, there was something else that bothered Gabriel greatly.

"....I have been betrayed by your people..."

Siva remembered Gabriel's words back in Maria.

Recalling these words, even knowing that it was only Siva who could stop Vasuki's plan to rise in this world once again... Siva realized that perhaps it's not that Gabriel really doesn't want to tell it but it's because he truly can't. Because... just like how he realized that if this game world does not want an NPC entity to do something, no matter how much they were aware of it, they can't defy the laws that binds them to this world.

Meaning, these NPCs, Gabriel included, can't defy the will of the Game Universe in making this journey "a [Player]-only battle" alone.

Because, if what Siva thought of Gabriel's inability to meddle in the affairs of [players] is true, adding on the fact that he only just now realized that there was a chance that he himself might actually give away clues and missions as [God Siva], then he could perfectly understand why Gabriel hated him and "his kind" to some extent.

Siva, in one way or several more, was a threat of many forms to the safety of Terroa.

Gabriel always knew the two locations of the [Keeper of the Chalice] but he refused to tell him that. (AN: Volume 6 Chapter 42) And now, connecting it all to his [Final Test] and the betrayal of the representatives that he was supposed to guide joining the enemies' faction, he can't help thinking that at the back of his mind, there was indeed a connection here with him.

In fact, everything happening in Terroa connects him to it all, one way or another.

Gabriel hated him for many reasons and now, even he himself understood why.

Who are they, then, the traitors?

Who were the representatives that betrayed him?

[Boss, you have a memory fragment that connects an item to Gabriel and Tiara in your inventory...]

Siva's deep thinking was interrupted by Cortana.

"An item that connects Gabriel and The North is in my Inventory?" he was also surprised. "What was that item?"

Prompted, an item appeared on his hands. It was a weird-shaped laptop and as soon as Siva saw this 'item', the [memory] Cortana said, everything else about Gabriel and Tiara, finally connected.

"It's them! The traitors who joined the enemies' side were the Blue Card Legion! The bastards who put my brother in peril in Alexandria are the traitors of Terroa!"

When he thought of The Legion, a certain woman also came into his memory.

Back when he took Apus Epirus from The Legion, there was a woman who left a warning words for him before she teleported away.

"This is not the end..."

—those were her words.

He recalled the vague memory of her appearance; blue hair, seductive poise, but hated him with all her soul... Siva recalled the 'intel' Stark had just given him today: a certain woman with those same features had appeared to talk to Seventh Elder as soon as Siva's clash with The Union concluded.

She spoke about some Kid, the Church, and then a Father...

—could it be...!!

A dark premonition embraced his heart.

Just who is [The Father] that had a connection to him? The Heavenly Father...!! And yet now, they are also actually connected to the Bloody Church as well... if so, then connecting it all, the Kid that the woman mentioned should be the very Intel the Priestess Sandra once used to threaten him back in that Underground Cavern in Horbe; and the very Intel that Metheus also told him in Maria.

Connecting it all, the Bloody Church is Vasuki's Church, the Blue Card Legion betrayed Gabriel's expectations and had sided with the Bloody Church who knew about his weakness, and now contacted his enemy, The Union, about this deal.

The Bloody Church is controlled by Pegasus and an enemy's enemy is a friend.

Baron's safety is in deep danger!

" "

Siva's rage erupted and then he pulled up a piece of paper and wrote another [mission] for Atropos and the Asgardians to be busy with.

He gave a thought command and Cortana showed him a panel window, marked and sealed by Siva's security imprint... it was a blueprint of an item; one of The Company's planned products to sell.

Although an expensive reward, but this time, Siva wasn't stingy with the wages.

*****

The entire thought-train event in the Mini Realm only happened five or so minutes ago and at the end of the 5th minute, just as Stark's members are being pacified by a lot of efforts, the space above their heads rippled as a piece of paper fell on Stark's hand who was caught by surprise.

It was another [Mission] and they all stared at their Player Panels blankly. Some is even smiling wide.

"What does it say?" Mitra asked robotically. Siva wasn't even interested in them anymore and was already contacting someone else.

