"The Emperor of the Empire… is your younger sister…"Since Zepha held the title of imperial prince, the fact that he was the Emperor's elder brother wasn't particularly surprising.
What surprised Miles was that the Emperor of the Empire was actually a girl.
Although when he had first heard the somewhat feminine name Quaedes, he had formed a similar suspicion, he had never actively tried to confirm it.
After all, the Holy Varian Empire's so-called youngest and strongest Emperor being a girl… it sounded rather absurd, didn't it?
Miles pressed further, "Prince Soroya, you want Aisha and me to stop the Emperor. Then what exactly is Emperor Quaedes planning to do?"
At present, the only information Miles had about Quaedes was her obsessive fixation on the power of the God Cards, along with the newly learned fact that the Emperor was a girl.
"My sister, Emperor Quaedes, intends to summon a god that will bring about the end of the world within the Empire."
"Summon a world-ending god?"
The moment a god with the power to destroy the world was mentioned, Miles immediately thought of something.
The seven murals within the imperial cathedral, seven days to annihilate the world: Numerounius.
Aisha said in disbelief, "A world-ending god? Emperor Quaedes wants to summon something that dangerous? Why? Isn't this her country? Shouldn't an Emperor's foremost duty be to protect her people?"
It was utterly incomprehensible. Summoning a god said to have destroyed the world in seven days? Miles couldn't think of any meaning behind it other than disaster.
"Protect her people…"
At those words, Zepha's expression grew more complex.
"If my sister once held such thoughts, then along the path of pursuing gods and absolute power, she has already forgotten her original intentions. Her heart has gradually become distorted."
Distortion was only natural, in Miles' view. Anyone with even a bit of normal judgment wouldn't attempt to summon a god that had once destroyed the world.
Zepha continued, "Numerounius has always been worshiped within the Empire as the embodiment of ultimate power. And the Diane family, who holds authority over the Empire's religious power, understands everything about Numerounius best."
Homar said, "Zepha, this is what you mentioned in your letter before."
"Yes. The summoning of Numerounius has always been secretly assisted by the Diane family, supporting the Emperor from the shadows."
Miles frowned. "Hey, those clergy members should understand better than anyone how dangerous Numerounius is."
The cathedral murals had clearly depicted the seven-day destruction wrought by the "Dreamworld Void God".
And yet they still intended to forcibly summon that world-ending god. It seemed the twisted minds extended far beyond Quaedes alone.
"No. Compared to my sister's pure obsession with the absolute power of a god, the Diane family appears more inclined to control Numerounius. And they have found a method to do so."
To control a god capable of destroying the world. If the Diane family truly mastered such terrifying power, the Empire would undoubtedly shatter the century-long balance of the Spirit Continent.
Miles recalled last night—the head of the Diane family, Duchess Karina Diane, Sylvia's mother. That elegant and alluring woman had been secretly advancing such a plan all along.
A fox hiding her claws.
And there was another matter. Though it might not be directly related, last night Miles had stepped forward on behalf of the Diane family, yet Karina had deliberately exposed Ra's weakness to Ryan Gate. Even then, something had felt off.
As the family that held dominion over religious authority, Karina's "respect" toward the gods did not resemble that of ordinary believers.
Faith was most devout among those at the bottom. The higher one stood, the more inclined one was to use the gods rather than worship them.
"If it succeeds, the Empire will undoubtedly gain unprecedented power. But if it fails, the price will be one the Empire, and even the entire Spirit Continent cannot bear."
That was the conclusion Zepha had reached after weighing the pros and cons.
"I hope you can stop my sister. The balance of power within the Empire has already been completely shattered. By ourselves, we cannot shake the alliance between the Diane family and the Emperor. So I have no choice but to seek help from an old friend. I am placing my hopes on the Duelists from the land of miracles."
Livorden—L·wonder—the nation crowned with the name of miracles.
Looking toward Homar, Nova finally understood. "So this was the other purpose you mentioned for this trip, Brother."
