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Chapter 355: Encounter with The Naturals
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Siva was led by Draco, Jules, and the Council Head inside the Warehouse 27’s compound. The guards, led by that familiar gatekeeper, blocked off the people who had wanted to barge in and take a peek inside.
The rest of The Council was waiting for them in the entrance of the warehouse and they all wore flattering smiles on their faces.
“Lead the way.”
Siva didn’t want the pleasantries so he directly bid the Council Head to lead them inside.
But… as soon as Siva entered the warehouse, a crisp voice of concern erupted from the silent and supposedly indifferent-looking Cortana.
[Boss!]
Siva stopped walking.
Call it sixth sense or something, but an intuition in his subconscious told him something akin to a dip in a pool —cold yet invisible, but still there— had just ‘scanned’ him.
“This feeling again!”
It was the familiar feeling he felt last night when that “Julia” scried his memories with an item. This was the sensation of magic being used in him!
[Boss, someone had just scanned you.]
“Yeah I felt it as well. But how did you… oh, I see, so that means it was not only a magical scan but also a scan of that sort as well.”
[The scan came from those three people in the corner, far away from our group. They’ve now discovered that your BMA and Prison Armors are all Inventions. The man in the left side said that you have a high density of Mana and that your body should be stronger than normal; the man on the right had just finished analyzing your equipment set and had finished reporting it to the man in the middle.]
“What?! Shit. Block off all data connections from the outside!”
[Already done. Right now, they have AIs trying to hack my control over the local data network. Hah, thankfully sir, I am me. It’s quite a sight to look at those three Battle-AIs struggling.]
Siva doesn’t want his secret reported to their HQ.
Although Cortana wasn’t laughing, Siva imagined Cortana as a giant being looking at the ants as they tried to ‘hack’ their way through the blockade and literal “firewall” that she created.
Still, Siva frowned at this. He felt the emergency.
He couldn’t let these three know of his secrets so he turned to his left and gave an order to Scarlet.
“Seal off the warehouse!” it was a yell of anger.
“Yes sir.” Scarlet felt the urgency on the tone of this command so she didn’t dally and immediately made her way to order the High Magistrates to set up their former Tier-7 Barrier Magic.
Siva didn’t even bat an eye to the Council Elders as he made his way towards the ‘Humans’ who had just ‘scanned’ him both magically and electronically —who had thought that he won’t be able to discover their deed.
“It seems that there are stupid people trying to test my patience!” Siva hissed as he ‘walked’ with impatient steps towards the three men in black.
But the three men thought otherwise.
“This firewall is his doing!”
“He’s coming this way.”
“Prepare for battle!”
The man in the middle gave the order as they, simultaneously and expertly, raised the ‘cases’ in their hands alongside an activation thought.
ZOOM!!!
CLANG!CLANG!!CLANG~!!!
With the sounds of clanging metals, the ‘attachés’ in their hands formed into armors —from their arms, to their legs, to their chest, then to their heads— just like how BMA converts from one [form] to another, like how Galvatron transforms from its robotic form into its ‘truck’ form, their attaché cases became their equipment gears.
Though unlike Siva’s full-body armor, theirs were lighter in their appearances but still had the sturdy ‘feel’ as if it was the BMA’s replica. What more…
*****
“This feeling… is it resonance? No. It’s too weak to be resonance but there is no mistaking that this feeling is a familiar Mana emission. This is Magic!”
[I can’t ‘feel’ this “resonance” you speak of boss, but based on your thoughts, I concluded that my inability to detect Mana hinders my functionalities and is limited by the receptors I am installed with.]
“You mean to say that you need to be installed by something capable of scanning Mana?”
[I apologize, boss. I will have to trouble you to find such modulators for me. I can conclude that since this is in the game for it to be linked to me and be used by me, it should be equipped in you in the form of an Accessory —just like a second Orbiter Bracelet.]
“So these three guys are the key on finding it?”
Though Siva’s and Cortana’s conversations at times are composed of multiple words that may last a few moments, Cortana’s prompts were all in rapid responses with Siva’s thoughts—
She processes his memories/thoughts and replies to them via a thought impulse —much like how an idea or an original thought is made in the mind— Cortana’s replies are delivered directly to Siva’s brain.
In a way, it was a technical interpretation of how [Telepathy] worked between the two of them.
If not using [Focus], this is the most minimum of all the capabilities of Cortana’s [Link].
—and so the only spent time delivering their reply to each other’s words were only but a moment.
*****
Siva stopped his briskly ‘walking’ and hovered in a distance 10m away from the three Humans —who did not attack but instead only ‘prepared’ for a battle that might ensue.
[I really can’t seem to scan their equipments, sir. Something is barring me from inspecting their grades and make.]
