Chapter 553 - Roll Out

Croix Ash Latias became a king.

His crowning was similar to Rhaenyra’s, Viers found the similarities pleasing.

He sure as hell hoped that was as far as their similarities went.

The king of Latias commanded a special power. A king’s existence made the nobles and knights of Latias stronger. The stronger the king, the stronger the boost. Croix was still a Level 3 Pathseeker, but even then Viers could see the people who had sworn loyalty to Croix had gotten stronger.

This special power was part of Latias Kingdom’s infrastructure. Now the Pathseekers of Latias had been restored to the fullness of their power.

Part of the reason for the Harkelan Empire's successful assault was the absence of the king’s power among his subjects.

The crown was the magic item crucial to this feat. It wasn't only the Arkenstone that symbolized the right to rule. The crown might be the single most important magic item in the kingdom.

Before, the chancellor and the other high-ranking nobles did what they could to keep the power flowing using various means, but it was a facsimile of the real thing. The knights of Latias would soon show the world how sharp their swords and how sturdy their shields truly were.

Now, Croix was crowned. But wait, he had two crowns.

The new king felt he could do even more. He couldn't wait to unlock the secret of the two crowns. None of his predecessors possessed two. He was the first in history.

Archion, the dragon crown-maker, remained silent, letting Croix discover the hidden depths on his own.

Highness... No, can't call him that anymore. Your Majesty... Got a nice ring to it. Must feel pretty good when someone calls you that, at least for a while. Luckily for me, I’ll soon have my own kingdom.

With Croix’s ascendancy, so too was the fulfillment of Viers’ oath.

As Avel of Javia, the villain pledged his service as a vassal until he became king. It was done.

Just as Viers fulfilled his promise, so did Croix.

That very night, ratified with the Great Seal of the Realm, Croix gave Viers a document. The villain now owned a small portion of the land that belonged to Lucan Duchy.

Obviously, Croix’s stance toward the traitorous duke was clear.

The nobles who made up King Croix’s court kicked up a fuss, but the king was unswayed. It was prime real estate, too. High in ambient mana, rich in local resources, and prosperous towns. The deed said the area was about the size of Kyushu. Viers would have been satisfied with something a hundred times smaller.

The rest of his reward would have to wait until Croix retook the Crimson Capital.

Viers broke into the Capital for the crown but he didn't have the time to loot the vault. It was too difficult to breach, and it wasn't a matter of power, so he let it be. He could be patient.

Croix’s next move was obvious. He would now carry the banner of war to unite the splintered kingdom. While his number of supporters was the smallest, he also had something the Chancellor and the Princess didn't: the Power of the King.

Croix could bestow his power on his soldiers; the other two didn't enjoy the same privileges.

But Viers plainly said he wouldn't be joining Croix’s war host.

“I understand. You are my vassal no longer. If you wish to go, then I respect your wish. However, I still ask you to stay. Your help would be invaluable,” Croix said.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot do that. I have to go.”

“Where are you going and what’s so important?”

“I’m going after Ciel,” Viers said resolutely.

Croix frowned. “Harkelan and Lucan attacked Valentine duchy. I planned on attacking Lucan soon, partly to find out what happened to her.”

“Don't. Your forces aren't strong enough. Leave Ciel to me.”

Croix picked up a slight agitation in Viers' voice. “How bad is it?”

Viers didn't answer.

“I see. Then I shan’t ask you to stay. May you find her swiftly. When are you leaving?”

“Soon. But I'm not so heartless as to leave you to fend for yourself as the wolves circle around you, Your Majesty.”

Viers gave him a card.

“...The Emperor. What’s this?”

“An invitation, perhaps. With this, you can find the tools to solve your problems and ways to reach your goals. Be ready when the next full moon comes. You’ll know more then.”

“Thank you.” Croix examined the card closely. “The Emperor... Not the King?”

“Well, there’s no such card. This is as close as it gets.”

“Are you telling me to be one? Most of the kingdom hasn't even accepted me. Some ruler am I...”

“...Your Majesty, let me tell you something. In a distant land, there is a great Emperor. This man rules a vast Empire, grander than you can imagine. There is one simple phrase that his subjects often utter. A mix of prayer, hope, and determination in the face of adversity: The Emperor Protects.”

“Whoa... Sounds like he’s some Emperor if his people regard him like that.”

“Oh, he’s some Emperor, all right. He’s an immortal with godlike power that reaches the stars and beyond; his sons are demigods, and his countless knights, every one of them... Let me tell you, Majesty, you can overturn every rock on this continent, and you wouldn't find a better soldier than them.”

