Simple man with his overpowered army Chapter 27: And what does your name carry?

Tiara grabbed Roman, who was still in the middle of an experint, and announced, "We’re going to the middle realm, dear!" Before Roman could react, he found himself and Tiara at the gateway to the middle realm.

As Tiara pushed Roman towards the gate, she said, "Co on, dear. If you dilly-dally any longer, I’m going to be really mad." Roman managed to ask, "Could you at least tell why we’re going to the middle realm?"

Tiara paused for a mont before saying, "Because sothing interesting ca up there, and I want to see it! Plus, they might be able to help with your problem."

Roman asked, "Why didn’t you say so earlier? And what makes you so certain?" Tiara replied, "I was so excited by the possibility that they could help that I forgot to ntion it. Also, they’ve made many changes in the middle realm regarding human rights."

Roman said, "They have? In that horrid place? Who are they?" Tiara answered, "I an, they’re still pretty racist towards humans, but my sources say it’s gotten better in so places. As for who they are, they sort of appeared one day in the middle realm. They call themselves Elysium, and they follow a human king. Since a human was able to achieve sothing like that in the middle realm, who wouldn’t be at least a little bit interested?"

Roman sighed, "You say that, but I feel like it’ll be disappointing when it cos to fixing my problem." Tiara replied, "Don’t be such a downer. Co on! Let’s go!"

They went through the gate and found themselves in a place barely holding together. "Man, I knew it wasn’t well-kept, but they really let this one go," Tiara remarked, looking around. "Since we’re in the Lux Queendom, I thought they’d at least keep it decent." Roman comnted, "I’m sure the gate in Labes is in top condition, even though no one is allowed to use it."

"Yeah, but..." Tiara stopped speaking, sensing sothing approaching. Soon, they saw bandits trying to capture humans.

One of the bandits spoke confidently, "Look what we have here, boys. So new human scum walking in our realm. Why don’t we capture the woman and see if the devil is willing to walk away?"

Roman replied, "Even though I’m not the sa race as her and even if I couldn’t say no, she is still my wife, and I will not let you touch her." Tiara blushed, gushing over Roman’s words, even though she might end up protecting him.

The bandit said, "Well, we gave you a chance. Now, without further ado, let’s..." Before he could command his n to attack, a woman’s voice echoed, "WAIT!"

Everyone paused as a human woman with long silver hair erged from her hiding spot. She said, "Now, wait just a mont before you start a scuffle, gentlen. I need these people to get where I want, and I can’t have you making any fuss."

The bandit leader sneered, "Look, boys. Another human atbag crawling out from sowhere." Then he asked the woman, "Why the hell should I listen to a human like you?"

The woman had a silver hair and her right eye is also silver. Her left eye is covered by a cloth that works as a veil on her left eye. The veil has an interesting pattern on it that seems to be magical in nature. She wears quite interesting set of clothes that show her belly buttom and the sides of her waist. She also doesn’t seem to wear shoes for so reason.

The woman pulled out a necklace and said, "Do you see this necklace? It’s worn by those trusted by the king of Elysium." The bandit leader sneered, "So?" She continued, "So, if you harm , you’ll face the infamous Elysium elite."

The bandit leader retorted, "And what if we just send you to who knows where and make you soone’s at puppet?" The woman replied, "You do realize that so people in Elysium can communicate telepathically over any distance, right? They also have teleportation capabilities and could be here any minute."

The bandit leader said, "Sounds interesting, but why should I believe you just because you have a necklace? Why not summon them now to prove your authenticity?"

The woman hesitated, "Well... I have my reasons for not resorting to that right now, but believe , if you try to touch , you’ll be in big trouble." The bandit leader scoffed, "Bold words for soone who looks like a nobody."

Offended, the woman said, "What do you an I look like nobody?! Silver hair is quite rare for humans, and I have proof of my connection to the Elysium elite! I wear rare clothes and am considered a beauty by my family! Plus, I have the blood of the dragon matriarch coursing through my veins!"

Intrigued, the bandit leader asked, "A dragon matriarch? You look like any other human I’ve seen, and you claim to be not only one of the higher beings but also one of their elites? You’ve got so nerve."

The woman said, "You don’t believe ?! Watch this!" She extended her hand, and crackles and flashes of light appeared around the area, similar to when the Tower of Mythril was summoned to Lutah. Terrified, the bandits fled as fast as they could, leaving the area devoid of them.

