Chapter 157 The Mighty
Hallow looked over a carefully laid out map of the Eastern Worlds, his hands tracing over different portions of it. His eyes were calm and peaceful, not betraying the irritation he felt.
He was sitting in a different inn this time, in a plain wooden room bereft of decoration. A large wooden table was the only piece of furniture in the area, the map he was reading spread out upon it.
'Damn it. The target wasn't on Tabadel or Fasfa. Both planets have been swept clean. We're currently still sweeping through Obstra, Gilton, Plantera, Triya, and Mossdol, but these will take longer.' He rubbed his chin as he thought it over. The last 5 planets were all rather unique in their makeup despite being Normal Worlds and would require more time and effort to scan.
'Where in the 30,000 Worlds could they be?' He thought, frustrated.
There were only so many places that had remnants of Demonic power. As he was mulling this over, however, his thoughts were interrupted as someone came up next to the room.
"Ruler Hallow! The background report on Lord Inigo has come in, as has some other abnormal information concerning him." A black-robed Shade entered the doorway of the room smoothly, holding several sheaths of paper.
Hallow glanced up at him and motioned for the Shade to come in.
"Abnormal information? Continue." He responded, eyeing his subordinate.
"The Church of Light seems to be showing special interest in Lord Inigo. Orders from high up in the Church have caused his tale to be spread among the common people within the past 24 hours, informing all of his journey and the tribulations he will face." The Shade continued,
"He has been painted as an epic figure, a hero of old. As a result, the common people have embraced his tale, spreading it far and wide at an incredibly fast rate. Few truly powerful figures have taken much note, but among the common folk or those that rule the common folk, he has become a bit of a myth."
Hallow blinked,
"Huh. I suppose his story does have a certain draw to it, something that would resonate with the lower folk. How odd." He shrugged and motioned for his subordinate to continue.
"As for his background…" The black-robed Shade paused and then shook his head,
"We could figure out essentially nothing."
"Huh? What?!" Hallow's eyes widened as he looked at the man incredulously,
"Nothing at all?"
The Demonic Council's intelligence capabilities when it came to finding out about something or someone within the Shade Commune, the Vampire Noble's territory, and a large portion of the Borrel Autarchy were second to none.
For them to come up with essentially nothing…
It truly was as if this Swordmaster came out of nowhere. Hallow's eyes flashed as he considered this abnormality. Perhaps he had been too hasty in dismissing the Swordmaster.
"The only intel we have is that he defeated Lord Gabito of Fort Sutner in a duel. There was a minor note that he stopped a local dispute between a group of Shades outside the city, but apart from that, no other information." The subordinate shook his head,
"There is nothing else we could discover on our own. We did find out that the Church of Light has launched their own initiative to discover his background, but with Magic instead of agents. The method they used was quite unique, a Light Spell tied in with the Church's Haydo Truth Seeing Bell Artifact to determine whether his actions would fall on the side of 'Good' or 'Evil.'"
"And his results?" Hallow asked, glancing back down at the map.
"He came up as neither 'Good' nor 'Evil,' but 'Neutral' like most Wizards and Martial Artists typically do, and hence they okayed their plan to spread his tale." The Shade finished, shrugging slightly.
Hallow's eyes flashed as he heard this. A strong frown appeared on his face, taking in the information and running it through his mind.
'He came up Neutral?' Hallow rubbed his chin slowly.
The Church of Light's Haydo Truth Seeing Bell worked on a base level, panning fate. Someone who went above and beyond in doing good deeds would be labeled 'Good' by the Artifact. Someone that was an average being, not doing much of anything evil or good, would come up 'Neutral.'
And lastly, someone that did evil acts, like wanton murder or assault, or any of a variety of vile crimes often, would be labelled 'Evil.'
There was an exception, however.
One that made Hallow clench his fists in anger before he regained control of his emotions.
The Laws that one studied could affect the reading. If one studied any of the Laws the maker of the Artifact deemed good and righteous, the Artifact would label them 'Good.' The maker of the Artifact, from so long ago, didn't actually pick out individual Laws for this, but rather left it up to Fate and the Artifact Genie to filter.