"It was a special mission." Stark said, "For 300 points, define the appearance of the woman that met with the Seventh Elder of The Union. And for 2000 points each, kill every member of Blue Card Legion we can find... +1000 points more every time a member dies a another time."

The Atropos Members were surprised. It was a kill order full of hate.

*****

It wasn't only in Oz Forest there's a tumult.

Back in Asgard, one of the BM-Puppets Siva left there posted a written note in the Bulletin Board and this was read and disseminated by Akhenaton throughout the entire Asgard.

The announcement only had a few minutes from its issuance and a few Asgardians already went out for the kill.

It was because there's a generous reward for it.

Siva's [Kill Order] had a reward of a Unique Item available only to the Asgardians.

Siva called it the «Interspatial Artifact».

Its simple description is already tempting enough and no Asgardian doubted Siva's "items" because some of his few samples were already claimed by a few groups as proofs of its superior make. They can't say anything about its quality since they are all superior to anything else they've ever seen or heard in Terroa.

This Interspatial Artifact that Siva offered as the reward for this Kill Order was truly something else unique from anything sold by players.

Simply put... it can extend one's inventory by at least 2000 slots.

It immediately created a boom to the Asgardians.

Take note that one's Inventory Slots are limited to 200 slots at the start of their careers. High-ranked Quests and Missions offering stat points as prize for their completion are rare and although none of these stat points can be redistributed to the Battle Stats, they can still increase the Basic Player Stats number such as the Weight Limits and Inventory.

But how many Quests and Missions offer stats as the compensation and how many stats are being rewarded at a single time?

Thus, when offered a mission with the 2000slots-increasing item to their Inventory as the reward, many of these players and NPCs instantly agreed because it ignites the passion of their "citizenship" to Asgard and also provides them with a sense of superiority to the rest of the people of the world.

After all, owning something like this [Artifact] was only exclusive to the people of Asgard. It gives them pride that no one else in the world are able to be privileged like the Asgardians.

It's only been two weeks since the proclamation of their independence and yet at least 10% of the Asgardians already had more stats than they used to have outside of it.

Not only would they get strong accomplishing the tasks in the Mission Section of the Bulletin Board of the Asgard, they get to have cool equipment as well so it was always a win-win situation in Asgard.

Especially to the [Players] in Asgard; many people said that they were workers and slaves for Siva but who could understand the grandness of their country, its superiority to the rest, and the sense of pride they get knowing that although living in its lands has its strict rules that sometimes were so strict that it's suffocating, the fact remains that all members of Asgard are truly strong and becoming stronger by the day. It cannot be denied one bit.

Asgard has one standing rule: strive to be strong and never back down. Hunting monsters was just a way to prove their personal prowess but after an individual had proven their strength, they can get rewards that will never exist everywhere else.

In fact, many had realized that although Asgard is ruled by ironclad rules, they weren't restricted by Siva in terms of everything else and in fact, their careers even moved forward. Their only oath was that they keep the secrecy of their existence and they protect Asgard wen the time comes.

Aside from that, Asgard provided them luxurious commodities that can't be offered anywhere else and each and every day, they become stronger, until it became their culture, until it became their core belief...

......that Asgard was strong.

A conviction born of culture, Siva's latest mission gave them the chance to earn something else to be stronger than the rest.

When they saw the post on the Bulletin Board, the Asgardians immediately went towards the Mission Office and registered for the mission, given two sets of T-Devices (one to teleport out of Asgard and the other to return) and then their [Mission Credentials] to prove that they were under orders from The Asgard.

Keeping the secrecy of Asgard had become their creed and they began to think of themselves as a country of elites.

It was effective, in fact, as these players and NPC Warriors and Mages took this mission as rather an initiation to the rise of Asgard.

They knew that The Legion had formed a grudge with Siva and that Siva only takes a passive stance at everything... so the fact that he issued this Kill Order was testament that The Legion might have touched his sensitive scales.

Siva, wanting them dead, and issuing this order instead of going himself, was also taken by these Asgardians as Siva being munificent to his people.