A mont later, the woman turned awkwardly to Tiara and asked, "Are... are they gone?" Tiara replied, "I don’t sense them anymore, but why would you ask...?"

After hearing the bandits were gone, the woman sighed in relief, "Thank the gods. I thought I wasn’t going to make it just now."

Confused, Tiara asked, "But didn’t you just cause the world crackles? That should an you’re powerful enough to deal with them." The woman said, "That might be how it usually is, but I’ve learned to create sothing similar with much less effort, so you can hardly call those world crackles."

Tiara asked, "But surely your dragon blood would have carried you through this, right?" The woman admitted, "Most of what I told the bandits was fabricated. I’m just an average artisan who’s learned a few tricks during my ti in Lutah."

Tiara said, "So you don’t have dragon blood nor are you affiliated with Elysium." The woman replied, "Mmmh, yeah... kinda... kinda not."

Roman then asked, "Then why would you bring yourself out in the open if you couldn’t deal with the bandits?" The woman answered, "Hey! I dealt with the bandits in the end, so what’s the big deal?! Sure, if they had seen through my bluff, I would have gotten behind you and let you sort it out."

Roman asked, "You know who we are?" The woman replied, "I had my fortune read in the higher realm, and I was told to et a short woman and a devil if I wanted to go to Elysium quickly. That’s all I know."

Tiara asked, "So you were trying to gain a favor?" The woman nodded, "Yeah."

Tiara asked, "Who are you, and why do you want to go to Elysium?" The woman responded proudly, "I’m Tokiko, but you can call Toki if that’s easier. As for why I’m traveling to Elysium, I’m just interested in their stuff."

Roman asked, "Interested in their stuff?" Toki replied, "Yeah, that’s the gist of it."

Tiara retorted, "First you lie to the bandits, and now you say you’re interested in other people’s stuff. You sound like a common thief to ." Offended, Toki exclaid, "I’m no thief! I’m just crafty, in more ways than one!"

Tiara said, "Fine, whatever. So, you wanted a lift from us, right?" Toki replied, more calmly, "Yeah. Wait, a lift? I don’t see any wagons or horses. How are you going to give a lift?"

Tiara answered, "Oh? The fortune teller didn’t ntion it? We’re going to teleport to Elysium. Right. Now." Toki managed a small gasp before they were transported to the streets of Elysium.

Astonished, Toki said, "Wow. You managed to teleport us a long distance. Have you been here before?" Tiara replied, "It’s my first ti here."

Toki was even more amazed, "First ti?! You teleported to a place you’ve never been before, just like that?!"

Tiara replied, "Yeah."

Toki asked, "Are you so sort of genius?" Roman answered for Tiara, "She kind of is. Why else would she be the empress of the Nous Empire?"

Tiara and Roman then left Toki standing there. Toki scribbled in her mo, "Short woman and the devil can’t be trifled with," and said aloud, "Well, onto the next part." With that, Toki walked away from the spot they landed in, and as a passerby ca by, Toki vanished from view.

As Tiara and Roman walked towards the largest building they could see, they discussed how the looming tower exuded an odd power. Suddenly, they were stopped by two won and a black cat. The woman with rough hair and chanical ears said, "You two. What is your business here?"

Tiara boldly replied, "We’re here to visit the king. And you?"

The rough-haired woman scowled, but the cooler woman with a ponytail and elf ears said, "Calm down, Sishisi. We’re here to investigate trespassers, not to cause trouble." Then she addressed Tiara and Roman, "Greetings, visitors. We’re from the Public Security of Elysium, or P.S.E. I’m Tania. What is your business with our king?"

Tiara said proudly, "I’m the empress of the Nous Empire in the lower realm. I’ve co to see what kind of king has achieved so much in the middle realm and potentially ask for help with an issue concerning my hubby here."

Sishisi burst into laughter, "You? An empress? I thought humans weren’t supposed to be so small. What are you, a dwarf? Hahaha. This is hilarious."

Tiara glared at Sishisi and asked, "Looking for a fight, punk?" Roman held Tiara back as Tania said, "My apologies. We’re not well-inford about the structure of the lower realm due to issues with the abyss. We know there’s one major empire called Nous, but that’s all we know."

