Chương 84: 82nd Adversary: Expanding The Country
Jara Jungle.
"Seriously, I just healed you and here I am treating your wounds again."
Momo was stitching up the wound that stretched from Miko's chest to his waist. She was using a peculiar needle that had a string of light attached to it. Once she sowed a part of Miko's wound, it would close up and his flesh would give off a small amount of smoke as if his wound was being burnt shut.
"This is a very expensive enchanted tool, you know. Also because it's made with dozens of small spell circles, it takes a lot of mana to use."
She hit Miko in the back of the head.
"This thread is my concentrated mana, which means the more I use it the more mana I exhaust. A big wound like this will completely drain me, You masochistic brat!"
She hit him again.
"Hey, I'm injured. Can't you be gentle?"
"Hmph, you like injuries don't you? So that should make you happy."
"Sorry, Momo."
Leon, who was sitting nearby, apologized with a wry smile.
"Even though I'm supposed to make sure that stuff like this doesn't happen, I've failed twice already."
He started scratching his head timidly.
"Since you're the only one who has medical knowledge, I can only ask you to treat Miko."
"No, it isn't something you should be apologizing for. The one who should be apologizing is this idiot."
"Ow, ow, ow!"
Miko cringed when Momo angrily squeezed his wound.
"Crying over something like that? You people really are weak."
Ishma said.
"I didn't bat an eye when I lost my arm during the war."
"Because not all of us have the leader of the demons as our father and was born with godly regenerative abilities, Ms. Lucifer's Daughter."
Miko snapped back.
"Speaking of demons, what did you do just know, Miko? You turned into a terrifying existence."
Sora asked.
"Oh, and you completely looked like a dragonman at one point too. Although, dragonmen had wings and tails while you didn't."
Ace added.
"I'm curious about those as well. One of the reasons the Annual Meeting ended early was because we sensed that aura coming from the capital and decided to check out if we were being invaded."
Said Leon.
"Hmm…..I can't really go into details about the second form, but I can explain the dragon form."
"Why can't you explain the second one?"
Hina asked.
"Because you might not believe me."
"Try me."
"It's my Satan form. Apparently, I'm to be the next Satan as well as the enemy of the Supreme Being and the world."
"....."
He was met with silence.
"See."
"No….It's just that…you know."
Sora tried to put it into words but couldn't.
"Well, it's the truth."
"Does this have to do with your Irregularity?"
Miko nodded.
"Irregularity?"
"It'll take too long to explain so I'll tell you about it at a different time. Just know that what I used was a technique called Ascending Satan. There are five stages to this technique and what you witnessed is the first stage, Dark Lord."
Miko saw that everyone was still confused and moved on.
"The dragon form is what I spent months creating while I was locked up. It gives me physical abilities on par with a Dragonman. As for the name, I haven't thought of one yet, and I'll also explain how I did it at a later date."
He stood up and put on his shirt after Momo finished closing his wound.
"Right now, we have more important things to focus on."
He turned his attention to the five guardians who were standing at the side as if they were children put into a corner. Seeing that he was looking at that, they straightened up. The previous arrogant attitude they had was nowhere to be found.
(While obedience is good, I hope I didn't shatter their confidence. They're no use if they're declawed.)
Miko thought to himself as he approached them.
"I want you guys to do something for me."
"What is it?"
Asked Kris the orc.
"I want you to assemble the leaders of all beast races in this jungle. You can omit the Beastmen and humans for now. You're the unbeatable gods who they worship. I'm sure they'll quickly answer your call."
The look in the guardians' eyes became more lively.
(Looks like praises are what keep their confidence intact.)
Miko showed a pleased smile.
"When you gather the leaders of the races, what will you do?"
Acacia, the elf asked.
"I'm gonna explain their situation and give them all a choice."
Less than an hour later, a group of beasts gathered in the guardians' domain. When they arrived they were shocked to see Miko and the others, who were strangers, standing with the guardians of the jungle.
"Oden, what's going on?"
A bearded man that was a little over 4ft tall and had a muscular build called out to Oden. He was a dwarf. The reason he called out to Oden was that he was the only one he could talk to since the guardians outranked him and he didn't know Miko and others.
"Sirdrek, this is a meeting to decide the future of the jungle. It would be great if you made the right decision after it's done."
That's when Miko stepped out.
"Hello, residents of Jura Jungle. My name is Miko and I'm here today to offer you a proposition."
Everyone had their eyes on him while he also kept his eyes on them. He nodded with a satisfied look and then spoke.
"How would you all like to become residents of my country?"
His words instantly caused an uproar.
"Join his country?"
"What is this human saying?"
"This is the home of beasts you know? Why would we leave and join a country we know nothing about?"
"Surely he's joking."
Miko stood with an innocent smile on his face as if he was waiting for everyone to stop talking. After a while, the talking ceased and everyone once again gave him their full attention.
"I'm sure you all have a lot of questions and doubts and I'm willing to answer them all."
"Then, I have a question."
The dwarf named Sirdrek stepped forward.
"I'm the king of the 30,000 dwarves living in this jungle, Sirdrek."
"King Sirdrek, huh? Go ahead and ask what you want."
"Then, I'm going to ask what everyone must be dying to know. Who are you? You said your name was Miko, but that wasn't nearly enough to make us know who you are."
Miko nodded.
"My name is Gamiko "Miko" Dragna. I'm a former prince of the Dragna Empire and founder of Renacido."
"Dragna Empire?!"
"A prince he says? Then he's just a member of royalty who wants to treat us like exotic beasts."
