บท 523: The Election (Finale)
(AN: Someone made a great comment on the last chapter, reminding me that it was bad for Edward to show his variant research on Void Energy since it could accelerate the speed at which they enter the void and achieve Omniversal Travel. As such, I am retconning the chapter, and he showed them Luna's research on Divination. I recommend reading the last paragraphs of the chapter.)
—--
"How do you want to fight?" asked Edward. "Do you want to use Virtual Reality, or can I create a special dimension large enough for our confrontation? Better yet, I have mastered ways to enter the Mirror Dimension, we can fight there."
"This bastard is showing off," was the thought that came into all these variants' minds, making them grit their teeth. Unfortunately, they had to admit they were not as good as them.
'We will use Virtual Reality," said C-137.
"Fine by me," replied Edward. "Let's not waste time and decide the winner between us."
C-137 wanted to beat this man to an inch of his life. He was one tier higher than his opponent, yet the latter treated this battle as if he was guaranteed to win. Such arrogance is a humiliation to him.
'No, he must have something that gave him his confidence,' thought C-137. He suddenly felt he should have been more careful. Unfortunately, he was currently riding an unstoppable train.
Before using his soul to log in, Edward first checked whether there was no problem with the virtual reality; he also ensured it could display all his abilities. A few seconds later, C-137 appeared before him, all ready for battle.
A countdown materialized before them, descending from 30. So, they waited until it reached zero.
'Not only do I need to win this battle, but I must use absolute force to deter these lawless versions of himself.'
So, he secretly activated his Arcane Spark, using his karma to boost his spells. He has recently won an intergalactic war and saved trillions of lives from the wrath of an Undead Legion. As such, his positive karma had drastically increased; in other words, he had plenty of karma to empower him.
When the countdown reached zero, Edward immediately acted. He did not use his Arcane Rune Magic for fear these variants would learn from it and replicate it. Although his magic system incorporates countless knowledge from other universes, making it impossible to replicate, he did not dare underestimate the capabilities of his variants. He knew how talented they were and how capable they were–especially if they decided to work together.
For this battle, Edward decided to return to his roots and only use Wandcraft and Basic Dragon Language Magic. As soon as the countdown reaches zero, he casts the Fiendfyre Curse.
A blue magical flame materialized under his command before turning an enormous eastern dragon. With his vast mana and Karma Empowerment, even the weakest spells become unfathomable.
Meanwhile, C-137's face changed; he immediately could tell his opponent had used a Tier 9 Spell.
'How is that possible?' He would understand if the latter had used some weapons or magical artifacts, but he did not detect any of these things. In other words, G-003 used his own power to cast such a spell.
C-137 reacted swiftly and used an Anti-Curse Spell, allowing him to control the Fiendfire. However, the sheer power of the flame pushed him a hundred meters away.
[Sectumsempra]
Edward waved his hand to cast another dark magic curse. A shield appeared around C-137's body; however, a few more injuries could be seen on his body as blood gushed out.
[Death Hand]
C-137 used his Divine Runes to cast a spell. As such, a golden light flashed around his body before a dark hand rushed toward Edward.
"I've dealt with so many Death Gods now that it's become boring," said G-003 as he waved his hand, canceling C-137's spell.
'My Death Magic is useless,' thought C-137, knowing the situation was dangerous for him.
"Enough playing around," said Edward before saying a strange and majestic word.
[Dragon Language: Destruction]
C-137 immediately felt the space around him twisted, becoming a cage that imprisoned him. He instantly concluded he was not in a pocket dimension created by his opponent. Furthermore, that pocket dimension was extremely unstable.
Then, as expected, it exploded. The chaotic space-time energy was enough to annihilate his unique Divine-Mana Physique.
The explosion annihilated the surrounding dozes galaxies. Luckily, this was only a virtual reality battle. Once everything calmed down, Edward saw that C-137 was still alive.
His magic robe was in tatters, and golden blood dripped from different parts of his body. Furthermore, a broken golden shield was still protecting him.
"So, you have already completed the prototype of Divine-Mana Spell," said G-003. "My invitation still stands. I'm willing to exchange for your study in the combination of Divine Energy and Mana."
"Do you think this battle is over?" said C-137 with gritted teeth.
"It is," replied G-003. "I can tell your soul is on the verge of collapse because of the rampaging divine energy and mana. Now, you are only trying to buy enough time to seal the divine energy and control your mana.
"Alas, it's pointless."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you sense the chaotic space-time energy mixed between the two energies?"
C-137's face changed.
"The battle is over. Admit defeat and save your last dignity."
