Dia had half-expected something to happen when the Emperor released the light from his halos, but something clearly had gone wrong, since Emperor Grandis had been posing for upwards of ten minutes without anything happening at all. In fact, the others had already gotten bored, and a few people were beginning to whisper about the funny ruler of the Grandis continent.
She had a feeling that the Emperor was looking for the Fourth Bearer of Destiny this way, but there was a small problem. Why was the Emperor so confident that it was the Fourth Bearer of Destiny who had taken the Cosmic Egg? The Fourth Bearer of Destiny might have just fled somehow during that attack…okay, Dia knew that such a thing definitely didn’t happen, but she was the only one who had probably noticed the abnormality behind that person in the first place.
As she and the two Holy Children huddled up, protected by a barrier, Dia finally opened her mouth and said, “Do you think someone’s going to dispute the Emperor’s claims?”
“About the thief still being here?” Nero asked. “Absolutely. It seems logical at first glance, but what if Emperor Grandis is just trying to draw attention to that one fellow just to cover his own ownership of that thing?”
“Is there a way to identify who has the Cosmic Egg anyway?” Clarissa asked. “I mean, if there isn’t, then Emperor Grandis might be very suspicious.”
“Well, the thing was glowing…”
“A lot of things that glow can be covered up with the correct applications of cloth,” Nero replied. “Thick cloth, strong light and simply swallowing it on the spot.”
“Not going to lie,” Dia muttered, “but if you tell me that the damn thing has been inside someone’s mouth, I don’t think I’ll be imprinting my mana on it.”
“Not like we’re going to have the chance anyway,” Nero replied.
Dia made a face. While the two of them didn’t seem to quite care, she actually had a mission that exhorted her to stop the Omen’s plans. There were a few issues with this problem, though. Did the Omen steal that egg? If the thief really was the Omen, how could she hope to defeat someone with such an immense presence?
The whole thing seemed like a futile endeavour, something a tiny bit more worthwhile than keeping Nero away from alcohol. Therefore, for the sake of her sanity and welfare, it would be best to just cower in a corner and watch the rest of the world burn.
A fresh set of thunderclaps scattered her thoughts, and a heavy, metallic thump shook the platform. “Grandis, you old dog. Do you think we’re blind? That missing Bearer of Destiny…I bet you’re just making things up! The real Cosmic Egg is already on you!”
The nine halos around Emperor Grandis, which were still emitting light and covering his entire body, paused. “What?”
“What, you think we’re idiots? You sent your people to snatch the Cosmic Egg when you cracked open a relic of the Gods of Virtue, right?” Supreme Saran asked, his voice a piercing, guttural growl. Dia could hear every single word being enunciated clearly, despite the evident issues in the Supreme’s words, and the crowd stirred.
“Grandis, cease your light show,” First Lady Cecily cut in. “It’s the easiest way to prove your innocence.”
“What a fine way to put it,” Supreme Saran replied, dragging out his words. “You’re also wondering if it’s on his body, right? Dim the lights…hahaha! As always, the epitome of a hypocrite! It runs in the position!”
Dia craned her neck to look at Emperor Grandis, who simply shook his head.
“Fine.” Emperor Grandis let out a small smile. “If you think it’s better if this seat is to cease the search now, sure.”
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The nine halos dimmed, before floating around his body obediently. Everyone watched in silence as no weird lights came from the Emperor’s clothes…although who would dare question him even if there were weird lights? Dia valued her life, so there was definitely no way she was going to speak up.
“Hmph.” Metal clanked as Supreme Saran walked away, before Emperor Grandis chuckled.
“Did this seat say you could leave?” Emperor Grandis asked. “This seat believes that your armour is thick enough to block out any light. Why don’t you remove your armour and show us what’s underneath?”
He turned to the First Lady of the Nihal Senate. “Don’t you agree that everyone needs to be fair on this?”