Conversely…
If one studied any of the Demonic Laws, then no matter how much good they did, they would always be labelled 'Evil,' without exception.
'It is unfair and blatant discrimination. That damned Artifact cost my little brother his life, and he was as innocent as any other Shade. Simply studying the 'wrong' Law in their eyes.' Hallow's eyes were cold as the memory came up, his face twitching behind the mask he wore. The reason he'd gained his current level of strength was precisely because he wanted to avenge his little brother.
The Artifact was created back in the time when the Demon Race existed at full force and constantly waged war on the other Races. Its original, intended use was to ferret out traitors and spies of the Demon Race.
'The times have changed. The Law one studies does not make a man. It is what you choose to do with that Law that decides that.' Hallow shook the thought from his head, however.
It wasn't the time to focus on that. Perhaps one day his dream of destroying the Haydo Truth Seeing Bell and allowing Shades like himself to exist freely in the Commune would come true. That day was not today.
If this Swordmaster had come up 'Neutral,' then he couldn't be studying one of the Demonic Laws.
'But if he did study a Demonic Law, it would make much more sense. Actually, this entire situation makes little sense even if he is the target.' Hallow's thoughts grew muddled. Why in the world would he want to draw so much attention to himself if he was the target?!
"They have staked quite a bit on this declaration. Did the Church of Light send anyone to investigate the Swordmaster personally?" Hallow turned back to his subordinate, raising a question.
"No, we have detected no movements from the headquarters. It's possible they dispatched an agent in the field." The Shade shook his head as he replied. Almost as an after note, he added:
"Of course, if the High Priest or one of the Excelsiors took action, we would be unable to notice. But what are the chances of that?"
Hallow nodded. Everything pointed to this being a simple coincidence. After all, if he studied a Demonic Law, he would have to come up Evil.
'Still…' His eyes narrowed.
"Talth." He spoke the name of the subordinate,
"Report to the Council and inform them I'm requesting the newest member of the Council be sent to investigate Lord Inigo while I go over the remaining worlds here." He couldn't afford to leave and allow the target to escape. At the same time, however, he couldn't just let this Lord Inigo run freely, not when there was now just the slightest chance he was the target.
"Err, the newest member. That would be the one that calls himself Fifteen?" Talth responded.
"Yes. He's quite hard to track and versatile, especially now that his legs have been restored." Fifteen had joined the council just within the past month or two, Hallow wasn't exactly sure on the date. However, when he'd joined, Fifteen had been badly injured. He'd lost both of his legs and no matter what Magic was used, they were impossible to bring back. It was almost as if they were Magically Sealed away somehow.
He'd received word that Fifteen's injuries had miraculously healed just as he was setting off to investigate this situation. It meant they could finally put the new member to good use.
"I will carry out your word immediately!" Talth bowed his head and left, rushing off to fulfill Hallow's orders.
As his subordinate left, Hallow's eyes abruptly widened as he realized something.
'It's possible he somehow found a way to outwit the Artifact, hiding his Demonic Law. If he did that, why might he be creating a cover like this? It's not just to hide from us. No… far from it… He might be trying to infiltrate the Church of Light!' Hallow's eyes widened farther, this time full of shock.
'He's carefully crafted a persona to draw in the attention of the leaders of the Church, going as far as to claim to be a legendary warrior intent on vanquishing the Demon race. After all, the Demons are long since vanquished.' Hallow's mind raced ahead of him,
'If this all is true, then his every step has been meticulously calculated. He's been outwitting the smartest generals and greatest tacticians, using their own intelligence against them. The sheer audacity! The sheer skill! He must be thinking a dozen steps ahead of everyone else. Heavens above!' Hallow's eyes shook with amazement.
'But why? Why infiltrate the Church of Light? What is he trying to gain from them?' Hallow rubbed his chin. He felt as if he had stumbled upon a huge conspiracy of enormous proportions.
He shook his head.
'I can't understand it. It might be that this is just all some coincidence. I'll have to let Fifteen investigate, and base my actions upon that. For now, I'll just concentrate on picking apart these five remaining Worlds.' Hallow nodded sharply,
'After all, what are the chances that he is some type of super genius?'
