บท 229: Chapter 228: A New Opponent
A.N.: So, the Royal Trident speaks old-fashioned Atlantian language. I tried to convey that using Shakespearean english in the last chapter.
But I think that may be a bit of a chore to understand for some people so I'm using normal english in this chapter and you guys can assume it's old-fashioned Atlantian.
Let me know which one you guys prefer >
....
"The Royal Throne too…?"
Axel really didn't know what to make of that information, but it sure as hell didn't sound good.
"Yes!" Relied the Trident. "When those inked-stained infidels succeeded in succumbing the king to their side, they thought they had the whole Kingdom. Little did they know that I had already been passed on to the Princess and the Royal Throne no longer recognized the coward as its master."
"So, they had the pawn-King expel the Princess from the Castle, far away from the Royal Throne, and started the Process of corrupting the Throne too! From what I know, they might have succeeded by now."
"So, another Royal Relic potentially gone, huh? This changes things..." Axel murmured, starting to think.
The Royal Throne. He had heard that it was also a Relic, but it hadn't been functioning properly for a while. The rest seems confidential.
Axel decided to ask the system.
'System, what does the Royal Throne do?'
[Basically, it's a relic that grants its master total control over Atlantis itself. From weather to the kingdom's defense systems, the ruler can control everything.]
'What the—? Axel was blown away. Seriously, was the Royal Relic not enough?
The more he hears about the Organisation's plans, the more it scares him. First they had those Keys which led to god knows which place. Then they have the fucking bomb-blasts, monster invasion, and an overpowered madman with Royal Relic.
And now, they're aiming to have complete control over the Kingdom?
With the way Kraken is bringing out one card after another, it's a surprise that the Kingdom hasn't been already destroyed. Just as he was trying to increase his speed, the relic interrupted him again.
"Wait, my prince! We can't go!"
"What are you talking about?" Axel was currently very impatient. He had just woken up and realized he had lost 6 months of his life, and now all he could think about was the consequences and damage control.
"The same reason your mother couldn't go! The Royal Castle!"
"The Royal Castle?"
"Yes, made to be the last defense line of the Kingdom, the Royal Castle has the most powerful ancient defense system, designed by the Aetherians themselves. With the old king having control over that, you can't even reach him."
"That's… right." It was only then did Axel remember. The Royal Castle. That's not a relic, but a magical marvel. From the information he has gathered, it has withstood all the wars of the Kingdom so far.
And the old King still has control over that. As long as he's in it, no one can damage him. It's the reason why Aslot attacked him outside the Castle, and that too with a surprise attack.
"Then how do I take away the control over the castle from him?"
"The wards have been keyed to him. If you want to overwrite the permissions, you need to take the Royal Throne," replied the Trident.
"And I can't do that with the King having control over the castle! It's a paradox!" Said Axel in frustration.
He was able to piece together the whole story now.
The King got control over the Castle when he sat on the Royal Throne. When he started leaning towards the dark side, the Royal Throne no longer acknowledged him as his master, but he retained his control over the castle.
Atlana, having noticed something amiss, temporarily ran away from the castle so that no harm comes to Axel. But when she returned, it was already too late as she found the king ambushing her at the Kraken's base.
Now Axel faces the same problem his mother faced: Can't enter the castle. Only, it's worse now since there's a chance they might have also successfully taken control over the Royal Throne.
'System, is what this Relic saying actually true?' Axel asked, just to confirm. He really couldn't believe a weapon's words on the matter. Especially if the said weapon had been trying to kill him in their last interaction.
[Not only is it true, but what the Royal Trident doesn't know is that, in the past six months, the Kraken has already succeeded in taking over the Royal Throne.]
'What?! Already?'
As if it wasn't bad enough. If the Kraken has actually got the throne, then it's the worst case scenario. There are so many ways to destroy the Kingdom once you have full control over Atlantis.
'What do I do now?!'
In this situation, he might get detected and attacked as soon as entering the Kingdom, IF there is still a Kingdom left, to begin with.