And so, the Asgardians thought, this was their big chance to prove their citizenship here in Terroa.

*****

Of Asgard's 5000 people, 2000+ went out for the Kill Order. Also, officially, today, the Humans that have been hiding in Asgard —not counted in their total population— also begun preparations for the return trip to the Misty Peaks in the Misty Plains.

The SS-Pandora, their 6km-large Space Colony-slash-Mothership-slash-War Vessel, was parked in the Open Field just outside Sword God District.

Its massive shadow casts upon the lands below it and gathered below were Humans, led by Maki, training with the [Arts] that were taught to them by the floating island's Lord Protector, Akhenaton.

Seen in the terms of Humans, they were nothing more than ordinary [Martial Arts] and yet, when it was used in Terroa, something changes on their bodily constitutions that they found... troubling.

Back on Earth, Martial Arts can only strengthen the body at most.

But here in Terroa, [Martial Arts] can heal wounds, improve constitutions, generate Mana Circulations in the body, and even allow these Naturals, these non-Magic Endowed race of people, to somehow slowly and little by little feel the fluctuations of the invisible mysterious force collectively called Mana.

Even Maki's and Galatea's "Fleshly Bodies" were training as well and they have already advanced to a state where there was a chance that they could also advance to Immortality. Akhenaton, who was a mortal once, had once been on their shoes and he could see their progress and so did not stop them from learning, even going so far as teaching them what he knew about the mysteries of Mana and how to apply it to your [Martial Art], helping their people survive longer and become strong.

But Maki confirmed, "not all" [Martial Arts] had this effect in their unique [Human Body].

As one of the two oldest individuals of Earth, Maki and Galatea were equipped with all kinds of [Inter-directional Martial Arts] from the now abandoned planet. He tried to apply the same "feeling" and the same sense of "mysteriousness" he received from the Guardian Idol of the Floating Island on their Human Legacies, but he ultimately failed to feel the Flow of Mana from his body unlike those [Arts] that Akhenaton taught.

Thus, the Humans could only feel gratitude to their benefactor, Siva. And Maki, albeit still carried a little bit of resentment to the 'open plundering' Siva did to them, had to admit that Siva is indeed generous when he feels like it. Overly, in reality, that it makes you look weirdly at him.

After the dissolution of the Terran-Human Alliance during the attack in Jeremiah, Gaia took 90% of all the Item-making machines of the Humans and only left them the [Basic Machine] that created the [Item-Making Machines] that the Humans originally owned in the contract.

With these arrangements, the Humans owed the Terrans nothing and the Terrans will never haggle about the stocks and prices of basic commodities to the Humans, let alone overpricing them. If they do, then Gaia would be forced to tap a few strings on her authority as the "link" between them... and the Terrans won't like to make this Elf.

In summary, the Humans earned their rights to be treated as "citizens of Terroa" and their obligation to the Instructions left behind by the mysterious [Teacher] officially ended back in Jeremiah.

The [Basic Machine] would take at least 10 years to produce all of the Item-Making Machines, and another 40 years or so to officially become a self-sustaining country, if Asgard's support don't stop coming.

Being at the bottom, the Humans didn't have any complaint. At least they have their 300+ kilometers large piece of land they could call their home, and they could develop the place...until the end of the last piece of agreement they have to the Terrans:

In 190 years, if the Humans can and if the threats of the Demons are gone, they could go back to their home world and leave Terroa.

And so for now, they focused their attention to the survival of their race.

Training in front of their Space Colony, the only home they could go to in Terroa for refuge, was their daily routine and sometimes, they even spar with the monsters and the Asgardians back in the Arena not too far away.

*****

When Maki heard the news that Siva gave a Kill Order to the members of the Blue Card Legion, he immediately sent one of his WhiteTech Clones to the Bulletin Board to check.

In there, he was shocked to see the biggest name on top of the list: Gats —a Human.

In the field, Gats looked at Galatea.

"There should be a mistake here. How could Gats be a member of the Blue Card Legion?"

"I'm not sure. I've already contacted him but he'd temporarily blocked all modes communications."