Roman said, "I understand. We recently learned about Elysium’s achievents. But you ntioned the abyss. What do you an by that?"

Tania explained, while Sishisi continued to laugh, "Yes. Due to certain issues with the abyss, Maumar himself has taken steps to erase communication between the middle realm and other realms. Unfortunately, the reasons behind this are not public knowledge, so we can’t provide more details."

Roman pondered this, and Tania added, "But I must agree with my colleague. I find it hard to believe that soone who looks like a child is the great empress of the Nous Empire."

Tiara, clearly triggered, shouted, "Just because I’m short doesn’t an I can’t run a country and be a wife!" When she tried to cast a spell at the two won, she found herself unable to do so. Roman noticed and asked, "What’s happening?"

The cat spoke, "I’ve simply sealed your magic." Roman, surprised, exclaid, "The cat just talked?!"

Tiara, unfazed, said to Roman, "You’re surprised by that and not by how they managed to suppress my spells? I’ll have more lessons for you after we’re done here." She turned to the cat and asked, "So why can you talk, cat?"

The cat responded, "I’m Noir Lumière, a cait-sith from the 8th Battalion. We can communicate like any other intelligent race. I choose to be in cat form during patrols. By the way, how tall are you?"

Tiara replied, "130.32 cm."

Noir smirked and said, "I’m 130.41 cm in my humanoid form." Tiara fell to her knees in defeat as Noir placed a paw on her head and proclaid, "Victory."

Tania then asked Noir, "So, what do you think, Noir?"

Noir replied, "I don’t sense any lies from them, and they harbor no malice towards our king. As for you and Sishisi... she..."

Tania interrupted, "I understand. Let’s contact Xi and proceed from there."

The group waited for further orders from Xi, who then consulted Lud himself on how to proceed. Lud replied, "While it is a bit sudden, why don’t we have a chat? Send the two to my office and I’ll handle the rest."

Xi relayed the orders to Tania, who inford Tiara and Roman, "Our king has agreed to et you two. Please follow us as we escort you to his office."

Thus, Tiara and Roman t the man himself, the king of Elysium, Faust Ilumnos.

From Lud’s perspective, he was deeply worried that his subordinates might have offended the empress of a great empire while they were already dealing with harassnt from the Perseus Guild. Nevertheless, Lud smiled and said, "Please sit down. My maid will be here shortly with the best tea she can brew. But first, let’s get down to introductions. My na is Faust Ilumnos, and I’m the current king of Elysium."

Tiara bowed lightly and said, "My na is Tiara Culling, and I’m the current empress of the Nous Empire. This is my hubby, Roman Culling." Roman bowed as well, "Greetings, King of Elysium. It is a pleasure to et you."

Lud replied, "The pleasure is all mine. Please sit down, and I’ll join you shortly." Tiara and Roman sat down as Lud finished one last docunt. As soon as he was done, he sat opposite the two visitors from the lower realm.

Lud asked, "So, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Tiara responded, "You seem rather ordinary as far as I can tell. But you have white hair and golden eyes like , so you must be doing sothing right."

Lud replied, "Oh, my appearance? I’m actually a homunculus. My appearance was chosen based on my brother’s preference."

Tiara was surprised, and Roman said, "I haven’t seen a homunculus like you before. Most of the ones I’ve seen could barely hold a conversation, let alone have as large a mana pool as you."

Lud asked, "You know I have a high mana pool?"

Roman answered, "We devils are sensitive to mana and can ’see’ it with our bare eyes."

Lud said, "Devils. I’ve heard about them in reports. Correct if I’m wrong, but there are three kinds of devils: E-type, which is basically an evolved monster; B-type, which is born between two other devils like any other children; and A-type, which is a will manifested."

Roman replied, "Yes. E-type is evolution-born, B-type is blood-born, and A-type is an anomaly born from a will. I am an A-type devil."

Lud said, "I see. But back to the topic, why did you co all the way here?"

Tiara responded, "Well, for two reasons. Firstly, I wanted to see the person who made significant changes in the middle realm. Secondly, we wanted to see if you could help us with a problem regarding my husband."

Lud said, "To be honest, I’m getting way too much credit. But still, I’ll help if I can. So, what is it that ails you, Roman?"