“Sooo, you’re telling me to strive to become like him?” Croix said to someone he still considered his mentor.

“Goodness, no. He’s miserable. The depth of his misery is something that I cannot fathom. The fate that has befallen him isn't something that I wish on anyone, let alone you... Well, perhaps an exception can be made for my greatest enemies.”

“Avel, what are you trying to tell me?”

“That you might think someone like that is perfect. After all that you have endured, you now aim for perfection. In your mind, you’ve made too many mistakes, and now aim to be faultless.”

Croix flinched.

“I’m telling you, don't aim to be a perfect king. For there is no perfect man. Accept something is beyond you. Instead, be the best version of yourself. That is my advice. The Emperor I talked about? He aimed for perfection. A perfectly rational, secure, and technologically advanced human empire. And yet, despite all his greatness, he’s all too human, and so it became his downfall. Do not, I say again, do not aim for perfection.”

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Croix couldn't accept Avel's words into his heart just like that. The grief was still too thick and had calcified around it. However, the young king was no fool. He kept the words of the ageless, wise dragon close until one day, he was ready to accept them.

“Thank you. Godspeed, Avel.”

Viers passed on Countess Grace Weiss’ last words to their rightful recipients, greeted Princess Elvina, talked to the Rising Fortune adventurer group, made a pact with Archion the Red Skies, and then he vanished as the sun arrived.

Croix was feeling morose.

Alfred, Avel, Boram, Ciel... All his old team was gone. It was like a sign that the prince part of his story was gone and he began anew.

Falmerion eyed his human-partner from atop a nearby house.

“...Shall we begin, boy?”

Croix wasn't feeling down for long. He couldn't stop. He couldn't afford to stop. His feelings were still a mess, but he would go forward.

For there was nothing left behind.

Falmerion roared upward, with sound and fire.

The true civil war of Latias had begun.

***

“Urgh...”

A young man opened his eyes.

“Sup. Good morning.”

“...Who are you?”

“I am you.”

“What the... Then who am I?”

“You are my clone. For clarity’s sake, your name is Rasputin. My name is Viers.”

“Ras...putin.”

While his brain was processing, Rasputin heard a groan from beside him. He saw another man getting up from a different bed. The man’s face looked like Viers.

Rasputin caught his reflection in a reflective object, finding his face looked like the other two.

“...Who are you?”

“Hello. My name is Viers. Your name is Zeke. You are my clone.”

“...Am I still dreaming?” Zeke said what Rasputin was thinking.

“Nope, this is real. Your head is just hazy because you’re just waking up. Come on. I’ll bring you up to date. One day, we will all rave together, my Alters. It's going to be really fun. But before that, we've got work to do.”

“Clone...clone...clone...”

Viers’ eyes twitched. Zeke’s condition was strange.

“No! NONONO! I’m the original! You’re not ME!”

Zeke lashed out. Viers’ response was swift. He evaded Zeke’s Hydroburst Arte by tilting his head. At the same time, he dashed, choking his malfunctioning clone with his left hand and slammed him into the wall. His right hand was glowing with green light, a moment away from erasing Zeke from existence.

The only thing stopping Viers was Zeke’s shit-eating grin.

“I’m just kidding, me. Relax, I’m not going the clone-supplanting-the-original trope. Ha! You should look at your face.”

Viers didn't take the clone’s word at face value and soul-searched him. Indeed, it was as the clone said.

“I almost killed you there.”

“But it got your Horizon up, didn't it?” Zeke sneered. “How else are you gonna get the experience of clone rebellion? See? Even the other clone stands with you.”

Rasputin, even with his head still hazy, was also readying his Arte against Zeke instead of Viers.

“You asshole,” Viers grimaced. “There’s something you never joke about, alright? Clone rebellion is something I take very seriously.”

“Hey, my personality is based on yours, so if you want to blame someone, blame yourself,” Zeke shrugged innocently.

***

Arsène S. Tanael was Viers Isuel’s clone.

With Arsène, Viers could do two things at once and be in two places at the same time. Double trouble, so to speak.

But Viers felt two wasn't enough. He doubled the double.

And so Rasputin and Zeke came into being.

Their gestation wasn't a recent thing. After Clarissa, Farley, and Paina got their bodies back, Viers grew two other bodies from scratch.

While Arsène was a perfect clone, Rasputin and Zeke were homunculi with Viers’ personality implanted. There were advantages and disadvantages with the homunculus route.