C-137 did not say a word, remaining quiet.
"In that case, die," said Edward, raising his hand to shoot a beam of purple light similar to a dragon ball character's Ki Blast. He used pure mana to annihilate his opponent, showing his contempt for not even using a spell.
Edward and C-137 opened their eyes, each with different reactions. The AI appeared and gave Edward another perfect score. In this battle, he overwhelmed his opponent while also battling one tier lower. So, he deserved that grade.
"I guess I'm the president?" he asked, and no one said anything.
"Not yet," said A-001. "Although I know my chances of winning are small, I don't want to give up."
"Courage is admirable," said Edward before inviting him to virtual reality. While there was a countdown, he decided to ask the latter for his life story.
"What happened to you? If you don't mind me asking."
"My story is simple," said A-001, his eyes full of longing and reminiscing. "I once built the Magic Empire. However, my hubris led to me losing everything at the hands of Herpo.
"The Earth exploded, and everyone I loved and cared for died, and it was True Death, with no hope of revival."
A-001 seemed lost in his memories.
"I tried everything to revive them, to make up for my errors. Alas, fate seemed to be against me."
His appearance was not due to age, lack of vitality, or lifespan. He suffered so much mentally that he aged into an elderly in one day.
"Yes, arrogance and hubris are our greatest foes," nodded Edward. The countdown ended, and the battle began. Alas, it was even shorter than the one against C-137.
A--01 was an excellent healer, but it did not change the fact he was still Tier 8. So, Edward ended this battle as quickly as possible.
Finally, the AI gave A-001 a score of 30. According to its algorithm, it should improve after a few more battles. However, no variants care about this anymore.
"You guys are not going back on your word, right?" asked Edward, gazing at the silent crowd.
"Since we decided on using this method to decide a president, we won't go back on our word," said A-001, followed by the others. Edward then looked at C-137.
"I…also agree with the election."
"Excellent," said Edward with a smile. "Then, from now on, I will be your president."
บท 524: The President's First Order of Business
"We will reconvene three days later for our first order of business," declared Edward. He made this decision for multiple reasons. Firstly, he wanted to give these prideful people some time to accept the result.
Secondly, he wanted to see whether some people would cause trouble. If they did, he would not hesitate to annihilate them as a display of power and show his majesty. Lastly, Edward had some things to do and check before the assembly.
Everyone dispersed, returning to their quarters and planning for the future.
C-137's room:
"Lord, what should we do?" asked one of his two followers, a female elf with tattoos running down from her face to her body. Oddly, the tattoos did not ruin her beauty but gave her a wild and dangerous charm.
"The situation is not ideal," said a man dressed in all-black armor. He was human but stood 3.5 meters tall.
"This is far from over," said C-137, gritting his teeth as his eyes were full of anger, shame, resentment, and humiliation.
"Any idea?" asked the elf.
"I know my variants, most of them will refuse to accept this result–despite G–003 displayed."
C-137 had to admit that if someone were qualified to be the president, it would be G–003. The man had a natural charm and knowledge beyond all of them, not to mention his strange ability to fight above his tier.
"Do you want to ally with the others to riot?" asked the armored man.
"Directly rioting will ruin my reputation and cause unnecessary trouble. So, the best option is to decentralize the power of the president," said C-137. "The others will agree with me out of their jealousy and unwillingness."
"This idea might work," said the elf. "However, G-003 does not seem like someone that was easy to deal with."
"I'm aware, so I will need as many supporters as possible," replied C-137, his eyes full of cunningness.
"Unfortunately, you won't have that opportunity."
"Who is there?" roared C-137, standing up from his seat. "G-003?"
"It's me."
"Why are you here?"
"What do you think?"
"You want to kill me," said C-137 with great confidence.
"You're smarter than this," replied Edward. "Think deeper."
"You see me as a source of instability to your reign, so you want to eliminate me. Furthermore, you must be very interested in my knowledge."
"Good job. However, I cannot give you a full score since you haven't found the core issue yet. Well, I can't blame you since you don't know as much as I do."
"Do you think things will go as easily as our battle?"
"C-137," replied Edward calmly. "You have no idea the vast difference between our knowledge base. To me, all your knowledge and technology are simply backward. Although some ideas are marvelous and ingenious, it does not change the fact that all of you are backward and outdated."
C-137's face became ugly, but Edward ignored him.
"The greatest asset of the council is the collective mind of all the variants. Working together, I believe there is nothing in this universe we cannot achieve.
"Alas, we are so arrogant and prideful that it's almost impossible to work singlehandedly for one goal or purpose."