“Of course, Emperor Grandis. You are truly the legendary senior of the Third Godsfall.” The First Lady pulled off her shimmering cloak of golden light. “I believe this is good enough, yes? I do not think there are other places to hide an egg that big.”
“Indeed, your cooperation is satisfactory.” Emperor Grandis turned to Supreme Saran. “What about you, Saran?”
The metal armour clanked once. “What makes you think that I would obey the words of a senile old coot and a little girl who only knows how to speak?”
Dia felt some displeasure lapping away at her mind, and in that moment, she imagined the act of getting rid of Supreme Saran. The feeling of trampling Supreme Saran freely felt good to her, but acting on that impulse was almost certainly the height of stupidity.
Her eyes were trained on Emperor Grandis and First Lady Cecily, who were now looking at Supreme Saran quietly. Dia could sense a burgeoning desire to just fight from the Emperor, and Dia couldn’t help but shrink back from the duo’s growing presence.
“They’re attempting to start a fight here?” Nero asked.
“No, not really,” Clarissa replied. “They’re trying to posture or something. That’s all. But if one side is actually too weak to resist, you can bet that they’ll come homing in like a dog to a bone.”
Dia nodded. “I won’t put it past them to have some sneaky plan in this whole thing, really. We should be careful. This is hardly a battlefield we should be at, not with our current experience and mana circuits.”
The stalemate lasted for a few more seconds, before Emperor Grandis abruptly disappeared. Without warning, he reappeared next to Supreme Saran, the nine halos around him blazing into overwhelming light, and punched out with his left fist.
A thunderclap followed as his gauntleted fist smashed into a thin eggshell of blue light, and the two skidded apart. A crushing pressure swept over the trial grounds a moment later, and Dia decided to obey her legs, which had been numbed over and over again.
The beginning of hostilities between Supreme Saran and Emperor Grandis seemed to trigger something at the same time, and a myriad of coloured lights crisscrossed the platform. The pressure bearing down on Dia doubled down and further intensified as everyone else promptly threw themselves into battle.
“What are they doing?” Nero whispered, beckoning at the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny.
“Probably taking this chance to settle old grudges,” Clarissa replied. “Best if you get your future wife to come here too.”
“That’s not confirmed yet, but getting her to come over is definitely a good idea.” He fiddled with his backpack for a while. “Fancy some refreshments and snacks?”
“Of course,” Dia replied, picking up a palm-sized sandwich.
More and more figures took to the skies, and gigantic shockwaves, caused by the gradual intensification of the current conflicts, shook the platform. Dia couldn’t help but feel a bit scared at the fact that they were on the edge, even if there was a barrier to prevent people from smacking into it or sneaking out.
Her eyes drifted around a for a while, before narrowing on a familiar figure. Neo Cadenza, the President of the Folders’ Association, was busy locking swords with a woman who had a flower for a mask. His face and posture revealed little, save for the fact that he was aiming to kill, and the duo darted around the skies for a fight that was both beautiful and deadly. Every single slash and blow from President Cadenza were neatly calculated, drawing a beautiful arc that she couldn’t tear her eyes away from, and within seconds, Neo Cadenza’s opponent had taken three heavy wounds in a row.
Now that all chaos had broken loose, it would seem that people were taking the chance to settle their own private grudges or something. Indeed, since the Cosmic Egg had completely vanished, and no one was now actively searching for it…
“I thought this was supposed to be the Trial of Aeons, not the Vengeance Settling Platform or whatever,” Nero muttered, before making a few gestures at the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny. Dia, who was now witnessing the rise of a weird personality in the Holy Son of the Black God, simply made a face and sat down.
“I suppose we’ll just stay here and do nothing, then.” Dia sat down properly. “What kind of trial is this supposed to be anyway?”
“Who knows? We’re just accessories for what should have been an actual theatre play,” Clarissa replied. “Like a cot to a baby, or its tiny little pacifier…”
Dia decided not to point out the weird analogies that the Holy Daughter of the White God just used.