“I can feel Mana radiating from their equipments. It has the same feel as to when I am testing the Rune Sword [Land Sword of Monalisa] in terms of Mana emissions.”
[So you have to get those receptors for me sir.]
“I will when I get the chance.”
[You have to….]
“…”
[….as soon as possible.]
“…”
Siva narrowed his eyes as he looked at the three.
The Council Elders were stupefied. They did not expect that these people would start out in this kind of atmosphere.
Within the next few moments, a fight will break out and they, the Council Elders, will be stuck in the middle of this bout.
Their gears only needed a moment to completely set up in their bodies. When this was done, a light flashed off in the three’s chests as a core similar in appearance to the BMA’s [core] fixed itself on their chest plates like a bead ornament.
Their armor looked metallic; silver in color, in fact, that with one look will tell you that this is the exact opposite of a BlackTech.
—is it called WhiteTech?
For some obvious reason, Siva had that thought.
[Hm? Sir, they’re emitting a similar electronic-kind of ‘domain’ like our own [Absolute Domain]. But as it was ‘electronic’, I managed to restrict it a meter away from their bodies using our Domain. But that’s the limit, sir. I can’t seem to detect what it is that’s making me unable to suppress their domain further than that range. Though, I still succeeded in determining that their domains are focused on movement augmentation, just like ours, and so the only limit there is, is if whether their bodies can take the stress or not.]
—if that’s the case, it’s either their bodies should be made of metal, just like my puppets, or they’re also tempered in some way just like my body.
—these guys’ technology, they were similar to what I am chasing…
—but something’s not right.
—they’re emitting magical pulses unlike my BMA.
—Cortana can’t detect magical pulses but I do.
[Does that mean, sir, that that’s the reason why I can’t determine what’s making me unable to crush their domains?]
Siva depended on Cortana’s ability to read his mind so he answered with affirmation, “That should be it.”
[Then you really should prioritize my receptor, sir.]
“…”
—she’s insisting.
—has her pride been hit?
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
—but then again, does she even have a pride to her capabilities to begin with?
She might not sound like it but Siva could feel that she was really somewhat brooding over not being able to ‘detect’ Mana the way she could influence the default NanoField of his Absolute Domain.
He knew that Cortana felt the concern he had in this weakness of hers. And although he already knew that she ‘knew’ it from the day he defeated that True Dragon and pursued to improve BMA to that direction, Siva still insisted that Cortana reply to his thoughts to joggle his motivation and also his imagination to finish this task.
—my BMA’s greatest weakness became visible in this situation thanks to these three’s armors.
—the difference between theirs and mine is that I have a superior AI that can proactively control the [Absolute Domain] and counter their domains’ electronic aspect. But I can’t do anything against their domains’ magical aspect. What should I do if they managed to report this to their higher ups?
—I’d be in trouble. With the Humans’ technology and imagination, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to analyze my weaknesses and develop a counter to it in the shortest of time.
—after all, they hold Terroa in their palms.
—I can’t let that happen.
These thoughts were running like a flash of light in Siva’s mind right now.
From the moment he stopped ‘walking’ and just hovered there in front of the three Humans 10m away, only a few moments had gone past.
One thought and counter-thought after another, it piled up into holes in his plan and so in order to be able to move unhindered, he had to use up all his mental powers to process these problems and think of a solution to it.
…….whether by force or by a more violent force!
—their magical domain is really troublesome.
—but to be able to resist up to at least one meter away from their bodies means that their domains are all only 80% or so electronic and 20% magic.
—it’s similar to what I want for my BMA but it’s also not the exact result I wanted.
Meaning…
—it’s both these guys and the technologies they have in their arsenal are either the lowest or just a prototype, and they themselves are mere foot soldiers of the Humans’ Army.
—it’s either they have disposable technologies in them or them themselves and their [gears] are all disposable pawns…
—Shit. I can’t land into a conclusion unless I am sure of what direction I should go.
There are two matters that concerned Siva with these three Humans.
1) their Nano-Magic combination Technology
2) if these three are real ‘Humans’ themselves.
Because if the second is the truth, then it means that the Humans’ technology in this game had now reached the level of them being able to deploy [Clone Warriors] at any given time… and that spells trouble to him and his plans.
After all, Siva’s pursuit of “absolute power” to be able to protect his Asgard can threaten ‘Powers’ that will not tolerate any additional competitions over the throne of superiority in Terroa.
“Cortana, are you able to tell if they are Humans?”
At least he wanted to know that much.
[I cannot determine. Just like how I can block their attempts of a deeper scan, I can’t seem to breach this invisible barrier. This barrier is the reason I can’t scan them completely, sir.]
—their domains are movement-augmentation domains using a NanoField and a kind of magic.
……..meaning…
—these guys are either enhanced humans or they have also tempered their bodies like me.
