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Chapter 521: Benevolence
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Redeye raised his hands in surrender and spent a little more than 15 minutes explaining the answers to all of Siva’s questions.
After a while, Siva’s chest was rising up and down as his fists clenched as hard as it could that it was almost caving in while his eyes had shrank into needles in shock and disbelief.
“Eros….. he… he’s here… then… Kira, she…”
[Boss, calm yourself! Your neural levels are rising rapidly again… you will lose control at this rate!]
Cortana’s voice spoke in his mind and Siva was once again reminded of his unstable mental state.
If he snap in here, then Asgard will burn and all of his hard work in building a safe haven for Baron’s recovery would have all gone to waste.
He closed his eyes and his breathing slowly came to a steady pace.
The threatening air and the scary reactions of the woman with fox ears also calmed down and they returned to “normal” the next minute.
Siva was now staring at the two prisoners with a look of flat indifference.
“I will give you a choice… either you totally quit as members of The Legion, or you remain here and still undergo torture until you do so. This is me giving you a way out. What would it be?”
Zaza swallowed and Redeye eyed the “remains” of Gats in the corner.
Siva, seeming to understand his concerns, flipped his hand and locked the space so that only the three of them would be aware of the talk from this point forward.
“As much as we wanted to…” Redeye explained a bit hesitant, “Kladis knows our real world address and Gats… until the day we knew he was Kladis’s boss, we can’t say for sure that he didn’t know our real world identities. Although we can say yes to that since we already got the things we worked for all these years, it’s still…”
“Then what about working for me?”
Zaza and Redeye blinked at Siva’s words. They didn’t get where Siva was coming from but they could feel that Siva was looking out for them.
“I’m sorry but unless you can assure our families’ safeties, we can only…”
Zaza was quiet all this time. Redeye was handling all the talk since he was the one who already got the momentum going for them.
And yet, as much as they despaired at their fate, Siva spoke again that made their hearts skip beats one per second, “In the real world, I own a Multi-million Euro company and therefore also owns an executive-level Security Company. All of them are military-level trained individuals. If you work for me, their protection will be assured. So?”
Zaza blinked and asked without thinking, “If you’re really that rich, how come nobody else realized who you are?”
Siva said, “I was called by another name back in the real world…” he paused here and considered the pros but eventually told them, “…perhaps you already heard of me. Mitra. But that is a name that may scare you so once you heard who I am, you have to stay quiet or else, even my security company won’t be able to protect your families from the ones who will be willing to sell their souls to the devil to know more about me.”
The duo’s face twitched. They didn’t know Siva’s name, Mitra, but his description, and the abilities he’d shown the world thus far meant that he was indeed not your ordinary real world citizen.
“Can you give us time?” Zaza asked.
“Do you have it?” Siva asked back.
Siva didn’t really have to get these two into his fold but the fact remains that in the war nine months later, there will indeed be a lack of hands so he had to save as much manpower as he can.
Sparing enemies’ (avatar’s) lives was one way but he couldn’t always do it. He had to open-mindedly accept the fact that NOT all of his enemies, most especially the [Players], are inherently evil and are doing it all for the sake of enjoyment… like AG.
Some of them, like these two, were only working for their families’ needs and was just going with the flow of those superior to them.
But Siva also knew that, while he can spare a few, he can’t spare all.
Perhaps it was related to Amanda’s influence on him? Because as of late, he’s been able to control his violent impulses and also able to rein all his urges to unleash his hate on everything and just crush them all like he used to back then.
It was his humanity…. It was coming back to him.
Maybe it had something to do in knowing that Siva was nothing more than an in-game God, and that all of this, and all of them, were nothing more than computer-generated AI-pixels of digitized codes.
The influence of the [God] who ruled with an utter dominance to whoever stood before him were all gone now, he accepted this long ago, and so Siva should just be acting on the level of his strength and exerting the level of ‘control’ appropriate to his level of mortality.
With that said, Amanda’s influence was hitting on just the right mark… his humanity.
Because Siva had recalled his [memories], he had once again become that [God] but, actually, also had forgotten a simple fact: only his spirit is on the level of [God] but both his capabilities and his strength are not even Immortal-level yet.
He may be strong, but he doesn’t have a shred of any divinity in him so shouldn’t he be benevolent to those who deserved it?
Siva made a sigh in his heart.
The hate he felt towards the Blue Card Legion must not be pointed to “all of them” but only to those who are truly and madly evil —or at least are consciously against— his goals and plans. If he can spare those who don’t maliciously wish to hinder him, why should he spare them?
Those people, after hearing these two’s story, are actually just Kladis (or Eros), Kira, and Gats.