Zenith entered, pouring the tea she had brewed, and then left. All three took a sip of the tea, which instantly relaxed them. Tiara comnted, "I’m more of a coffee girl myself, but I can appreciate a good cup of tea." Roman added, "It has a good taste."

After a mont of relaxation, Roman opened up, "The issue is the nature of being born an A-type devil. The ’will’ that gave birth to has so malicious elents in it, and I want to make sure those elents never see the light of day in ."

Lud said, "I see. What can we do to help?"

Roman explained, "I’ve been looking for a substance that can erase the crystals born from the corrupted land forrly known as the Cryzalin Empire. If we can erase all the corrupted crystals from that land, I believe we can purify it permanently."

Lud thought for a mont, and Tiara added, "So far, we’ve been unsuccessful. We aren’t asking you to solve our problem. We are here to ask if you could spare so of your resources to aid my husband in his research."

Lud said, "I’ll consult so of my people about how we can help, but other than that, I don’t see any issue in helping you. It will deepen our connection with the Nous Empire as well."

Tiara said, "Of course. As the empress of the Nous Empire, I’ll make sure you are heavily compensated."

Suddenly, loud explosions were heard coming from the sky. Tiara and Roman were surprised, but Lud remained calm and said, "Again with this? I thought they were having talks about it as we spoke. I haven’t heard anything back from Altair, so why are they bombarding us again, even if the conference is in session?"

Roman asked, "What is going on?"

Tiara said, "Explosions from the sky, the influence of the abyss keeping out information, and the ntion of Altair just now. It must be the Perseus Guild."

Lud responded, "Great deduction, but you don’t need to worry. According to information from the 6th and 8th battalions, their firepower can’t match our barrier. They have been firing at us every now and then to keep us on our toes, but as far as the public is concerned, this is basically business as usual in Elysium. First, it was the Rucksta Kingdom, and now it is the Perseus Guild. I don’t want to jinx it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up on Ao’s ’Things to Exterminate’ list."

Roman said, "You seem quite calm given the circumstances."

Lud replied, "I may not look like it, but I’m currently running on adrenaline. As soon as that runs out, I think I’ll just curl up and cry. Tifa will be mad at for being a wimp, though."

Tiara looked at Lud with disappointnt and said, "I thought you were more amazing, but hearing you say that, my opinion is changing."

Lud responded, "Since I’m talking to soone with a similar status, I feel more open with you than I usually am with others."

Roman said, "We barely just t."

Lud replied, "Look... I’m not a smart man and I have no idea how to do this ’ruler of a powerful group’ business properly. So far, I’m just doing the bare minimum, and I sohow keep winning. I’m basically an idiot who can send nukes wherever he likes, but I’ve managed to keep everything in check so far. I have no idea when I’m going to fail miserably, so each day I hope that day isn’t today."

Tiara asked, "What the fuck is a nuke?" As soon as she said that, a big explosion happened in the sky. Lud looked out the window and said, "Yep, the barrier is still up and running."

Roman said, "Even after that, you are not fazed?"

Lud responded, "I’m basically engaged to what is essentially a bona fide demigod. Her na is Zolo-fucking-tifa, and if she wants sothing gone, she’ll make it so. I just hope she wasn’t having a bad day before the barrage, or we might actually end up with casualties on the enemy side."

Tiara said, "You call those who are bombarding you casualties?"

Lud replied, "I an, they are only following orders, but Tifa might not see it that way. Let’s just hope she doesn’t take all this personally before the conference that is supposed to help us solve this issue finishes."

Then Lud had an idea and said, "Why don’t I call Altair now?"

Both Tiara and Roman looked at Lud with a bit of confusion, as he had just stated that she was in the middle of a conference.

Lud asked Altair, "So, how are things going on your end?"

Altair replied, "Could be better."

Altair heard Vega say to Algol, "You know, while I appreciate all kinds of stories, your mother complex is starting to go off the rails." Algol responded, "I’m simply repaying what I owe to my mother. Nothing less is acceptable."

Castor said to Pollux, "At least our bond isn’t that weird. Right, brother?"

Pollux replied, "I agree, brother. Our relationship is much more grounded than Algol’s with his mother."

Algol said, "My relationship with my mother isn’t that weird. Right, mother?"

Altair said, "Sure, whatever you say. But just stop attacking people I have taken an interest in."

