#203
Second Continental Summit (4)
In the northwest of the Ion Continent lies the Kingdom of Tulque.
Shaaa—
In the heart of a certain city, a wide area was flowing with sparkling light particles, majestic as if it were from another world.
With a softly glowing sky and translucent, shimmering buildings, the streets were eerily quiet, devoid of any presence despite their grand scale.
The entire scene exuded a dreamlike beauty, as if it belonged to a fantastical realm.
However, this city of light had a fatal issue—it was not a place to simply admire.
Kwuaaaang!
Kuwoong—!
Right at this very moment, there was a huge, pure white neighbor that was continuously smashing the city to pieces.
[———!]
A strange echo spread out from the giant at the center.
Its nose and mouth were completely sealed, making it impossible for it to make a sound, yet with the destructive energy contained in that suppressed noise, it was capable of inflicting serious damage all around.
Of course, within this space—
“Let’s end this now. Harley, please!”
“Uahahaha! Just lie down quietly!”
There was not a single person weak enough to be affected by it.
[———?!]
And the enormous white giant, which had been heavily damaged from considerable fighting, could not withstand the full-force leg sweep used against it.
Kuuwuung—!
With an incredible noise, the giant tumbled to the ground.
The impact caused the translucent buildings scattered around to shake violently, but no one in the group seemed to care.
Moments later, the downed giant found itself decapitated, its head split open.
Kauduk!
The fist-sized core that emerged from its head became Harley’s daily ration.
“How fascinating. It’s my first time seeing this in person.”
As the corpse of the giant slowly crumbled from the bottom up, Saint Liesta approached Harley, her golden eyes sparkling as she gazed at him.
“… You truly control the madness of the Abyss, don’t you? It doesn’t seem to be a racial trait… How can this be?”
“Hmm, not sure? It just works for me! Uahahaha!”
Though she stared at him with half-closed eyes, there was no way she would uncover Harley’s secret in such a manner.
“Well, as long as no problems arise, that’s what matters. If the Holy God has allowed it, there must be a reason!”
Ultimately, she had to shake her head and step back, showing hints of regret.
“Still, it ended sooner than expected, thanks to the Saint’s barrier. We managed to minimize civilian casualties. It would have been quite a difficulty fighting in the city otherwise.”
“Ah, Saint! You are far more impressive for bringing down that giant! I merely provided a little help!”
“Wasn’t it thanks to you that we quickly sensed its appearance and made it here? If we had been even slightly late and the giant had rampaged through the city… the casualties would have been beyond measure.”
As Heinrich spoke with a gentle smile, they had gathered there due to Liesta’s sensing ability activating just in time.
By fortunate coincidence, it had happened immediately after the second day of the summit had concluded.
Moreover, the area where the giant appeared was a city that could be accessed directly through the shrine’s gate.
‘Thanks to that, we properly had the Saint’s debut battle.’
From the giant’s search to forming isolated spaces that allowed them to fight without concern, to various buffs aiding those participating in the battle.
It was a veritable display of high-level holy law befitting a Saint.
‘That said, the city was still not without damage.’
Regardless of their haste in detecting the signals and moving immediately, the gathering and moving of the party inevitably took some time.
Casualties that could not be prevented during that process were unavoidable.
Of course, it paled in comparison to the anticipated scale of damage.
“… It’s already this late, huh? Shall we head back? We need to rest soon for tomorrow’s meeting.”
“Ah! Right. Since it’s my first fight, I kinda lost track of time.”
The giant’s invasions did not heed timing, and their frequency was steadily increasing.
Naturally, since they could not be present for everything, they had to leave certain situations to the elite forces of each nation when necessary…
‘Still, if conditions allow, it’s much more efficient for us to take action ourselves.’
It applied both for minimizing damage and recovering the giant’s core.
“Still, it’s a relief that the Undead King is quiet… but why does it feel so unsettling? It’s as if something significant is about to happen, as if it’s the last moment of peace before a storm…”
“Hoo, doesn’t the Undead King see conquering the continent as a type of game? This must also be a form of entertainment for them, urging us to struggle to the fullest within limits.”
“If that’s the case, I suppose that’s good. But I still have a feeling it’s not all there is to it. Hoo— I tried to hold back during the meeting, but today I’m especially longing to see Tion and Mew…”
Those were familiar names.
