Translator: Alpha0210
The first eting with the Half King had been profoundly impressive.
Residue still rembered most of that mont.
The slightly upturned corners of her lips, her transparent eyes, the arrogance mixed into her voice. The expression completed by all those elents. The conversations they'd exchanged while facing that visage head-on.
Even as he found it morable, he'd also been plagued by a sense of dissonance.
Because he'd continuously felt that the Half King was hiding her true self.
There were two things Residue had focused on at the ti.
The fact that the Half King had been created, and that in the process, ideology and beliefs had been forcibly programd into her.
In truth, both of these issues were connected to those who had made the Half King—the "Manufacturers"—so Residue had concluded there was no ans to shake her directly. Since no obvious openings had appeared even during their conversation, that belief only grew more firm, and—
'What a fool I was.'
Why hadn't he realized it sooner? The Half King had already been in an unstable state back then.
...No. Perhaps it would have been stranger to notice? The Residue of that ti hadn't had the luxury to focus on others.
Besides, the Half King had been too powerful to doubt.
From Residue's perspective, it was contradictory for a being with that much power to have an unstable mind.
An Absolute Powerhouse who was emotionally unstable?
Wasn't that equivalent to burning water or drinkable fire?
Residue glared at the Half King, who still hadn't responded.
"I can't believe it. You're not so beast, so did you really consider them your parents just because they brought you into existence? Or did they place so kind of suggestion on you?"
"...Be quiet."
"If you'd put your mind to it, breaking so re suggestion wouldn't have been difficult. Did you not want to break it? I suppose the lie was sweet enough to lose yourself in?"
"......"
A bleakness could be felt in the Half King's gaze. She seed to have given up even pretending to maintain her composure.
Because of this attitude, a conclusion naturally erged.
The Half King truly regarded the Void Lords who had contributed greatly to her creation as her parents. She frowned when mocking herself, but grew angry at their insults—that was proof enough.
Then how should Residue respond? Should he applaud this pitiful artificial lifeform's beautiful sense of morality?
That was not Residue's role.
"You dull-witted fool......"
"Dull-witted fool" was an insult Residue had coined himself.
It could be interpreted as "stupid idiot," "thick-headed moron," or quite simply "moronic moron"—he had created it specifically to curse at fools for whom a single word like "stupid" simply wouldn't satisfy.
"You were made as a super-creature, so your intelligence must be unparalleled, yet why can't you understand? Do you think just because you consider them your parents, they consider you their child? Does your current relationship feel normal to you?"
"......"
Silence again.
A sigh escaped him once more at this pathetic display, so unlike the Half King he'd once clashed words with.
"...Honestly, you're rely foolish, but the ones hiding behind you are disgusting. Should I call them cunning?"
The Half King's lips moved slightly.
Perhaps she wasn't completely beyond saving—while listening to Residue's rebukes, she might be searching for the source of the strange dissonance she'd felt all this ti.
"They say parental expectations are the hardest thing to betray. Think carefully. Didn't your heart sink every ti they glared at you with those stern eyes? Wasn't disappointing them more terrifying than fighting against Destruction, that incomprehensible existence?"
"......"
"No being doesn't feel fear toward Destruction. You're no exception, born from materials kneaded from 'The Outside.' In the end, you felt fear too, but you only fought because you were avoiding an even greater terror."
Even after saying all this, the Half King said nothing.
From her wavering eyes and tightly clenched fists, he could tell she was deeply shaken, but that alone wasn't enough.
Residue raised his voice.
"Damn it. My mouth is going to fall off. Rambling like this isn't my style. Isn't it about ti you understood what I'm saying? The point of my words is that this is a crossroads."
"What... crossroads do you an?"
"Whether you'll hurtle toward destruction in that state. Or acknowledge now that you made the wrong choice and turn back."
"......"
"Want one more piece of advice? You haven't gone far at all yet. Turning back sounds grandiose, but it's really not that difficult. What does that an? It's a problem that ends the mont you just admit it."
This was also advice from a senior who had turned back one step ahead, so his voice carried sincerity.
Residue slowly lowered his voice.
"Surely they didn't rob you of even the ability to judge?"
The absence of judgnt would directly lead to a sharp decline in combat ability.
If they had intended to design the Half King as rely an obedient puppet from the start, they wouldn't have bothered with honorifics like "Your Majesty".
"Even when I'm kindly telling you the truth like this, if you can't accept it, then there's no choice. I'll have to kill you right here."