Algol said, "They are filthy abyss worshipers, and the great Ao has decreed for to go on this hunt, whether it is against you or not."

Altair replied, "For the last ti, Elysium. Doesn’t. Fucking. Worship. The Abyss."

Vega said, "While I’m on your side this ti, can you explain why the reading there signifies a great power from the abyss? You aren’t secretly harboring Zolotifa herself there, right?"

Altair, facepalming, said, "Zolotifa... is the king of Elysium’s fiancée." The room fell silent.

Capella said, "That is one of the gravest things you could have said, Elder. Do you have any defense?"

Altair was about to respond when a woman’s voice interrupted from the side of the room. "While it is serious to keep a blood daughter of Maumar a secret, she isn’t harboring any malicious intent by letting Zolotifa remain as she is."

Capella demanded, "Who are you? Show yourself!"

Heavy, stone-like footsteps echoed toward the group, revealing a moving stone statue resembling Altair.

Castor remarked, "A golem made to look like their mother is a tad too far, wouldn’t you say, brother?"

Pollux agreed, "Yes, brother. A portrait is the most you can have."

Vega teased, "Algol, you sneaky little pervert."

Algol shouted, "That one is not mine!"

The stone statue then spoke, "He is right. This statue doesn’t belong to Algol. Let introduce myself. My na is Eishi, a level 73 thryv’nith. A Hrätharkon, Archon of the Abyss."

Everyone in the room was shocked as Eishi revealed herself to be a formidable enemy of those who follow Ao. Algol exclaid, "Bold of you to think you can leave here alive, abyssal scum!" and attacked the statue. The statue remained unaffected, and Eishi calmly said, "Calm down. I’m here to clarify things, not to fight."

Capella questioned, "How can we trust you, a denizen of the abyss?"

Eishi replied, "For one thing, you are all still alive. Do you realize how powerful a level 73 thryv’nith is? A level 50 thryv’nith could defeat almost any god. To put it into perspective, I could destroy this whole station with ease."

Algol retorted, "Bold words for soone who isn’t emanating any power to prove themselves."

Eishi responded, "If I radiated my full power, you would all be dead. But to make it simple..." Eishi extended the statue’s hand, causing the world cracks to appear all over the station. Everyone thought they were about to die, but Eishi stopped the cracks after a mont.

"If that isn’t enough, I could teleport this whole station to another realm, right next to another one of its kind. A feat even Ao struggles with."

Altair interjected, "Let’s assu Eishi isn’t here to cause harm and talk about why she is here. So, Eishi, why do you have a statue of my likeness?"

Eishi explained, "This statue is made from an Altair in my tiline. This way, two Altairs can exist simultaneously, but the Altair this statue is based on can barely be considered alive."

Algol said, "You made a statue of our mother from another tiline? How despicable."

Eishi responded, "Despicable? She chose this. She chose to enter the eternal sleep I offered and stay with for eternity if she wishes. She can barely interact with , but there is a trigger that lets talk to her if she wants to ’wake up.’ As for why I’m here, it is to make a significant change in this crucial mont in Altair’s life. A change that may save countless star elves and prevent Elysium from being branded as despicable."

Vega said, "Those are so interesting plot points. Can you elaborate?"

Eishi replied, "I can, but first... why don’t we all show up to the major event. Right, Ao?"

After all this ti, Ao appeared in the flesh. No one, not even Altair, had seen Ao’s true form before, making this a historic event for the star elves and the entire Lutah.

Ao asked, "So, denizen of the abyss, what poison do you wish to spit at ?"

Eishi responded, "Harsh. Understandable given the history, but still harsh. But enough about that. This is how it would have gone if I hadn’t appeared."

"When Ao appeared during the squabble, everyone fell silent. Ao declared that Elysium had to pay for siding with the abyss, and it was final. However, Altair had a vision of the future if she remained idle. She saw a future where the star elves would fight Elysium and lose many lives. The war wouldn’t go as Ao hoped, and Elysium would win. The conflict would end only when the star elves were too exhausted to continue, staining Elysium’s reputation as rciless conquerors.

Seeing this grim future, Altair made a desperate plea to Ao. ’My god, in exchange for peace, I offer you both of my eyes as compensation.’"

Vega interjected, "That sounds like sothing she would say, but I give the plot a 5/10."