—for them to be able to withstand the bodily strain resulting in the enhanced movement augmentation of that kind of domain, only those two options above are my only assumptions.
By now, three moments have already passed.
Siva turned to look at Scarlet on the back. “Did you guys ever taught these people magic of this level?”
Being a High Magistrate, Scarlet seemed to have felt the weird fluctuations of Mana from the three men as well so she understood where Siva was coming from with his inquiry.
Considering what she had learned in the events as of late, she had vaguely patched through a few things that can prove that this Magic Knight is not just some ‘knight’ whom Pistareen had nurtured.
Especially that call earlier where an actual Envoy from the Circle of Magi addressed him as a ‘Lord’.
She wasn’t stupid as to not realize what it meant.
In regards to his question, if the Circle of Magi he belonged to “did not” teach this kind of magic, it can only mean that it’s either them who had taught this kind of magic. But—
“Apologies, My Lord. But aside from the members of the Grand Temple, higher tier magic spells that reaches Tier-5 are strictly regulated and all of the people who had been granted ownership of their talismans are all recorded. These three, however, are not on that list. I stake my status as a High Magistrate for this claim.”
“I will trust you then.” Siva ignored the shocked looks on the Council Elders.
How could they not be scared by this?
A High Magistrate has the same status as a Grand Knight’s deputy commander. A High Elder has the same status as a Grand Knight. Grand Elders has the same status as a country’s rulers… or them, the Council of Elders, in that regard.
But in the entire Enchantment Temple as a whole, those who had been given the title of Grand Elder can be counted in a single hand: none.
It’s not that nobody can, it’s just that nobody is yet to be qualified to take one of those positions.
Even the title “Grand Elder Mage” is only given to the head of the Enchantment Temple. And yet, it does not mean that he is higher in status as a “Grand Elder”… just like how it is in the Council of Elders, and specifically, to the Council Head.
Meaning, it’s just like how the Council of Elders works. The Enchantment Temple just so happens to have no one qualified on that position.
And yet… to have High Magistrates as followers, although the Council Elders had already been aware of the identity of this Magic Knight, they still couldn’t fathom this single fact.
Even they, the esteemed and respected Council Elders couldn’t get a Grand Knight to be their own personal follower.
And yet this guy has seven of them.
—SEVEN Grand Knight-level personalities as his personal followers.
Just what kind of status does this knight really has in the Circle of Magi?
Then, Cortana voiced a suggestion.
[Boss, I completed analysis of the situation.]
“Oh?”
[We can use this as an opportunity.]
“How?”
Cortana ‘sent’ her suggestion through the default sharing channel through their [Link] and this idea made Siva smile.
“We can use that. Good job. You’ve used my past ideas and archived thoughts for this plan. I do recall thinking about this plan before.”
[Yes sir.]
*****
Seemingly feeling the atmosphere changing, the leader of the human group spoke up his personal set of concerns in the current situation.
From the moment he gave the order to ‘prepare’ up to now where they finished preparations, only a few seconds had passed.
“We don’t remember ever issuing that kind of AI, Magic Knight. I wonder then… how did you get that AI? You couldn’t have been able to build it in the current set of technology Terroa has since we never published any such software in this planet.”
This is the reason why the Terran-Human Alliance hold so much power in Terroa.
Though they are neutral, they are still considered as an overlord at the same level of deterrence and ruling podium as the Circle of Magi.
In fact… there are actually three of them.
The Circle of Magi…
Terran-Human Alliance —or simply The Alliance.
..…and then the Magus of the mysterious Magus Archive —the most mysterious of the three powers that rule over Terroa behind the curtains.
“You’re right.” Siva said, his tone becoming bland as he took notice that despite the Human having a battle stance, there was no ill-intent in the hostility that exists within them. “My Battle-AI came from a place not from Terroa.”
The man’s expression —who wore a headgear— stiffened into an ugly frown. This was a face that only military-trained men who had experiences in their backs could create.
“I can’t scan you but I am also getting notifications that you can’t scan us as well. We’re in a deadlock in here but I am not stupid enough to assume that you are some easy prick to deal with.”
Siva raised a brow. Then he laughed. “I’m actually quite surprised by your technology. This is really a very clever way to use magic. You combined the technology of humans and the omnipotence of Mana, and created magic that is a deviation of the ones taught by the Circle of Magi. If I should call it something, this should be… Sorcery. Right. If the Terrans has their [Magic], then you Humans have your [Sorcery].”
The man in the middle smiled at Siva, a sword that radiated golden lights appeared on his right hand while on his left appeared a round buckler.
—both weapons had a similar kind of feel as what Siva had described it to be comparable to.
Runes!
And yet, these equipment items aren’t Runes as they are clearly weaker than Runes but are faintly stronger than Siva’s BMA who is SS-Rank.
FLASH! FLASH!