Names he had heard once before…
‘Ah! Those worms. They’re still alive, huh?’
Well, considering they were so blessed by the Saint, it was natural for them to live long.
Heinrich consoled her, who seemed somewhat anxious, and moved together with the group back to the shrine.
‘… But is it because I suddenly heard that? I’m feeling uneasy too. Seems I’ll need to reinforce the party a bit more.’
Of course, since the Undead King was practically allied with them, things would not likely escalate to a serious situation as Liesta feared.
Even if issues arose, they would most likely occur elsewhere.
For example— the Oath of Reversal.
‘Yeah, I’ve left those minions lingering too long under the excuse that I’m busy with other matters. I need to uproot them as soon as possible, no matter how long it takes.’
They had been searching steadily until now, yet it seemed that the more they hunted them down, the more cautious they became, making it difficult to track their whereabouts.
At this rate, there should be some movement before they could catch them by the neck, but there was currently no indication other than the main instigator of the southern coup.
‘Once the summit wraps up, I’ll immediately sweep through the south to gather additional information. Meanwhile, I’ll solve Harley’s request as well.’
As he tackled one matter after another, he believed he would eventually reach the end.
With that, the hero party left the woes of the Saint and the contemplation of the Saint behind, delegating the remaining tasks to the kingdom’s forces and returning to the Rosellia Temple.
After all, the continental summit was still underway.
*
Like the first session, the summit was to be held over several days.
Given the gravity of the matters involved and the various intertwined factions, it was only natural for it to be this way.
Among the agendas was also about the replenishment of the special task force…
Since Heinrich’s hero party was doing so well, others began showing significant interest this time unlike at the beginning.
‘Judging by the flow of events, they must not think it’s too dangerous. I suppose they feel a sense of envy considering we’re gaining fame more easily compared to our endeavors.’
Anyhow, this was also something they had been hoping for, so having multiple candidates was a good thing.
The first to be considered was none other than the High Elf, Lydia Greenwood, who came along as a successor to Laforey.
He already knew about her well through Harris, a fellow High Elf.
Unlike typical elves, she was a warrior in charge of battles within the Elven Kingdom, the leader of the “Sentinels,” who participated in the second meeting with numerous other Sentinels.
‘An elven spirit archer! That’s also a dream come true. It’s a pity that Harris is still growing and can’t be used immediately.’
Thinking of additional candidates, he considered employing a Trueblood vampire, more than suitable for an assassin position…
“By the way, is it really alright to leave the Talia Kingdom as it is?”
Before Heinrich could finish his thoughts, the acting president of the Zephia Republic, Kayla McClair, boldly brought that topic to the center of the meeting hall.
With a resolute expression, she stood up from the table, slowly scanning the room and making eye contact with the other representatives.
“A nation ruled by vampires that drain the life force of citizens to gain immortality? There is no way that can be considered a legitimate state! No matter if it’s a kingdom or republic, how can we condone treating humans as livestock!”
Kayla declared the words others had intentionally refrained from saying as her eyes flashed with intensity.
Though Heinz II had purposefully moderated his demeanor compared to the first day, her attitude came off excessively brave.
‘Hmmm, I understand her sentiment.’
According to preliminary investigations, she had lost a young son to someone suspected of being a vampire long ago.
Though technically he was still missing, given how long it had been, he could effectively be considered dead.
‘It was probably an act by the Obaifo Clan from the East.’
However, to expect the woman who lost her son to differentiate between clans when she herself was aggrieved would be an overly ambitious desire.
To her, vampires were merely the same.
‘In fact, it’s impressive she has held back this long.’
Being the representative of a nation and holding the position of vice president likely made her more prudent.
However, the fact that she had only raised her voice now after several days had passed was…
“Hmm, that’s certainly true. Honestly, we, as a neighboring nation, have many concerns as well.”
“There must have been a considerable amount of time, right? There’s some resistance to accept this outright. What if we impose certain sanctions for a period to allow people to feel secure…”
“Ahem, I agree.”
The representatives of the three kingdoms adjacent to the Talia Kingdom cautiously added their support to Kayla’s assertion.
‘Certainly, they approached this politically.’