Edward sighed while shaking his head. If all his variants could get along, they could achieve wondrous things. Unfortunately, this was not possible. However, he can still make great use of the council until it eventually crumbles apart.
"Your arrogance is the greatest of all of us," sneered C-137.
"True, but I have the means to back it," replied Edward. A few minutes later, C-137's two followers passed out on the floor. Meanwhile, he had C-137's soul in his hand, reviewing the latter's memories.
"As expected of me, the security to the Soul Dimension is a nightmare," commented Edward before going through the tedious task of deciphering C-137's soul dimension.
A few hours later, he finally succeeded and got the latter's memories and knowledge.
"I'm relieved he has no knowledge about Tier 11," uttered Edward. The greatest crisis to the council is the knowledge that Tier 11 requires all variants to become one, becoming one [Self] while all the others become clones.
Once the news is revealed, they will all turn on each other, and the council will crumble apart. According to Edward's calculations, C-137 was the person most likely to know this news. He theorized the latter created the council as a way to pave the way to Tier 11.
Luckily, things were not as bad as he anticipated.
"What are you going to do to him?" asked Morgana.
"He cannot disappear yet; otherwise, some people might suspect something."
Edward placed his mark on the soul before putting it back on C-137's body. He modified his memories along with the other two. Finally, he disappeared as if he was never here.
Three days later, another meeting occurred at the previous stadium. The only difference was Edward (G--003) sat at the center where C-137 once occupied.
However, as soon as he arrived, the crowd became hostile with many murmurs.
"What is the meaning of this?" asked variant U-456. "Why can't we leave the citadel? Is this your doing?" His voice was loud, echoing in the room.
"It is," replied Edward calmly, who placed a barrier around the citadel to prevent anyone from entering or leaving.
"Explain yourself."
"The universe is a dangerous place," said Edward. "Many people sought after knowledge to travel the multiverse, and it's even more so in other planes."
He knew many of these variants would focus on developing the technology to travel to other planes. With their foundation as Multiverse Traverser, it won't take long before they develop the technology.
"So?" asked someone else.
"So, we need to take precautions to protect the council," replied Edward, who waved his hand to manifest a scroll.
"This is a contract of the highest order, guaranteed by our Plane Will. Everyone needs to sign it, and it will protect you."
"Protect us from what?"
"Protect you from powerful entities directly searching your soul and learning about the existence of the council," replied Edward. "There will also be rules to prevent council members from directly killing other variants."
The crowds quieted down, leaving only a few murmurs.
"How do we know you did not tamper with the contract?"
"You are more than happy to check it yourself. However, don't complain to me when you cannot understand how it works," replied Edward casually.
"Damn arrogant guy," murmured a few people.
"What if we don't sign it?" asked someone out loud.
"You must sign it."
"If I don't?"
"Two things will happen. I will either annihilate all of you or temper with your memory," replied Edward calmly. "Anyway, I will not let the risks of exposing that I mastered Multiversal Travel leave from the citadel."
The variants' faces changed as they felt G–003's arrogance had reached another level.
"Don't believe me?" said Edward with a smile. "Then, let me show you."
He tapped on his desk, and the brightness of the stadium drastically changed. These variants were on guard, but they did not expect what happened.
"My Mana, it's sealed," yelled someone.
"It's the same for me."
"Anti-Magic? Has he developed Anti-Magic?"
"L-123, there is no point in trying. I've taken special care of you and all the other Gods' circumstances," said Edward with a smile.
"G-003, is it necessary to go this far?" said A-001 with a sigh.
"None of you seem to understand how valuable the technology we hold is or the lengths these Tier 10 Gods will go to get their hands on it. I must protect myself and my family–no matter the cost."
A-001 sighed again but did not utter another word; he understood G-003's sentiment.
'Maybe, if I were as careful as him, I would not have suffered such a terrible fate.'
"Sign the contract or be annihilated," said Edward coldly. The scroll before him was divided into thousands, floating before every variant. In the end, they resigned themselves and read the contract.
The general gist is to protect the council's existence and its secret. Then, it also involved a peace pact that prevented variants from killing each other or invading the timelines of the council members.
However, some intelligent people detected the loophole Edward left in the contract. They can invade timelines whose members have yet to join the council.
Finally, everyone signed the contract. As for the people who still refused, Edward raised his hand, and a black flame enveloped them, annihilating them from existence.
He even used his Curse Rules and its power of Cause and Effect to prevent whatever backhands of revival these people had were rendered ineffective.
"From now on, all new members of the council will sign the contract. That's non-negotiable," said Edward. "Now, let's discuss our second order of business."
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