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
"Behold! I am the greatest super genius in the 30,000 Worlds!"
Tinkling laughter filled the air as Helena giggled despite herself, glaring at Dorian.
"Stop it! This is serious!" Her voice croaked quietly as she spoke, still weak and unwell.
"Shh, I'm sorry. Just rest, silly." Dorian was currently grandstanding upon a luxurious golden chair. Around him, an expensive looking bedroom spread out, with gleaming curtains, a richly decorated wall, and a fine, woolen rug on the ground. A large, golden bed could be seen at the end of the room, covered in large and fluffy pillows.
Helena was laying in the center of the bed, resting comfortably under the sheets. Dorian walked over and patted her on the head.
"Listen to your husband, honey."
"I WILL MURDER YOU!"
Dorian couldn't keep a straight face and burst out laughing as he looked at the angry Helena. Of late, he'd found it incredibly fun to tease her. It wouldn't be often he could get away with that, not when she was as insanely strong and powerful a warrior as she was.
"Alright, alright." He held his hands up after a few moments, trying to appease her.
"How did they even know we were coming?!" Helena quietly sputtered from the side, still glaring at Dorian.
Dorian held his hands out to the side, clueless. He had done everything he could to spread a reputation about himself to make their travels easier, but even he couldn't believe what had happened.
When they'd arrived in the city, they'd been treated like kings and queens. A huge procession had led them inward where they met the City Lord, a nice chap named Patrin that was at the Middle of Lord Class. After talking briefly, they were given free rooms to stay in the City Lord's rather large mansion.
Dorian had ended up accepting, especially when he heard that the City Lord had helped set up transport across planet to the next World Bridge they needed to cross.
'Is it a trap?' He thought, but then shook his head. Even the public was joining in. Everyone seemed to be cheering them on and wanting them to succeed.
'Perhaps I am so charismatic the effect I had on people spread super quickly.' He entertained the notion briefly before shaking his head again.
Something was up, someone was helping him, and while he wasn't sure who, he also wasn't complaining. He intended to take full advantage of this.
"I don't know Hel-" Dorian cut himself off as he looked down at the Vampire. She had fallen asleep once more, her body turning pale.
'I really need to get her some proper Soul medicine.' Regular Pills no longer had any effect on her. The only thing that could help would be to get her some high tier medicine.
He watched her sleep quietly for a few minutes. Her withered appearance was just as beautiful, to him, as her normal one. He could see her fine features, her warm heart, and everything he admired about her.
"Uh. This is kinda creepy. Right, I probably shouldn't just watch you sleep." After a moment, he came to his senses and stepped away, shaking his head with a smile.
He walked over back to the chair he'd been standing on, sitting in it.
'Status.'
–
Dorian – Soul Status
Soul Stage: Lord Class (Pseudo-King)
Health: Perfect
Energy: 165,221/170,229
–
'My soul is constantly growing stronger thanks to all the Laws it's attuned to. That, combined with the Perfect Body Ability I got from Yukeli and the Abilities and forms I've gained on my own… I'm at least equal to a very powerful Middle King Class. If I use my Balance Demon form… I should be able to match Late King Class, right?' He mused, contemplating.
'I should keep growing stronger. But I need to start thinking bigger.' His eyes flashed.
'The Angelic Class.'
In the 30,000 Worlds, every single Class represented an accumulation. From Earth to Grandmaster, it was an accumulation of raw energy and power. From Lord to King, it was an accumulation of Law, as well as raw energy and power. To reach the King Class, you had to fully understand a Law, becoming able to use it freely and maximally.
Conceptual Laws often gave special abilities or powers, like the 'Super State' that the Law of Pride gave Leader. Some simpler Laws only gave enhanced energy.
From Early King Class all the way to Late King Class, the only difference was an accumulation of energy for the soul. Mastery of the Law could not be increased. Once you mastered a Law, you mastered it. That was it.
However, beyond King Class, there existed several experts that had achieved a higher Class.
The Angelic Class.
From his Spatial Ring, Dorian pulled out two things.