Clearly, this was the most rational approach.
Regardless of all else, vampires had been humanity’s enemies for many long years.
Furthermore, even the imperial representative, Princess Riley, and other representatives, although they did not speak up, seemed to share that ambiance mentally.
They were merely holding back their words, considering the stance of the order that had accepted the vampires of Talia Kingdom.
“Hmm? Sanctions…”
And Heinz’s reaction to that was—
“Yeah, not sure what can be done, but go ahead and try if you can.”
It was a brazen head-on counterattack.
As he finished speaking, Heinz II intertwined his fingers, a cold smile appearing on his face.
The suppressed chill emanating from his body began to gradually rise.
“……..”
“… Ahem.”
The representatives exchanged hurried glances, evidently caught off guard by his response.
They may have anticipated him to show some fluster at their provocation.
After all, the order had housed the vampires of the Talia Kingdom to avoid creating more dangerous foes in the current situation.
In other words, bringing conflict at this juncture would be utterly futile.
Their argument was indeed valid, but their timing was poor and their proposal lacked realism.
Furthermore…
“Come on now, let’s remain calm, shall we? Heinz, would you suppress that temperament?”
“… Hmph. Alright then.”
“Right now, we are facing a serious crisis. Even if we can unite our strengths, causing disturbance would do nothing good for the current predicament.”
Being on the same side as the order’s saint, how could they not feel the pressure?
Doubtless, as Heinrich’s voice spread a gentle yet firm aura, the representatives gradually nodded, albeit reluctantly.
And while the moment of disturbance was settling, the ringleader of the event, Kayla, naturally resumed her seat, watching the situation with an expression that said she was not anticipating anything to progress.
It seemed she hadn’t intended to see any resolution in the first place.
As Heinz let go of his intertwined fingers, he began stroking his chin slowly.
‘… Kayla McClair. Was sowing seeds her objective all along?’
A catastrophe does not simply explode; it is the culmination of grudges and dissatisfaction built over time.
While it had been momentarily resolved, the conflict from this incident would linger as a future obstacle to unity.
In some ways, it could be said to be a long-term big picture, but he did not harbor any particular feelings about it.
On the contrary, it sparked even more interest in her.
‘Indeed, she could prove quite useful.’
Though she currently positioned herself as an enemy to all vampires, that could easily change based on how it was handled on their end.
If only he could properly direct her anger toward the Obaifo Clan…
‘That would also aid in dealing with the Obaifo lurking within the Zephia Republic.’
Moreover, if he could sweep them away, it would effectively mean dominating all vampires in Auterica.
While some minor clans might still be around, at least 90% would fall under his command.
‘And at that point, Heinz II will truly become the Vampire King… Hmm?’
But just as he was lost in those reveries, a sudden and unexpected change on Earth was detected.
*
As night began to fall.
[… What is this?]
As Hans, a global star stirring the Japanese archipelago, entered Osaka, he felt an unsettling vibe and paused in mid-air.
‘A barrier? An Otherworld? No, it feels different. It’s as if I’ve moved to another dimension…’
The spatial coordinates were tangled, making it impossible to pinpoint a proper existence, and there was no detectable outer wall of a barrier to interfere with.
It was truly a perfect otherworldly environment.
Hans’s skull tilted slightly.
He realized he had fallen into a trap set by someone without even realizing it.
It wouldn’t be surprising for someone to have a high-level unique skill capable of such an occurrence, yet it was only unavoidable that he felt uncomfortable about it.
“How interesting, if it’s this effective, others would certainly be at a loss.”
At that moment.
A voice from an existence he had similarly failed to recognize echoed softly from behind him.
“Who would have thought there would be someone undertaking the mad deed of harboring ‘the death of the world’ within themselves.”
Hans turned slightly, looking at the person who had spoken to him.
The being, which had maintained a vague presence until their eyes met, began to emanate a suffocating aura.
“Though the physical body seems dead, it’s quite remarkable that you maintain your consciousness. You possess quite a unique skill, it seems?”
No, upon closer inspection, they appeared to be an ordinary young person.
… Or perhaps a remarkable old man.
Maybe they were a ghost or an illusion.
“I find you very intriguing.”
The enigmatic being smiled at Hans as if pleased.
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