Fanaticism (3)
"The representative of Shion has arrived." The moment Aromi's voice came from the ceiling, the door slammed open and Miro walked in.
She was flanked by Gangnan and Julu.
"This woman is for real!"
Iruki, captain of the guards who had entered late, snapped a salute so sharp it looked mechanical.
"I'm sorry! This woman is being completely reckless—"
Iruki held out his palm.
"That's enough. Please leave."
Iruki had never punished a subordinate for failing to cope with an unexpected situation.
Knowing his captain's temperament, the guard leader felt more ashamed than angry at his own inability to handle things properly.
"Understood."
He wanted to say more, but he didn't want to become the same kind of person as Miro, so he answered curtly.
What an exemplar of the age. An outrageously arrogant woman. Iruki didn't believe that acting for someone else was automatically righteous.
To him, goodness was law.
"Goodness is law."
A rigid creed with no room for doubt — in that sense, Miro was the polar opposite.
"Welcome. You're later than I expected. I actually thought you'd arrive first."
With Julu — the strongest of her utilities — at her side, speed and distance shouldn't have been an issue.
Miro flopped onto the sofa, hooked an arm over the back, and crossed her legs.
"There was a claim in the middle. Took time to deal with it."
"A claim?"
"The Apostle of Time."
While flying across the Central Continent on Kaidra, a vacuum formed around Miro's party.
"Huh?"
When she suddenly found she couldn't breathe, Miro turned from the cockpit and asked what was happening.
No sound carried, of course, but Julu had already turned and answered.
"There's no air. Flight is impossible."
They dispelled the summoning magic and landed in a rocky expanse of huge rust-colored boulders.
Out of the vacuum, Miro's group gulped in air, and humans began to step out from between the rocks.
Twelve in all.
"Hoh?"
Julu's eyes widened unusually, and Miro's smile looked oddly forced.
These aren't human. You could tell by looking at their eyes.
Even without any special method, their gazes gave off such an otherness that anyone would come to the same conclusion.
"Glad to meet you, paragon of the age."
The speaker was an elderly woman, gracefully aged, her smiling eyes kind and benevolent.
A dragon. Only the top-ranked dragons could change form, which made Miro feel even more uneasy.
Had all twelve apostles ever gathered like this before?
Scanning the figures on the cliff slowly, their ages and sexes varied, but none looked ordinary.
Six men, six women. Dragons didn't cling to form.
If a dragon's birth traits were expressed as human personalities, then the old woman's true identity was—
Poine, the Venom Dragon.
According to the vision, Poine's nature combined kindness and mercy with appalling cruelty.
Miro waved a finger in front of her.
"Uh, so, could you at least tell me who's who? I get confused just by faces."
"No need."
A man standing third from the right transformed into blue electricity and appeared before Miro.
The afterimage of electricity lingered on her retinas as she studied his face.
Blitz, the Thunder Dragon.
A pale face without eyebrows, hollows around his eyes that gave him a razor-sharp look.
"This is a message from Karatorsa." Miro bowed slightly at the words.
"Karatorsa. To hear that legendary name here. If it's a message from such a great being, I should make time. Though I'm so busy I can't even wash after business."
Despite the sarcasm, Blitz delivered his message calmly.
"Do not go to the Central Continent."
Miro waited for him to continue, but Blitz did not open his mouth again.
"That's it?"
"It is."
Miro laughed.
Of course she understood why all twelve apostles had gathered for such a short message.
So they intended to suppress her by force. Admittedly it made her shiver a little, but she pulled herself together.
"I want to hear why."
Her willingness to be convinced came from pure curiosity, not from fear of dragon authority.
"Miro, don't be mistaken."
A blond boy perched on the cliff spoke.
"It's not our words; it's Karatorsa's message. Just do as you're told."
Miro turned her gaze to the boy.
What sort of monster is that?
He looked about twelve. Mischievous face, wearing athletic shorts, a fashion band hanging from the wrist he'd let dangle between his legs.
Undeniably a sports-loving kid, but the light in his eyes sent a chill through Miro.
Phaeton, the Light Dragon.
Behind the boy she felt the presence of a golden dragon so radiant it could blind.
Second to none in savagery. The vision had said even the great light archangel Reyel had to stand back when facing Phaeton.
"So then…"
Miro exhaled, sorted her thoughts, and tipped her chin toward Phaeton.
"Tell me the reason. Don't make me wait."
Even Gangnan's heart dropped at Miro's words; the atmosphere shifted.
Phaeton slowly lowered his head; his shoulders twitched without a sound.
When he lifted his face again, only murderous intent remained in his eyes.
"Damn you, you—!"
"Enough."
Blitz's single word made Phaeton flinch; he still turned on Blitz with murderous intent burning in his gaze.
"Who? Me?"
"Yes, Phaeton. You."
As Phaeton rose, golden smoke billowed from him and formed the dragon's shape.
This time it wasn't a vision.
"Have you lost your mind? Do you think the Mountless Dragon entrusted this age to you and you can wear that title?"