Miko caused another uproar. This time a woman who wore clothes made of leaves and had a green glow around her stepped forward.
"I'm Kai and I'm the leader of dryads. Prince Gamiko, you mentioned something called Renacido, could you explain what that is?"
"It's a country that I've recently founded in the Dragna empire. I intend to make a place where anyone can be reborn a new and live a free life. For that to happen, I wish to break off from the Dragna Empire and become an independent state. I'm here to recruit you guys to join my country."
A bright ball of light appeared in front of Miko. A miniature, winged person was inside the light.
"I'm the king of the pixies, Bron. Why do you want us to join your country? We're all seen as nothing but beasts, so that may cause a chaotic situation."
"What's the difference between a beast and a Beastman?"
Miko asked in return.
"A Beastman is born looking like a beast but gains their human form during infancy, while beasts stay beasts and only gain a human form after reaching the Divine level thus becoming Divine Beasts."
Miko nodded at Bron's words.
"Beastmen are beasts yet they're accepted because they also appear human. In many eyes, only those who appear human are people, but it's different with me. I see no differences between humans, gods, demons, or beasts. We're all people in the end. There may be some things that are unique to each race, and some races might have some disadvantages when compared to others but in the end, we all are people. We all want to live freely and without restraint. Everyone here in this jungle is the same. You all want to live freely, but you're stuck in this prison because this continent doesn't allow it."
Miko stretched his hand out and Bron, surrounded by light, landed on his palm.
"I want to free you all from this prison and allow you to see more of the world. Even if it's just one more country, for now. My ultimate goal is to make it so that you can go wherever you want in this entire world. I wish to recreate the world into such a place."
A wolf with metallic scales on its back and tail stepped out.
"Why go so far for us?"
"This isn't for you."
Miko placed his hand on his chest.
"This is my selfish wish. I'm no messiah or saint. In fact, I'm sure that I'll go down as one of the greatest evils to ever existed. However, I don't care. I'm evil and because of that I had no place in this world, so I've decided to make one for myself. So why not make one for people like you as well? Why not make a place where the rejects can finally feel accepted?"
Miko grinned.
"It might look like a lawless, chaotic, and evil country to those who don't understand or need it, but for rejects and outcasts like us it will be heaven."
He stretched his hand out.
"You asked why you should join me. And now I ask, why not join me? You're already seen as worthless, vile, despicable monsters, so what do you have to lose? Show them how vile and how despicable we can be and burn their world to the ground and build our paradise on the ashes! If they can't accept us then fuck them! We'll accept ourselves and ensure our freedom! I want the world to be reborn anew! That is my wish!
"....."
Everyone was silent. The words that came out of this stranger's mouth were like the whispers of a devil. He told them to take things into their own hands and carve their own path to freedom. He was telling them to burn everything to the ground and trample on those who rejected them.
If he wasn't a devil, then what was he?
"Despite looking like an angel….this human, no this monster is terrifying."
"I know right?"
Oden started laughing.
"Oden, Have you already agreed to this?"
A high elf asked.
"Of course. It was too good of a deal to miss out on."
Oden's words came as a surprise to these beasts. He was known for his cynical views and personality. He trusted no one but himself. Not even the guardians were able to gain his trust, yet he was won over by this human who just came to this jungle. That's when a thought occurred to the beast leaders. A tall beast with green skin, a muscular build, and sharp teeth, and pointy ears stepped out. Miko recognizes this person as a Hobgoblin and a pretty strong one too.
"I'm Valera, King of the goblins in this jungle. There's something I wish to ask Your Majesty."
"Miko is fine."
"Then Miko, regarding that….terrifying sensation that swept across the jungle earlier…."
"Oh, that? That was me."
Miko pointed at himself and said.
"?!"
The beasts all flinched in unison.
"….I see."
The goblin king and all the other leaders looked at the smiling Oden.
(He wasn't bought over, he was conquered!)
They screamed in their hearts. They also started to observe the guardians who had been quiet since they got there. The guardians' hatred for humans wasn't a secret, especially for Aiden. Rumor has it that he used to be the plaything of a royal family who tortured and humiliated him for over 30 years. His hatred for humans was no joke. Yet, they all allowed Miko to act as he pleased.
The beast leaders could also smell blood. This proved that some kind of battle occurred here and the winners were clear. If that's the case….
"Well, what do you guys say?"
Miko asked.
"One final question."
The Dwarf King, Sirdrek lifted his hand.
"If we join your country what happens to the jungle?"
"It will become a part of Renacido. Only a vacant land of a few miles separates this jungle from Renacido, so I was planning to merge everything together and create a much bigger country."
"Then, we don't necessarily have to leave the jungle?"
"You'll need to move a portion of your population into my town, but whether it's permanent or not is up to you. Either way, you'll still be a part of my country. Also, you need to share your resources, skills, arts, and technology; in return, we'll share ours."
Miko spread his arms.
"I want us all to smoothly merge in one country with a mixture of colorful cultures and people."
"What about governing?"
"You'll be representatives of your races, you can continue governing them as before. Any problems you have, you can bring them to the guardians for now and they'll bring them to me. They'll act as something like your overseers for now. However, this is all temporary. I plan to set up a proper government body in the future which you'll all be a part of."
Miko clasped his hands.
"Then, have you come to your decision?"
The beast leaders kneeled in front of Miko after a moment of silence.
"We'll join your country and serve you as our king."
Miko nodded with a satisfied expression.
"I'm looking forward to working with all of you."
He then looked at the sky.
"With this, Renacido has almost tripled in territory and doubled in population. I still got a long way to go."
He grinned.
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