Homar nodded. "If the situation is truly as Zepha says, then the summoning of Numerounius is no longer merely a crisis for the Empire. It concerns the entire Spirit Continent."
Miles continued, "But in a situation like this, what is it that only Aisha and I can do?"
Zepha answered, "According to intelligence from my informants, the formal summoning ritual of Numerounius has been set for tomorrow night."
"Tomorrow night? That wouldn't happen to be…"
"Yes. My sister's birthday banquet. The Emperor's celebration. At that time, renowned Duelists from across the continent will gather within the palace. And the convergence and sacrifice of the spiritual power of multiple powerful Duelists is one of the conditions required to summon Numerounius."
Irena exclaimed, "To use the strongest Duelists of the entire continent as sacrifices for a world-ending god's ritual? That's truly insane."
"And only the power of the God Cards can suppress the summoning ritual of the world-ending Dreamworld Void God. Miles, Aisha… if anyone can stop my sister, stop the Emperor tomorrow during the ritual, it can only be you two!"
Falling briefly into thought, Miles murmured to himself, "So this is what Sylvia meant."
Yesterday at the imperial cathedral, Sylvia had strongly urged Miles and the others to leave the capital before tomorrow night.
It seemed that as the eldest daughter of the Diane family, Sylvia was aware of part of the truth.
Though only part of it.
If Sylvia truly knew that tomorrow night's event was the summoning ritual of the world-ending Numerounius, she probably wouldn't have tried to persuade Miles to leave the capital.
If Numerounius truly descended, simply fleeing the capital would not guarantee safety.
If things went wrong, the entire Spirit Continent could be destroyed. The myth of seven days of annihilation might be reenacted.
Miles made up his mind. "Since this concerns the safety of the entire Spirit Continent, we'll fight as far as our abilities allow. That much I can promise you, Prince Soroya."
"Me too!" Aisha echoed.
Even if she felt uncertain inside, as long as she was with Miles, she felt capable of anything.
Of course, she wasn't the only one who felt uncertain.
Being suddenly asked to suppress the summoning ritual of a god that had once destroyed the world—and to fight Quaedes, the so-called strongest Emperor of the Empire—did Miles truly feel confident?
Even after agreeing to Zepha, Miles could only take things one step at a time.
"Your agreement alone is already my greatest comfort," Zepha said. "At tomorrow's banquet ritual, I will gather all the forces within the Empire that can still be rallied and support you in every way possible."
Because he did not know the exact process of the ritual to summon Numerounius, Zepha could only make the most thorough preparations he could.
It felt like doing all that one could and leaving the rest to fate.
Since this was a secret meeting, Miles and the others could not remain long at the prince's estate.
After discussing what might occur during tomorrow's banquet ritual, they departed and returned directly to the consulate.
Only after this trip did Miles truly understand just how complicated the Empire's situation was.
The Emperor's obsession with summoning Numerounius alone was enough to plunge the entire Empire into turmoil.
Not to mention the countless noble families entangled in the matter—some aware, some unaware; some supportive, some opposed—splitting into numerous factions.
From a pessimist's perspective, this was sheer madness; digging one's own grave while dragging the entire Spirit Continent down with them.
From a radical's perspective, however, this was the opportunity for the Empire to reclaim its peak and rule the continent once more.
As for Miles, whether the power of the God Cards could truly suppress the summoning of Numerounius remained entirely uncertain.
He had never fought a battle with so little confidence.
Being asked to confront a god that had once destroyed the world… it felt almost like a dream.
"Miles, are you alright?"
On the carriage ride back, seeing him silent the entire way and looking troubled, Dark Aisha couldn't help but move closer in concern.
"I'm fine. Physically fine. Just a bit mentally exhausted."
"Then… would you like a lap pillow?" Dark Aisha patted her thigh. "I heard it's very effective for relieving mental fatigue."
"Uh? No, I'll pass. I might get even more tired."
It wasn't that he disliked Aisha's thighs. It was just that, vaguely, he seemed to sense a certain jealous irritation from Alice's gaze.
