Katherine gulped.
She’d already done it several times, but every time she did it, she felt nervous.
“I brought food.”
“…”
“…I’ll leave it here.”
The woman with pitch-black hair was leaning against a wall with one arm wrapped around the huge scythe.
Looking at Katherine who put down the plate of food and stepped back, she spoke softly.
“I told you that I don’t need it.”
Katherine flinched and trembled. She bowed and shook her head.
“I-, I’m sorry.”
“Go away.”
“Yes…”
But there was a reason why Katherine was so polite to this woman.
Most of Northern Ireland had fallen into the hands of the Demons. That’s what Uncle Freddy, a survivor, had told her. He had a radio, which allowed him to have a basic understanding of the situation around them.
This city might have been the only safe place in Northern Ireland, no, in the entirety of Great Britain.
Katherine knew why.
It was all thanks to this woman. She’d killed all of the Demons and Demon Beasts in the city.
She didn’t know who she was or why she didn’t kill any humans, but Katherine was certain of one thing.
It was only because of her that she and her brother Tom were still alive.
She preferred to be alone.
Katherine knew that.
She didn’t like talking to her more than twice a day.
Katherine headed outside. She intended to go to Uncle Freddy to exchange for food and to get some more information.
But Katherine’s little plan was broken before it could’ve even started.
There was someone standing in front of her house.
“Ah…”
It was a man with light blonde hair.
Katherine knew most of the people in the city. But she’d never seen this man before.
However, this man felt strangely familiar.
After a while, Katherine was able to recognise why.
The black-haired woman in the house. He reminded her of her.
When their eyes met, the man smiled faintly as if to reassure Katherine.
“Did I startle you?”
“N-, no…”
“Right. That’s good… I would like to ask you a question.”
“Okay.”
“Can I ask who is in this house?”
The man was pointing to Katherine’s house.
“My younger brother and our benefactor.”
The benefactor who saved the entire city.
That’s what the survivors called the black-haired woman. The fact that she was staying in Katherine’s house wasn’t really something to hide, so she revealed it gently.
“…benefactor.”
At those words, the man mumbled like he’d heard something unexpected before saying.
“Can you call her?”
“O-, our benefactor doesn’t like to move.”
“Tell her Lukas is here. She’ll come out right away.”
“There’s no need.”
Katherine trembled.
When she turned around, she found that the woman, who had not taken a single step out of the room after entering it, was standing there.
With a bright smile that didn’t match her dark appearance.
“You came sooner than I expected.”
“You scattered your aura around so much that I couldn’t help but come.”
There was no need to look closely. External Force surrounded her body, the only power that allowed one to move freely in the multiverse and a power that a transcendent being would have never been able to imitate.
Decades after coming to this world. Lukas was finally meeting a being on the same level as him.
* * *
“…”
Katherine glanced nervously at the room.
It had been quite a while since Lukas and the black-haired woman had gone in there.
Did they know each other? It didn’t seem that way.
However, when the two met, a strange tension seemed to emerge.
‘What are they talking about?’
Although she was curious, she didn’t dare to eavesdrop.
Katherine could only sit in a corner, waiting quietly while her anxiety slowly built up.
* * *
The two Absolutes sat with an old wooden table between them.
Technically speaking, Lukas hadn’t found the Absolute sitting in front of him. She had deliberately released her aura and led him to her.
As soon as she’d entered this world, she spread her presence across the entire continent. Then she waited.
Because she knew Lukas would come.
It was a smart decision.
After all, Lukas wanted to protect this world at all costs.
This was her summons.
If he hadn’t responded, there was no telling what disasters would have followed.
“Sedi.”
When Lukas looked at her with a puzzled gaze, she continued.
“My name, but I think you might’ve known it already.”
“…I knew it.”
While it was his first time meeting her in person, Lukas had heard about her before.
“You did? Hmm.”
Woowoong-
The scythe resonated softly with Sedi’s hum.
Lukas’ eyes narrowed.
Naturally, this scythe wasn’t an ordinary weapon.
Maybe it was a Soul Weapon.
A transcendent weapon that embodied the power of an Absolute.
“I came to make an offer.”
“Kiki.”
While Lukas glanced at the scythe, Sedi shook her head.
“You’re predictable. Just like Nodiesop said.”
“…”
“So, is that all you wanted to say?”
Sedi was indirectly saying that she had no intention of talking.
“You are called [Battle Fanatic].”
“That’s right, Madman.”
Her tone became cold.
“So what? I’m barely holding myself back at the moment, so please don’t say anything stupid, okay? Ah, of course, I really do want to see how strong you truly are, Madman, but…”
Sedi’s voice became lower and lower. Apart from that, a fierce aura seemed to be trying to burst out of her body.
The entire house began to shake.
“The person I serve wants you dead. And that has a lot more priority than my little desires. Plus I really don’t want to stay in this measly universe for very long. The longer I stay here, the more irritated I feel.”
Her reaction was much more hostile than Lukas expected.
Nevertheless, Lukas’ expression remained unchanged. If he had thought that it would have been impossible to negotiate with her, he wouldn’t have done something as crazy as coming directly to her.
The most important thing was what would happen next.
“The Great Game.”
“…”
When she heard those words, Sedi’s aura faded a little. Her expression also changed.
“As early as a year and at latest a few years. A Great Game will begin in this universe.”