After all that was happening recently, Harkelan Latias War, Freya, Demon King, Immortal hunter, Age of Heroes, Devil God party-crashing... Viers decided he needed to branch out. Contingencies. The world was getting really chaotic, to his delight and worry both.

The two clones would go to Harkelan and Zetel, respectively. There, they would begin a new life. Deep infiltration spy stuff. Viers would maintain minimal contact with them and let them begin a different life path.

Heh, I’ve been in the Latias arc for so long. Now that it is over, I begin the Harkelan and Zetel arcs at the same time. Talk about greedy. Free People Coalition, then Latias, then the other two. Now all four great nations of the Human Dominion are all covered.

Rasputin and Zeke might be clones, but Viers planned different careers for them.

For Rasputin, he would go to Harkelan, where he would enroll in the army, beginning his military career.

Zeke would go to Night City, at least, the closest thing to one in this world. The Magisterium was already the equivalent of Arasaka. Shouldn't be too difficult. There, hopefully, he would meet the engram of Johnny Silverhand and become a named drink in the Afterlife.

Basically, Zeke would become a merc and delve into the criminal underworld.

At first, he planned on Rasputin infiltrating the Church. That was the reason for his name, dear old Gregory being a mad priest and all. A symmetry of his two clones: one going to the dark side and one to the light.

After Arsène’s run-in with Freya, Viers decided to shift. He didn't know how long Latias and Harkelan would be at war, but he planned on sabotaging the Harkelan war front from the inside.

It might or might not happen, both clones were only at Level 3 low after all. Still, with Viers’ memory and skills in their heads, their true power went beyond their Levels.

The clones would also utilize different 'builds' that diverge from the original.

Ras would be a stealth-type, with some healer skills as sub, because his name was Rasputin.

Zeke would be mage-type. His sub would be research or crafting. The specifics would be up to the clone, up to his fancy and circumstances.

There was a practical reason for this. When they sync with the original Viers, it will enrich Viers’ experience, giving him valuable combat skills and making him more versatile.

Even though the clones would mainly do their own thing, they would spread their roots in Harkelan and Zetel. Roots that the original Viers and the rest of the Arcanum Club could tap into.

Meanwhile, Viers had his own things to do.

He grabbed the soil and in his hand, sand fell through his fingers before the wind carried them away.

Duke Valentine’s seat of power, Gryphon’s Reach was nothing like he remembered.

Gone was the grand city that he had visited after the battle in a flying fortress during the Grand Prix. He saw craters and ruins. The earth and vegetation were bereft of vitality.

“Viers-sama, here they come,” Sakuya whispered.

And the people of the city, they were dead. They were burned alive by a massive tactical-scale Arte.

Only, they didn't stay dead.

The corpses, still charred and burning, reanimated. Pathseekers or not, the fallen became fire zombies, attacking anything that wasn't dead.

Such was what the Warbringers did to Gryphon’s Reach: an eternal battlefield, a Burning Valhalla.

They passed some Silver Legion on the way to the center of the blast, trying to keep the fire zombies contained, but they lacked manpower. Also, the fire zombies weren't mindless brutes.

The Pathseekers were revived with their cultivation intact, which means there were Level 4 zombies and so on.

But here he was, in the center of the city. Shifting through the memories of the souls that remained.

“Uuhh, auntie?” Yayoi sounded nervous. How could she not, when thousands of fire zombies were slowly closing in on them? Getting in was quite easy considering their skills, but they were now exposed.

“Viers-sama, we really need to go,” Sakuya called Viers again.

He didn't answer. He was fully focused. His senses were spread far and wide with a pinpoint edge.

“Oh crap. I use suiton then you use hyouton, ready?” Yayoi readied a scroll.

“Un,” Sakuya nodded while holding a scroll.

“Got her,” Viers opened his eyes. “East.”

The three jumped into action immediately, swiftly breaking through the encirclement.

To the east they went, to Harkelan.

That was where he sensed Ciel’s card location.

That was where Sakuya and Yayoi’s missing matriarch last sighted.

Ciel was taken to a place where it was almost impossible to detect. However, after stretching his power to the limit, including his Horizon, Viers sensed the location of his cardbearer, one with a piece of her soul within him because of a certain marriage ceremony.

The card signaled to him that Ciel was in dire peril.

Red Eyes... He has an Aspect like me. A Level 6 power. That was how he bested Ciel.

Viers caught a part of the battle with his soul search.

But it doesn't matter. He laid a hand on my woman. When I meet him next, he dies.