"Why would such a conclusion follow?"
"In that state, fighting would only bring continuous suffering anyway, wouldn't it? So I'm saying I'll personally put an end to it."
That was enough bravado.
Residue spoke.
"Of course, if you still want to live, there's another path."
"......"
The Half King opened her lips slightly, then closed them again.
And let out different words.
"I must fight alone. That alone is my destiny. And I was made strong enough to do so."
The voice that escaped her no longer held its characteristic strength.
Residue thought about wanting to smack the Half King on the head as she murmured with a dark expression.
Of course, she wasn't Beniang.
She was a monster capable of easily dodging even a surprise One Step Through Ti and Space, so he had no choice but to strike with words instead.
"Your Majesty. Half King, Your Majesty. Please, you dull-witted fool. If you have a brain, use it properly and think. Even those incomparably powerful Destructions now move in groups and devise strategies. On top of that, the one controlling them and ticulously planning the invasion of the Unified World was the man most skilled at playing the long ga in the entire world. But what about you? Can you say you're definitively superior to those Destructions in even a single aspect? What on earth makes you think you can boast about fighting alone?"
Residue said, looking at the Half King.
"You don't need to fight alone."
"......!"
The Half King flinched.
"So stop this inefficient nonsense already. Do you still not know how precious you are?"
"I am... a precious being?"
"Yes. A precious and unique being. Even across the entire Unified World, you're a treasure that can be counted on one hand."
Treasure......
The Half King murmured in a low voice, then shook her head.
"...What exactly are you telling to do? If I don't need to fight alone, then what should I do? I only know this way."
"That's why I said I'd teach you."
"You an......"
At this mont, the Half King asked with a sowhat confused expression.
"Are you saying you'll beco my parent?"
How did the conversation suddenly turn to that?
The Half King's statent greatly deviated from Residue's plans, and even he couldn't tell what would co out of his gaping mouth in that mont.
CRASH!
Fortunately—if it could be called that—
He didn't need to answer.
Because at that mont, a massive tal mass fell from the sky and crashed directly onto Residue.
"......!"
The Half King drew in a breath at the sudden event.
"There is no need for you to listen further, Your Majesty."
Simultaneously, a rigid voice was heard.
Splash. With the sound of water rippling, soone revealed themselves.
It was a woman with white skin. Her expression was stiff like a machine, and she was exceptionally tall. Incongruously, she wore a flowing dress.
"What is the aning of this?"
"That is a devil, Your Majesty. If not, it might be a Destruction."
"Why do you think so?"
"Did it not sche with its cunning tongue to sow doubt in Your Majesty's heart?"
"......"
"Please forget everything you just heard, Your Majesty."
"...Insolent wretch. Who are you calling a devil?"
Residue rose while shaking off the tal mass that had been pressing down on his body, but the process wasn't easy. The weight of the tal was unimaginably heavy.
The tal was also extrely hot—if he hadn't protected himself with Thunder just before, his entire body would have lted like a candle.
Pushing back his hair that clung to him from the water, he looked at the newly appeared figure.
Even though he was seeing this woman for the first ti, he could easily tell who she was.
"Futurix, I presu? What an impressive appearance."
"Beginning Wizard. I noticed during the conference, but you talk far too much."
Futurix spoke coldly while waving her hand.
It seed she had decided that continuing the conversation itself was dangerous.
'Not bad.'
He'd been rambling while feeling uncertain, but it seed Residue's sophistry had been more effective than expected.
In other words, if he could just subdue Futurix sohow, persuading the Half King was now only a matter of ti.
Splash, splash.
At that mont, dozens of silhouettes appeared simultaneously from beyond the dark lighting. These figures had such individualistic appearances that they couldn't be grouped into a single mold, but Residue easily realized their true nature was chanical.
"...I'd really like to stop fighting now."
That was wishful thinking, surely.
The mont Residue grumbled and spread both hands, a storm of Thunder whirled around him as its center. The machines that had been slowly approaching ca to an abrupt halt.
If most of those things originally ran on electricity as their power source, then Residue could be called the natural enemy of machines.
But the cessation of movent was only montary.
The machines soon began charging toward Residue with creaking movents.
"Hmm......"
Watching Residue let out a low hum, Futurix spoke.
"Thunder and lightning seem to be your main force right now. So I specially prepared counterasures. All machines attacking you are made to be immune to electricity."
"You know a lot about ? Who told you?"