The first was a special list he had purchased, thanks to the help of the City Lord. This list ranked the most powerful beings in the 30,000 Worlds.
It had first been created more than 100 years ago. The maker of this list was unknown, likely because to dare to say you could decide who among the mighty was stronger bespoke incredible confidence or incredible arrogance. The list itself was likely to be an affront to many.
It was continuously updated, despite the danger. And the one Dorian was holding had been updated just last year.
On this list, everyone at the very peak of existence in the 30,000 Worlds…
Every single one had achieved the Angelic Class.
And of every being in existence, of all those mighty figures…
There were only 8 currently known to have achieved the Angelic Class and still be alive.
The list was known as the 'The Recording of Might.' There were actually two lists in it, not just one. One for the Angelic Class and one for the Pseudo-Angelic Class.
– Angelic Class Ranking –
1. Arthur Telmon – The Wizard King of the Borrel Autarchy
2. Grantheurm Flameborn – Dragonfather of the Blackgold Draconic Tribe
3. Sun Wukong – Almighty Ruler of the Graal Alliance
4. Saint Wanhope Gaiden – No affiliation
5. Hasith Shanty – King of the Shade Commune
6. Blaizenthaw – One of the three Beast Generals of the Graal Alliance
7. Cynthia Gudet – Head of the Borrel Autarchy's Annihilation Department
8. Homa Whistleberry – Head Monk of the Free School of Thunder
Dorian glanced over it, seeing several figures he'd heard of. His eyes narrowed as they landed on Sun Wukong's name, thinking of Will. He'd learned who exactly that monkey likely was thanks to Helena. He hoped the Wood-turned-Light Wizard was doing okay.
Pseudo-Angelic Class Ranking –
1. Maximus Caesar – Highlord of the Caesar Family
2. Octavius Augustus – Highlord of the Augustus Family
3. Marcus Aurelius – Highlord of the Aurelius Family
4. Hintur Tolda – The Gold Mercenary King of the Golden Moon Mercenary Alliance
5. Bashaba – High Priest of the Shade Commune's Church of Light
6. Rakenjaw – One of the three Beast Generals of the Graal Alliance
7. Saint Olga Warion – Guardian of The Blue Domain Country
8. Blake Drakofear – The Red Mercenary King of the Golden Moon Mercenary Alliance
9. Heptorel Entei – Head of the Borrel Autarchy's Gravity Department
10. …
The Pseudo-Angelic Class Ranking went all the way till it ended on the 49th expert. In it, a few names in particular stuck out. He recognized Marcus Aurelius from Helena's Vampire Family, as well as a few others.
Two that resonated in his mind deeply.
24. Bruiner Gammal – The Great Pariah of the Golden Kingdom
32. Archel Winston – The Holy Duke of the Elector Empire
'Archel Winston of the Elector Empire?' Dorian's eyes widened.
'The Holy Duke Archel! That is the same person that the Illustrious Elder Mage Horhavil that saved Will asked us to bring a message to!' As he thought that, he glanced over at Rank 24 again.
'Bruiner Gammal, the Great Pariah of the Golden Kingdom. The Golden Kingdom… Two 'Pariah Mages' were said to have betrayed Horhavil. They must've been part of this group…' He shook his head sadly.
There was nothing he could personally do about it now. He had no illusions that he was strong enough to challenge the 24th strongest Pseudo-Angelic figure in existence, not right now.
But in the future…?
His eyes flashed.
He owed a debt of gratitude to Horhavil. If the chance came up, he would repay it.
'The Angelic Class… what do I need to be able to fight people at that level? Or even people simply at the Pseudo-Angelic…' The second thing he pulled out, Yukeli's personal journal, didn't provide him with anything helpful.
He sighed as he looked back over at the sleeping Helena. Perhaps she would know. He would ask her tomorrow.
Till then… He didn't feel tired at all. As an Anomaly, he could use latent Growth Points to refresh his mind and body, meaning he didn't need to sleep. He could just meditate instead, turning his focus to the multiple Laws he studied.
"Rest well, Helena." He whispered quietly.
He then put his full focus on meditation about the four separate Laws he had touched upon.
"I will keep growing stronger."
.