While this happened, the two other men also had the same sword and shield materialize on their arms and hands.
Unlike Siva, they don’t have capes and so they looked more like Spartans or Trojans rather than European medieval knights like Siva and his team.
Although Siva was also a ‘Human’, in the game, he is from the Apollo Race, a Terran… so he couldn’t help feel a bit desolate when facing against them.
“Sorcery, you say? Hah! Is this your AI speaking for you or is it your own imagination?”
Siva shook his head, “No. It is merely my original theory. Actually… I’ve long since had the thought of fusing the two as well. But who would have thought that I’d already been beaten to the chase by you Humans?”
The leader frowned further. “It seems that you’re not just any normal person either. Who are you?”
“I don’t want to tell that to people who are bearing swords to an unarmed individual. More than that, it’s even three to one.” Siva said half-jokingly.
His relaxed manner was contrary to his words and this is what the three Humans picked up as pure confidence in his skill and ability.
At this point, an imaginary spark was continuously being ignited between their gazes.
The human chuckled. The entire warehouse was surrounded by a fog and any Magic below Tier-7 quality is ‘shut away’ from the outside world.
“You’ve locked us here yet you still spout these things… are you not afraid of incurring the wrath of the heavens for faking your worry?”
Siva’s brow arched.
“Is that something I should be concerned about?”
The man laughed, “No it’s not.” then, he looked at the flustered Council Elders who, although they are not necessarily weaker than any of them, still had to maintain their neutral stance in regards to the matter between two representatives of the forces that could cover Terroa with one hand. “I apologize, Council Head, but it seems that we will have to solve this issue in a different way. The Alliance cannot give away a valuable asset to a person who wishes to use it in a different manner than intended.”
The Council Head felt his scalp go numb. Is he serious? If they can’t give those three Battle-AIs he demanded, Jeremiah might actually burn to the ground because of it.
But then, before he could voice his fear, the man continued smilingly at Siva, “Rather than that. I am positive that the reason why you’re trying to get our Battle-AI Technology isn’t actually for them, but for us… or rather… a meeting with us from The Alliance, am I correct? IF you really wanted one, you could have just requested only one and yet you deliberately made it hard for us by actually demanding three so you’d be sure to summon at least a representative to see this through.”
This statement surprised everyone else, including Scarlet and even Siva.
Is this really his plan? They all thought.
“Cortana, we’ve been discovered.”
[Good work, boss.]
“Yet again, I’m amazed by your calculations.”
[It’s because of the materials floating in the Net.]
“…”
Siva smiled under the mask and released his pure battle intent. This was different from bloodlust but closely related; a “battle intent” is something only those who accepted the situation and determined to go into blows to resolve a matter, can release.
For normal people who grew up in a world full of peace and quiet, one’s battle intent can already put their minds into a state of panic whereas pure bloodlust could kill them with a heart attack.
This is the difference between a warrior and a common street face.
Having felt the battle intent, the leader of the human group beamed a merry grin —his white teeth broadly savouring the boiling feelings of the impending battle.
Looking at him now, Siva was reminded greatly of Hagrid and Cramer —these guys have the same blood flowing in their veins.
“Your AI is pretty impressive, Knight. I could only guess that you’ve already taken control of the entire outer shell of this city’s local network that’s why we can’t connect to our HQ.”
Siva laughed, “And I’m impressed that you’ve still yet to fall despite feeling how strong I am.”
“Hehehe! It’s not everyday I get to meet someone who I feel I can go all out without worrying about injuries.”
—Che! This guy is strong!
—Heh! This one is strong!
Siva and the Human had the same thoughts. But they have different interpretations.
While the Human is enjoying the imminent clash, Siva could only feel irritated. As fast as possible, he wanted to proceed with the plan Cortana had spoken of and get on point with the business.
A clash of battle-intent could be ‘felt’ within the entirety of the warehouse and those low-ranking knights who were trapped inside with them began to shiver at the pressure they were feeling.
They even heard something akin to the sound of static electricity flying off somewhere.
Unable to hold it in, Draco stepped and tried to be a mediator, “Gentlemen, please, let’s resolve this in a more peaceful manner.”
“Shut up.” a calm rebuke came from Siva. “Who do you think is the cause of all this mess, huh? I wouldn’t be here wasting my time if only you and your brainless lot weren’t so audacious to actually target my wife beside me. If it wasn’t for her kind-heartedness, I really would have destroyed this city from the moment you’ve ticked my patience… and I’m not even adding the fact that you delayed my schedule for another two hours!”
Draco felt his scalp go numb. He couldn’t even find his courage to refute and deny this rebuke.
“When I talk, you shut up and listen. You do not talk back unless you are only permitted to. Do I make myself clear, lowly knight?”
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Draco was cautioned like a kid…!!
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Next Chapter: Draco will not give up.
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