[Do not panic. The Kingdom hasn't been destroyed yet. There's a way to save it. And you already have the answer.]
'... Do you think it's funny to talk cryptically right now?! Just tell me how!'
[The Mission. You just need to complete it.]
'Mission?' Axel frowned, then he remembered. He actually had a mission! The first part was getting the Royal Relic and the second part was—
"Reinforcing the Seal!" He said out aloud, also getting his answer.
The Aetherian Seal, which currently restrains the Entity. All this is happening because the seal has been getting weaker and weaker, allowing the Entity to use its powers to do things that should not be possible.
Due to that power, Kraken was able to control the monsters at the Bio Park, Tronis was able to finally defeat Ender, and Aslot was able to be the most powerful person in the world.
Similarly, the Royal Throne must have also been corrupted due to that power.
So, the best way to stop Kraken right now would be…to Reinforce the weakened seal.
"Can't delay this, can I?" Muttered Axel bitterly, turning in the opposite direction.
What he really wants to do right now is to somehow find out whether Daphne and others are alright and also inform them that he's still alive.
But the situation is forcing him to go for the seal like a tidal wave changing the route of a ship. Right now, he's in the last layer of the Trench, meaning he's really close to the Seal, and the Kingdom might be destroyed at any moment.
He can't really hit pause and first go check on his friends, can he? If the kingdom is completely destroyed, the Entity would be free. And that is game over for everyone.
Sighing, he began flying in the opposite direction.
"My-My Prince, where are we going?"
"To the seal. To reinforce it," said Axel, not stopping.
"I was about to suggest just that! As expected of the greatest prodigy!"
Axel decided that someday, he's going to set aside some time to dial down the godly image of him that has been built in this Relic's mind.
But right now, his own mind was facing pretty serious load the further he progressed.
"What the hell is up with this uncomfortable feeling?" Asked the Axel, rubbing his head.
"Right! The Mental pressure! How could I forget?! We're currently in the deepest layer of the Trench, meaning the Entity's influence here is the greatest. What kind of mental security package do you currently have installed in your mind? Is it the R1 deep, available only for the Royal Family members? Or have they come up with something better?"
"Mental security package?"
"Yes! This place
"The Entity can't directly use its powers on you. But it can definitely affect your mind. And at such a close range, it's not something you can withstand with ordinary mental security. You need the best mind protection installed in your head to be safe. So, which plan do you currently have?"
"Uh, I have none. Is that okay?"
"...None?" The Relic took a pause, there, vibrating as if it couldn't process that. "That is quite funny. Are you not willing to tell me? It's important to know so I can determine whether we can proceed further or not."
"I'm already telling you, I have none. You can check," he said, opening his mind to the mental link he had with the Trident.
"This… This can't be right! We need to retreat as soon as possible!" Exclaimed the Trident, suddenly beginning to vibrate like a certain tool.
'System, can I really not go?' Asked Axel.
[Do you think you would be influence by the Entity?]
Axel didn't need to think about that. Is there anything that can affect his mind? Fuck no. From start, until now, everything has failed him, except his will.
Having already gotten his answer, he began advancing towards the seal at a rapid pace. The deeper he went, the more pressure his mind had to bear, causing his occlumency shields to work overtime.
Of course, the Royal was still unable to understand how Axel still had an intact brain, but then it just seem to shake its prongs while muttering "as expected of the Prince".
"A-Axel?"
Just when he was progressing non-stop, he heard a voice from behind. Turning around, he found Antilla far in the distance, looking at him in disbelief.
As if having confirmed it actually was him, she began flying over a rapid speed. Behind her, Axel could also make out the silhouettes and the General, Kyrin, Akiko and the rest of the Black ops.
"I… I knew it!" Antilla stopped a meter in front of Axel. "I knew you weren't dead!" She exclaimed, rushing to hug him.
"My Prince—"
BAM
But before the Royal Trident could finish its words and before Antilla could hug him, a fist landed squarely on her face, blowing her head clean off.