But since he had already dealt with Gats, there’re only two people left. And those two people could blame these two ‘informants’ if needed be.
As such, he asked, do they have time to spare to think over things after this incident concludes?
The two men froze. No. They don’t have it. After this incident, they knew that the Business Group will fall and that it will also lead to their Blue Card Legion being unable to support their armies with the lack of funds generated by these businesses.
If they turn coats now, there will be this massive impact upon their identities…
…what if Kladis or Gats blames them? No. What if Kira, Eros’s loyal minion, blames them for losing the ability to be or support to the Bloody Church?
And when they asked what happened here, they might realize that they have already turned coat during the chaos. Just imagining their wrath was frightening enough… especially Gats’ fury. It was his work, after all.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Redeye looked over at Gats’ remains and asked with hesitation, “How long had he been like that?”
“Less than an hour or so.” answered Siva. “I don’t know if we still have time but I am sure that you’re also aware that if he learns that his precious Blue Card Legion had already collapsed, especially his Merchant Group, the two first people he’d blame it all would be you two. Considering if the things you’ve told me is the truth, then you can imagine the consequences of telling me this information.”
“But we can’t return alive… at least our avatars…”
“Zaza is right. Siva, no, Mitra, if we ask for your protection now, can you make sure that you have a branch in my country?”
“Where are you guys from?”
“I’m from the Emeraland, Zaza’s a Briton.”
Siva paused then said, “It’s far. Then what do you think of migrating to another country?”
The two hesitated. Of course that’s another issue and of course the answer is definitely at least an 80% red coloured no.
“I can’t protect you if you’re so far away though.”
When Siva clarified the issue, Zaza asked, “It’s not that we’re unable to go to another country but it’s just that… our families have friends here and also, our businesses are based on our homeland.”
“Can’t you do your business on another country?”
Siva’s point actually had a substance. If this was the 21st century, then perhaps managing all your businesses from another country is not possible but this was the 22nd century. Today, Real@D is a norm in almost all houses and business-grade Real@D systems can render even wider settings.
With the right equipment, the right management, trusted people, and the right help, everything can still go well for their businesses.
Then, while the two were ruminating, Siva heave a sigh and asked, “Are those businesses of yours small traditional businesses or corporate ones?”
Zaza and Redeye exchanged glances and Zaza replied in an awkward way, “Franchise. We just recently bought a franchise title and weren’t even finished with the setup of the branch.”
“A fast food chain?”
The two nodded. Siva sighed again, “Then that’s even easier than I thought. What about this: let me manage your businesses and everything else until it becomes stable so that you don’t have to be worried but regarding your families’ friends, I am unable to do anything about it. What I can do is to send you security protocols to at least monitor the area around your homes… but I will need your addresses.”
In the first place, why are they even here? Who started this problem? It was Siva. But this was war and the losing side must compensate the winner.
And they just lost to Siva.
Yet, Siva was proactively trying to protect them against their own allies’ wraths after this incident.
Why?
Why does it feel that Kladis and Gats would go so far as to include their families?
When they told Siva, they saw his reaction. It was after the mention of the story about this AI-person that was called “Eros” that took over Kladis’ avatar.
Isn’t he just an in-game AI?
Kladis was still Kladis, right?
He wouldn’t take it seriously against them, right?
After all… this is just a game ……right?
As much as they wanted to believe these, with the way Blue Card Legion had handled its business so far —right after Eros emerged— the cruelty of their decision-making and the direction of where their organization is heading to, it would seem as if Gats and Kladis was hiding something from the rest of them. It could be felt palpably tangible ever since they were absorbed into the Bloody Church.
The two exchanged glances and the look in their eyes told each other that they were of same mind regarding this matter.
—perhaps this is a matter that goes beyond just in-game consequences anymore.
In their fight with Siva, they determined that Siva’s growth in strength was unimaginably fast.
What compels him to become this strong fast?
…and moreover, what was that reaction earlier?
Why does it feel like this is more than just a game for him? The two wanted to ask but they were a bit afraid that Siva wouldn’t perceive the wariness of their decision in this matter.
Going into another country to escape someone’s blame from an in-game incident was just absurd and yet, knowing Kladis, and especially what they know about Gats and the loss they’d have with the fall of the Merchant Group, it was understandable that Gats might even end up killing someone.
They are the losers so in this case. If they reject, they’d end up wasting Siva’s sincerity and fall into becoming his enemies that needed punishment in the form of the same consequences Gats felt just a little bit earlier than them.
In the bigger picture of things, they were just two minions of the real mind behind The Legion. And that was the person in the same cell as them right at these very passing moments.
Zaza and Redeye exchanged glances again.