Secretly-obsessed siscons were truly troublesome.
Neigh!
Without warning, the sharp cry of a horse rang out from ahead. The carriage they were riding in was suddenly forced to a halt.
The original Aisha, who had been drowsy, jolted awake and looked around. "What happened? What happened?"
The attendant driving the carriage called out, "Report. Another carriage has suddenly stopped across the road and blocked our way."
"Blocking the road at a time like this?" Homar frowned. From his years in politics, unexpected incidents arising at critical moments were rarely normal.
"Stay in the carriage. I'll go take a look with the guards," Homar instructed.
"I'll go too." Miles jumped down from the carriage, curious about what was happening.
Although the royal guards were all burly and looked formidable, none of them could compare to Miles' unusual physical strength.
However, the moment Miles stepped down, the people inside the opposing carriage seemed to have locked onto their target. They poured out all at once—an entire carriage full of thugs charging straight toward him.
"Damn it, they're coming for me?" Miles blurted out in shock and excitement.
The group on the opposite side was clearly well-trained. If the royal guards had the advantage in strength, these masked men had the advantage in speed.
Nimbly weaving past the guards, the masked figures advanced in small groups and charged straight toward Miles.
But that was already the limit of what they could accomplish.
If he let a bunch of lackeys lay a finger on him, Master Magitech Artisan Viel's reputation would have nowhere to hide.
Even though this was Miles' first time engaging in "actual combat" with this body, his excellent reflexes, perfect bodily coordination, and exaggerated strength made him look like a war god amidst the crowd.
"W-what is that, a monster?" Watching their companions get kicked away one by one with a single leg, the masked men in the rear began questioning their lives.
"Wasn't the mission just to kidnap a little boy? Damn it, we've been screwed over."
"If we're fighting a monster like this, we need more pay."
"I wouldn't do it even for more pay!"
As they hurriedly retreated, Miles still had no idea why these people had targeted him, but mere lackeys with limited combat ability posed no threat at all.
He didn't even need to use Duel Monsters to deal with them.
"There's a fluctuation in mana!" Irena shouted from inside the carriage. "Be careful, Miles. These small fry are just a distraction!"
"Mana fluctuation?"
Before he could finish speaking, Miles noticed several fireballs hurtling toward him.
Well, now, they even brought out mages. Miles didn't recall offending anyone in the Empire.
If he had to name someone, perhaps Ryan counted, the one he had beaten up before.
Though according to Zepha, as the Gate family supported royal authority and opposed religious authority, they were on the same side in the coming conflict against the gods.
The fireballs exploded in front of him. Yet with the strength of Miles' body, even magic attacks were difficult to make an impact. A perfect all-rounder.
"A chaotic situation, huh."
As the heat waves rolled over him, Miles once again fully felt just how chaotic the Empire's current state was.
Chaotic enough that after only two days in the capital, he had already been forcibly dragged into an attack by some mysterious faction.
"Hm? Why is that fireball white?"
"You idiot, Miles! That's spatial magic! If you take it head-on, you'll—"
Irena's voice cut off halfway through in Miles' ears.
This attack had absolutely exceeded everyone's expectations. Whether it was the expendable masked men at the start or the mages throwing fireballs afterward, all of it had been a feint.
Everything had been a preparation for this single spatial spell.
It had nothing to do with physical strength. Miles was forcibly transferred away… just like when Zepha had transferred Sylvia before.
A flash of white light. When Miles opened his eyes again, the scene before him had totally changed.
Seated upon a throne, a blue-haired, blue-eyed girl whose entire aura was as clear and cold as crystal sat with her legs crossed, observing Miles with great interest.
"At last, I have obtained the man who can wield the power of the gods."
"You are?" Miles asked, utterly bewildered, looking at the unfamiliar girl before him.
"Me?" the girl replied. "Quaedes Soroya. Or you may address me directly as—"
"Your Majesty the Emperor."
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Chapter 540: 540: DSMW [540]
11 min read