"My Prince! You-You knew!:
"As if I'd fall for it." Axel muttered in disgust, wiping his fist. It was clearly just an illusion, built in order to fool him. Axel's mind wasn't weak enough for shit like this.
But the Entity didn't seem to get the hint, as it continued to harass him with low-level tricks for the next few hours.
"Just bear with it a little longer, My prince! We're almost there!"
"What? Already?" Asked Axel, feeling that it was too easy.
"My prince. You've gone through the Hallucinations, Test of Will, Memory Alteration, Heightened emotions, Heighten Sensation, and Dream States, and Paranoia," said the Royal Relic, in a tone that seemed numbed from shock.
"If only you knew how difficult it actually is," it said almost lamentably. The Royal Relic has made several trips here with different rulers in order to reinforce the Seal. And every time, the toughest challenge had been the last layers, where they'd suffer the most losses.
But just breezed through it all like taking a walk in his backyard. The Royal Trident was slowly coming to terms with what Axel's strongest suit actually was.
"Is that forest our destination?" Asked Axel, finally seeing something for the first time in this barren land. It was a vast forest with gigantic trees. The closer Axel went, the more he could feel the Atmosphere changing.
"What? A forest?" The Trident suddenly came out of its lamentations when it heard something absurd. "There was never a fore—What is that forest doing here?!" The last time it was here, there was no sign of a forest in this place. Then why was there suddenly a forest here? And it was no ordinary either. The trees here are as tall as 30 to 40 story buildings.
"So where is the seal?" Asked Axel, surveying the area as they entered the vicinity. He didn't really care where it was a forest or wasteland. All he needed to do was reinforce the seal and get back to the Kingdom as soon as possible.
"The seal… we're already standing on it," said the Trident.
What?! Axel suddenly jumped. This was NOT how he had imagined the place containing the most dangerous Entity in three worlds to be like.
The air was so fresh here. It felt like he was in one of the greenhouses of the Greengrass estate. And the atmosphere…
"Is this… light magic?" There was a magic he was familiar with present in the atmosphere. It was Light magic.
He knew it because his wand has fairy core and World tree branch, both of which are filled with Light magic.
But the question was, what was light magic doing here?
"What do I do now?" Axel asked the Trident.
"You were supposed to go to the center of the seal..." said the Trident, trying to make sense of the changes.
"And where is the center?"
"It used be… there." It replied, pointing in direction, where he could see the biggest tree he had ever seen far into the distance. It was as large as the Skyscrapers of Atlantis, and that is saying something.
"I don't like this," Axel muttered, proceeding forward cautiously.
But surprisingly, but surprisingly, nothing tried to stop him anymore. Not even the Entity's futile mental harassment.
After flying through the trees for a while, he arrived into a huge clearing, the center of which had the base of the largest tree. The light magic in the place was so dense that it was almost clouding the vision.
?!
There in the center, amidst the flowers and greenery, he saw a silhouette sitting with their back to him.
Axel's eyes widened upon seeing that.
"Daphne…?"
The atmosphere, the blond hair, and the back profile. Axel was confused for a moment. Because this wasn't a trick by the entity. It felt real.
The silhouette turned around and Axel saw the person.
It was not Daphne.
"Axel Regius Arhunt. I've been waiting," said an unfamiliar voice. It was an unfamiliar woman, her features so perfect sculpted that they seemed artificial.
The person had blonde hair, but and the atmosphere was indeed like Daphne, but the facial features and everything else was different.
"What. The fuck even are you?" Asked Axel.
"What I am?" The woman giggled, sweet her voice echoing in the clear. "That has a rather complicated answer. But I am called Vita. I am the guardian of this place."
"Vita?" Axel's eyes widened as all the hair on his body suddenly stood on end.
Vita's meaning in Atlantian is: Second.
'Second Overseer.'
....
A.N.: Bet you got edged when he said "Daphne", huh? You can relax now.
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