Because of their partnership all these years, they had already gone to become family friends and they at least knew how each other’s’ mentalities worked.
They have indeed landed on the same decision.
““Please kill us.”” They said at the same time.
Zaza explained, “Please let us retire. Let this be the end of our participation in this war between you and The Legion. We’ve already told you all we know about its secrets so there’s nothing more we can offer but this. At least this way, we can be as neutral as we can get.”
“But please, we beg for your protection. And so in exchange, we will start a new game and if we can, please let us join your company. We might not be powerful but we are still skillful and we have six years of experience in RPG: Terroa. It can be of help to you at some ways.”
(AN: RPG: Terroa is just a little more than 2yrs as of our latest chapter; multiplied by three in-game times… that’s six in-game years in total.)
Siva nodded, he also thought of this answer. The two were family men. They play this game as part of their job. Now that they are “okay” in the real world, there wasn’t as strong an attachment as it has at first, now, in The Legion. If it falls, it’s not because they didn’t defend it with all their might since Siva had just effortlessly defeated them with a simple flip of a hand.
Their opponent was too strong on their level that the gap was despairingly and savagely vast it was scary just to think about. Just one casual swing of Siva and they were thrown off like human meteor.
Technique?
Ability?
Magic?
Artifacts?
In the face of that overwhelming strength, there’s no amount of trivial breadcrumbs could defeat it.
Only with an absolute overwhelming strength can one defeat a man wielding absolute overwhelming strength in his hands.
In the battle just now —if it can be called that— it was obvious that even with the entire Blue Card Legion fighting against Siva at the same time will still lead them to nothing… how much more is just the two of them?
As such, they easily accepted this fact; the fact that the Blue Card Legion had created a terrifying enemy with the name Siva.
…and that enemy was now on their throats.
It was time for them to let go.
This was the best decision to make now.
As of the moment, the best course of action is to clean their responsibilities in this mess.
Dying and not reviving was their best course of action and also, based on their stories, they aren’t bound to The Legion or the Bloody Church by a heavy chain and can always ‘escape’ if they are not trusted anymore. With his help, he can make Zaza and Redeye blame it all at the fact that their Avatars’ bodies were killed by the Terran Alliance and that their Insurance Policies were cancelled, thereby revoking their abilities —not right— to be revived and continue being part of The Legion.
After all, he was the only person in the real world who knew that the Panorama Corporation is not able to know and control the flow of the game in RPG: Terroa any longer.
Siva was sure. This was a good plan.
In this instance, being neutral was the best choice and once the dust subsides after this incident, the duo can then restart another career but this time, they can choose a side —Siva’s side.
Since they can always have another identity with their new [Game Avatars], there was always that chance for a new life.
Because he was a ‘benevolent’ [Siva], why not give these two a chance? After all, his Black Label is in need of people to work inside it.
Siva determined that these two aren’t inherently evil… or at least, they aren’t the real threat to the safety of his brother. This notion came from the fact that these two were family men.
No family men are inherently and selfishly evil. Or at the very least, their decisions will, without any doubt, always put their families’ sakes first.
Siva could use that to control them, if needed be.
He could also tell that Zaza and Redeye told him everything they knew about the connection with the Blue Card Legion and the Bloody Church.
Thinking about, his rage that’s been under control is also seething, roiling, stirred by the anxiety he feel towards his brother’s safety.
Of all the information they said, it was Intel about Kira that was most helpful. Siva was frightened by her “shapeshifter” ability and the way she used it and the manner at which it was utilized under the direct manipulation of Eros, the Devil of Lust, their combination was indeed a frightening concept.
If he wanted to counter Kira’s threat, then he had to keep her locked up in Asgard’s dungeon. To kill her will only set her free again because she, as he already confirmed with Metheus’ and Stark’s Intels, was in the service of the Heavenly Father.
—she was Pegasus’ loyal dog!
Most of all, he also had to prepare for when Eros personally makes his move later. No Mortal, even Gods and Immortals, could escape his [lust]… and now that he was on the loose, Eros’ power, limited only in range and not in its effect, would only be a bigger threat the longer he stayed outside.
Right now, he could tell that they are on the same level of strength so fighting him now was the most optimal timing to get rid of him as a threat. But the thing is, Zaza and Redeye said that Kladis —no he called himself Lord Eros— is currently in Dragona.
…and Dragona is under protection by Ajora and Balaam —Dragon King Candidates.
Damn it.
Siva was sure that as of this moment, Eros is with Ajora… taking control of her, gaining back all his lost powers, recovering, waiting for the time nine months later where they could put Terroa in fire.
He can’t let that happen.
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The Legion has fallen, but……
..…the treat was greater than what before!!
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Next Chapter: Siva’s arrangements…