Ao then asked Eishi, "And how did that Ao respond?"

Eishi replied, "The Ao of that tiline said to Altair, ’An interesting suggestion. Tell why you chose this thod and why you go so far for these worshipers of the abyss. Give a good answer, and I will consider it.’"

Vega was on the edge of her seat, eager to hear more. Eishi glanced at Altair before continuing, "The Altair of that tiline said, ’I chose this thod because it mirrors what you did to keep an eye on Maumar. As for why I’m going this far, it’s simple. It’s the sa reason you sacrificed your eye—to be closer to the one I love.’"

Eishi paused, then asked Ao, "Do you want to continue, or can we move forward?"

Ao replied, "I see. Those words would have hit deep if I had heard them from Altair herself. My answer would have been, ’Since you put so much faith in your choice, I will grant your wish for now. But be warned, if I sense any malice from the abyss, I will not give you a second chance.’ Or sothing along those lines."

Eishi said, "Indeed, but in the tiline I refer to, you also added, ’My power has already been unleashed into the world, so it may strike you with little provocation if it senses the abyss.’ Of course, Algol made a huge fuss over what was essentially a love confession to soone affiliated with the abyss, while her son with a mother complex was present."

Algol shouted, "Of course, I would make a fuss! That is outrageous! Mother would never fall in love with soone connected to the abyss, and no man I haven’t approved of can be her partner!"

Ignoring Algol’s outburst, Ao turned to Eishi. "Be that as it may, this tiline has a factor that wasn’t in the previous one—you."

Eishi understood. "I see. Now that I’ve announced my existence and sided with Elysium, Altair’s sacrifice is no longer enough. It’s funny how the scales balance themselves in tis like these."

Ao challenged, "Surely you have sothing else up your sleeve. Or did you co here unprepared?"

Eishi replied, "Oh, I do have sothing. First, let’s discuss the part of the abyss I represent. I was born while being influenced by Maumar in a tiline where he tried to create a replacent for himself. During this process, I beca sothing the abyss cannot consu. I gained all the benefits of the abyss without any drawbacks, but this also ant I wasn’t suited to be Maumar’s replacent.

The abyss needs sothing to latch onto, and since it couldn’t consu , I beca a symbol of eternity. I am an incorruptible being and the only other person capable of handling the unbreakable eonite, the last thing the abyss is said to consu at the end of ti."

Capella said, "You say that, but you are still a product of that monster."

Ao added, "Maumar may have his reasons, but he is not the good guy by any asure. You ntioned the first part; what’s the second?"

Eishi continued, "The second part concerns the very thing you fight the abyss for—the abyssal swarm and its Swarm King."

Algol remarked, "You speak as if you aren’t part of the problem, but please, continue."

Eishi explained, "The Swarm King is a singular being like , capable of altering tilines by creating new ones through their choices. A singular being can travel back in ti and create new tilines by their actions. The Swarm King embodies the consuming nature of the abyss, ending tilines. He has, and will, consu everything in any tiline he targets, and there is little you can do to stop him."

Ao said, "So, you’re saying there’s a foe capable of destroying tilines repeatedly."

Eishi responded, "Yes, his thods are troubleso. He can set a hive in one tiline that produces larvae, which evolve into soldiers. Each evolution creates new branching tilines. The problem arises when these soldiers are relocated to a single tiline, their evolutions multiplying. This process can easily overrun a tiline, even if it starts over. And this doesn’t consider the already existing swarm."

Algol said, "So, there’s no way to fight it?"

Eishi replied, "No, it isn’t hopeless. The more everyone fights, the more effort the Swarm King must expend. It might seem futile, but resistance can prolong your existence. Though it sounds like sugarcoating, I know you’ll fight till the end."

Ao asked, "Wouldn’t this all be aningless to you as soone who can traverse tilines?"

Eishi answered, "It might seem so, but this tiline is Maumar’s primary investnt, so I will protect it. The issue is that Zolotifa’s presence makes this tiline less likely to branch out."

Ao said, "So Zolotifa’s presence reduces our chances of survival?"

Eishi clarified, "Zolotifa’s presence makes this tiline a target for the Swarm King. But she isn’t solely to bla. Maumar’s focus on this tiline is why the Swarm King targets it."