"You need not know."
Residue sighed and poured out his Thunder. However, the haphazardly unleashed thunderbolts only managed to montarily halt the machines' movents—they failed to destroy them.
In the anti, one machine that had closed to within arm's reach swung its fist at Residue.
Residue twisted his body to dodge, but for so reason, stopped his evasion.
Thud.
"......"
Even though the fist struck his solar plexus dead-on, nothing happened. There had never been such a cotton-soft punch.
Of course, this didn't an the machine's actual strength was at the level of cotton fluff... but it at least wasn't enough to surpass Residue's basic defense after completing his evolution.
More precisely, it wasn't even close.
'Pathetic offense and excellent defense. And this number......'
Residue's mind raced quickly.
"Are you buying ti? Futurix. What are you waiting for?"
"......"
"No answer again. Heh. Fine. What a consistent stance. You pathetic fool. The greatest coward in the universe. Now I'm starting to see what's going on in your heads."
Residue changed his tactics.
Rather than attacking all the machines at once, he decided to take them out one by one with certainty. Indeed, the changed tactics were effective, and though the pace was slow, he could steadily silence the machines one at a ti.
"'Your Majesty must fight alone,' 'That is the king's duty,' 'A king does not share responsibility,' 'Please do not lend your ears to the words of other blasphemous beings......' You probably spouted nonsense like that while brainwashing the Half King."
"......"
"You garbage. You shoved responsibility onto her because you were scared, yet you packaged it so disgustingly with talk of the way of kings."
As he destroyed the created machines one by one, his voice gained force.
His anger was beginning to rise.
"Do you people even have guilt? Probably not. Do you think the continuous brainwashing only affected the Half King? That's not it either. Those disgusting whispers caused more terrible changes to yourselves than to the Half King."
Perhaps their thoughts had changed from the beginning.
Making a super-creature like the Half King, attending at her side. Perhaps they had initially harbored the admirable thought of preparing for the coming war against Destruction.
"Long-held intentions must be continuously reinforced. Otherwise, they corrupt too easily."
"Our intentions have not changed."
"How confident you are."
Residue scoffed.
"The Half King, once her creation was complete, was stronger than you all expected—and she was far too obedient. The temptation from those things must have been quite sweet. That's probably when it started. When the Half King's role beca that of a shared responsibility-dumping puppet for the Void Lords."
"......"
"Then what about the Half King, whom you treated as a puppet? Was she truly composed? Did she feel nothing? Do you really think she harbored no fear?"
"...You."
Futurix also spoke in a heated voice.
"Why are you so obsessed with Her Majesty? It has nothing to do with you. Even if everything you said is correct, what gives you the right to interfere this far?"
"...I don't know about that."
Residue spoke in a rough voice, as if spitting the words out.
"I'm just annoyed, that's all."
Yes. Every single one of them annoyed Residue.
Those who tried to shoulder everything alone always, always made Residue angry.
Only then could Residue understand why the Half King's existence had bothered him so much.
The Half King was a mirror image of Lukas.
"Being fine and pretending to be fine are different. Even I, who have only seen the Half King twice, know that fact—you created her directly, yet you know nothing?"
CRACK!
Residue crushed the last machine underfoot.
"......"
Futurix's eyes sank deeply.
"Is that all the puppets you prepared? I wonder if your ti-buying succeeded."
"...As expected, you are dangerous. I must eliminate you here. By any ans necessary."
"By yourself? Or will you borrow the Half King's power again this ti?"
"There is no need to borrow Her Majesty's power to eliminate you. Can you not feel it?"
At that mont, Residue felt several powerful presences closing in from all directions.
"Including myself, four Void Lords have already gathered here."
"......"
"Do you not think this is sufficient force to eliminate you, Beginning Wizard?"
"Hmm."
So she'd been buying ti to set this up.
Residue humd in thought.
"...Certainly. Even though I've grown considerably, facing four Void Lords alone is still too much."
This wasn't bravado—he was rely speaking the truth.
Residue continued.
"But there's one thing I'm curious about. There should have been my companion. The one who went right at the fork. What happened to him?"
"You an the being who was wearing the Beginning Wizard mask? So that was your trump card."
Futurix wore a mocking smile.
Looking at her face, it seed she wasn't completely devoid of emotion. Co to think of it, if she were truly emotionless, she wouldn't have felt fear either.
"Then I'll gladly tell you. Your companion has already been subdued and is currently in custody."
*****
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