When Shirone sacrificed himself in Labyrinth Andre's first world, Karatorsa had appointed Blitz as his representative.
If not for Shirone's remembrance of light, the Twelve Apostles wouldn't have gathered like this.
"I am merciful; if it was a mistake I'll forgive you. So then… why don't you say it again?"
Phaeton's speech came at near-light speed; the torrent of information he spat out was almost uncontrollable.
"There's no point in us fighting among ourselves."
Karatorsa had chosen Blitz for this age because of his ultracold sense of justice.
"Our reason for stopping Miro is to preserve her combat power. If you kill her here, what then? Cool your head."
Miro gave a crooked smile.
"Ah, such noble intent. But from the sound of it, you look at people like they're nothing."
Despite Miro's provocation, Blitz remained composed.
"Karatorsa guarded time through three resets. Had he not, this world would already have been reshaped by the intent of a certain being. We cannot fathom Karatorsa's deeper intent. If you insist on a reason, I can give you my personal opinion."
Miro held out her palm as if inviting him to speak.
"Your counsel?"
"We were instructed to stop you because they're not certain Shirone can be entrusted with time."
Miro blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Blitz explained the current situation.
That Shirone was receiving all information laid out in the order of time—the Omega.
And that soon, under the leadership of the Holy War, an elemental bomb would be dropped on Bashka.
"An elemental bomb."
Miro stroked her chin and raised a finger.
"So if we're on the battlefield now we'll all die. Therefore we must preserve our forces?"
Gangnan shouted.
"Gaold should be going too!" Blitz nodded.
"Gaold met with a member of the Ivory Tower and is traveling with them. I can tell you their location if you want."
"Ivory Tower?"
Miro had always thought Gaold would never travel with anyone.
He can't move alone anymore. How broken must he be?
She could imagine from what she'd seen, but that didn't change her plans.
"I don't care about Gaold. I have my duties; I'm going to the Central Continent."
Gangnan glared fiercely.
"Is that the thing you can say right now? Who's this fighting for? If you die—!"
"I won't die."
If she were the sort to be killed by a bomb, she wouldn't have torn that part out of her heart while bleeding.
"Fine. What I really want to know is how you learned it. An elemental bomb. The Holy War wouldn't be so careless about security, would they? And if they'd failed, the plan would be cancelled. How did you find out?"
"Nothing."
Blitz stated the fact.
"You don't need to do anything to obtain certain information. Karatorsa's Omega—
The information Shirone is receiving now is
the Akashic Record's log (operational record)."
"Log? So that's every record from the moment this world came into being until now?"
"Yes. Dragons can connect to the core, but they cannot read the log. It seems there was consultation with Goffin before the first reset began. Omega is staggeringly vast and dangerous. That's why Karatorsa chose eternal rest."
Miro shivered imagining omniscience combined with omnipotence over all the world's information.
Literally a god. With that, we might be able to catch Nane.
Blitz said, "Do not go to the Central Continent. Now all logs are passing from Karatorsa to Shirone. We will follow Shirone. Aid him in guarding time."
"Thanks. I understand." Miro lifted her head.
"But I won't."
She felt a massive pressure of murderous intent press from behind, yet Blitz remained calm.
"Why not?"
"I won't help Shirone."
They were on the same side, in a way, but Shirone's and Miro's philosophies pointed in different directions.
"Shirone believes everything has value of existence. Even evil can be made to repent. I don't. I never tolerate evil."
"Shirone doesn't forgive evil unconditionally either."
"I know. We might meet for a drink sometimes and chat. But Shirone and I alike have reached opposite extremes. Especially in war, there's no room for compromise. I don't fight while thinking about whether something can repent. If Shirone interferes with me, Shirone becomes my enemy."
"So? You insist on going to the Central Continent? Do you think you can survive?"
"No. Rather the opposite."
If the operation succeeded, it would be perfect, but the axis of evil included many unknown power-users.
If they sensed the smallest hint, luring over a hundred million to Bashka would be impossible.
"They will detonate that elemental bomb by any means. Even if I die."
She'd already given up her life, hadn't she?
When Miro finished speaking, the apostles in the rock field had all risen.
They watched her with various emotions, and Miro swallowed.
Once Blitz gave the order, an overwhelming assault would surely follow.
"I'll give you a choice."
At Blitz's unexpected words, Phaeton bared his teeth and snapped, "You have no right to do that."
"I do. I will report directly to Karatorsa. Until then, I make the judgment."
Putting aside Phaeton's displeased expression, Blitz addressed Miro again.
"I reached this conclusion because you said you were prepared to die. If you're going to die anyway, arguing would be a waste of time. So I propose two options. One: endure a strike from the Twelve Apostles."
Miro didn't answer hastily.
"Because it would be a contractual fulfillment, we won't coordinate in a combined strike. You'll likely die with high probability, but if you can't accept this, the sincerity of your words will be in doubt."
"...The other option?"
Blitz turned his head; blue electricity pulsed from his pupils.
"Kill us all and leave."