Altair asked, "I don’t understand. If Maumar focuses on this tiline, why does the Swarm King try to destroy it?"

Eishi speculated, "I suspect his goal is to bring Lutah to its end sooner than its potential. This may require the Swarm King to gain Maumar’s power, but Maumar isn’t a physical being that can be consud by anything other than the abyss. I don’t know for sure since I haven’t t him in person."

Pollux asked, "Then why don’t you kill the Swarm King if you’re so powerful?"

Eishi replied, "I would if I could, but beings who reach the 52nd level of thryv’nith gain a state of unkillability. I’m physically unbreakable, but the Swarm King can be reborn from any marked being. That’s what I’ve gathered from my observations anyways."

Altair said, "This eonite... you say it’s the last thing that will exist when the world ends."

Eishi confird, "Yes, and the everlasting sanctum Shalaphinar seeks can be built with eonite. As for my help in creating it, the answer is ’not yet.’"

Altair said, "’Not yet,’ you say? Well, that brings so hope. But you seem to know a lot about , which feels a bit odd."

Eishi explained, "I knew my tiline’s Altair well. I even called her aunty."

Altair retorted, "I know I’m old, but don’t call that."

Eishi replied, "I wasn’t planning to."

Ao summarized, "So, the Swarm is our enemy, and fighting Elysium now would leave us unprepared. Is that what you’re saying?"

Eishi agreed, "Yes. Fighting Elysium will make Altair’s vision co true on top of the abyssal swarm’s attack."

Ao said, "But you haven’t seen the future yourself."

Eishi confird, "Correct, but I trust Altair’s assessnt. If you’re curious, I can go check right now."

Ao said, "No, I trust you to so extent. But if you want us to avoid fighting Elysium, you must help us fight against the invasion you claim will co."

Eishi promised, "I will, and if you play your cards right, Elysium will help as well."

Ao says, "While I am considering letting Elysium go for now, I’m still not fully convinced. You might be lying to us."

Eishi responds, "I understand. The saying ’Yesterday’s enemy is today’s friend’ is nice, but the mories of conflict don’t just fade away with the snap of a finger. But fear not, I still have another trick up my sleeve that I’m sure you will like."

Algol says, "You think you can tempt our god into trusting you? Typical of a denizen of the abyss, so full of yourself."

Eishi replies, "Says you. But in any case, my offer is this: If you let Elysium be, I promise you can have a face-to-face chat with Maumar whenever you like."

Algol shouts, "How dare you suggest our god et that heathen?! I knew we couldn’t trust you, you witch!"

Ao then says, "Whenever I like..." Algol, concerned, says, "Our dear goddess, you wouldn’t choose to see that heathen, would you? Are you saying what that witch said is true? That you... have feelings for... for that evil incarnate?"

Ao replies, "I haven’t t him in person for so long, so I don’t know how I feel about him. I did love him back then, but... Very well. I accept your terms, Archon of the Abyss, Eishi."

Algol is flabbergasted, Capella’s mouth is agape, Vega is smiling ear to ear, Castor and Pollux are indignant, and Altair smiles with relief.

Eishi says, "Thank you for your cooperation, god of stars, Ao. Co to Elysium’s main square tomorrow at 12:00, and I will arrange for Maumar to show up as well. Don’t be late for your first date now, Ao." Eishi then disappears.

Ao, blushing slightly, says to her followers, "It... it is not a date. I’m simply eting with... I’m going to make that beast reveal whatever sinister plan he has for our world. I won’t enjoy any bit of it, you hear?"

Vega responds, "Oh, we understand, Your Highness. We completely understand. As your believers, we fully support you in this endeavor. Right, Capella?"

Capella stamrs, "O- Of course! I’m sure it will be worth sparing Elysium for!"

Algol falls to his knees, muttering, "First, that witch suggested that mother has been enchanted by that abyss-worshiping king, and now she suggests our dear lady is enchanted by that abyss incarnate. The world is truly going to end at this rate, and I won’t forgive that witch."

Ao shouts in embarrassnt, "I’m not enchanted by that beast!" Altair comnts, "We are supposed to be the elite of star elves. Well, at least this situation is solved, more or less."

Altair calls Lud and tells him the situation is sorted out and nothing more, wanting the council mbers, as well as their god, to maintain so dignity in Lud’s eyes.