“…bullshit. Even if you are a Lord, there is no way you’d be able to know the exact timing. Only the four Rulers and God could know.”
Sedi’s expression was strange as she refuted his words.
“What if I told you that I heard it directly from the Lightning God?”
“…”
Those words couldn’t be dismissed as bullshit.
Sedi knew that this universe was currently being protected by the Lightning God. As a result, the other Rulers could not easily interfere and other Absolutes were unable to enter.
She too would not have been able to enter if she had been even a step too slow.
Huk.
Her aura disappeared. In other words, Sedi had agreed to sit at the negotiation table.
“…so? What does the Great Game have to do with your offer?”
“Nothing special. When that time comes, we will work together.”
“It seems you know what the Great Game is.”
Of course, he didn’t know. It could be said that he didn’t know anything but the name.
But Sedi was the same.
Just as she’d said. Only the four Rulers and God knew about the Great Game.
In a sense, the four Rulers were enemies. So they would never help each other.
The balance in the multiverse could have only been attained when the four Rulers maintained their existence as independent concepts.
If these cosmic beings were to work together, the order of the multiverse would be disrupted just by that mere fact.
And if such a thing were to happen, then the aftermath would affect every single universe.
So Lukas bluffed.
“Well.”
“…”
Sedi’s eyes were filled with suspicion.
But that alone was a sign of half success.
‘This universe is currently being guarded by the Lightning God.’
Interference from the other Rulers was impossible. In other words, Sedi couldn’t ask or consult with the Ruler she served about this matter.
She couldn’t think about Lukas’ proposal and make a judgement on her own.
This fact alone was Lukas’ greatest advantage.
He only needed to persuade Sedi, who was in front of him, not the Ruler behind her.
‘I just need to buy myself at least half a year.’
He grasped this thread.
If he was able to buy that time, he would have a way to fight against the Absolutes without needing to limit his own power.
Of course, this method came with risks, but it was much better than the alternatives.
“It would be impossible for you to work together with another Absolute. Unless you both serve the same Ruler.”
The Rulers usually had such an influence on those who followed them. At least, Lukas had never seen Absolutes who served different Rulers working together.
But Lukas was an exception.
As long as he didn’t follow anyone, he could cooperate with any Absolute depending on the circumstances.
It was a rare advantage granted to him by his isolation.
“To get rid of me or to get a Ruler under them. Which outcome do you think your Ruler would prefer?”
Forming an alliance didn’t mean that one would definitely become a Ruler. But it was clear that the odds would increase.
“…”
Sedi furrowed her eyebrows as she agonised over Lukas’ words. She even let out an audible groan.
Unlike the cold impression, it seemed that she had a simple side.
Then she suddenly raised her head and asked.
“By the way, you…”
“What is it?”
“Do you have the confidence to handle the other two guys who came here?”
Lukas chuckled.
“Thanks.”
“What are you talking about?”
“So three Absolutes entered this universe.”
“…ah.”
Sedi made a face. Then she glared at Lukas with an unfair look in her eyes, but Lukas expertly avoided her gaze.
Among the Absolutes, there was a surprisingly large amount of such simple people.
Their minds were worn away by an eternity of repetitive work.
So while this side of Sedi was unexpected, it wasn’t surprising.
“…you mean bastard.”
“…”
Mm.
Lukas was surprised by her accusation for a moment, but he soon collected himself and answered her question.
“It would be difficult for me alone. However…”
When he glanced at her, Sedi let out a laugh.
“I don’t intend to help you with that.”
Well. Maybe he was hoping for too much. For Lukas, the fact that she wouldn’t do anything was already good enough.
“…”
Sedi agonised for a moment longer. Then, as if she’d thought of something, her expression brightened.
“I can give you some information.”
“Information?”
“Yeah. But there are conditions.”
“What is it?”
“You can’t kill any more Demons in the future.”
“…”
Lukas looked carefully at Sedi when he heard those words.
Her appearance, the essence of her aura, and her Soul Weapon.
And now, the remark to not kill the Demons.
It was like the image of a Ruler appeared behind Sedi at that moment.
“The Black Horned Demon God. That’s the Ruler you serve.” (TL: As mentioned in the comments, the fact that there is another ‘Demon King’ in the world currently might cause some confusion. So the Ruler is now ‘Demon God’.)
Sedi nodded. It seemed she had no intention of hiding it.
But Lukas asked in confusion.
“The humans here call you benefactor. Didn’t you kill every Demon and Demon Beast in this city?”
“If they can’t recognise the level of their opponent and jump into battle like fools, then they’re worthless.”
It seemed she valued smart subjects. Lukas had identified one of Sedi’s traits.
Perhaps it was for this same reason that she didn’t kill the humans in this city. The humans in this city had unknowingly gained a safe haven that was even better than the United States across the ocean.
“In any case. I don’t care about the humans you raised, but you can’t move personally.”
Her request wasn’t particularly difficult.
Lukas had no intention of revealing his strength for the time being. He wanted to hide his existence as much as possible.
Even this face-to-face meeting with Sedi was a big gamble for Lukas. However, the more they talked, the higher the possibility of negotiation. And he’d just become even more convinced.
When he realised that she was serving the Demon God.
‘This universe has the potential to become one of the Demon God’s realms.’
Of course, Lukas would never tolerate such a situation, but the other side might have different thoughts. The Demons, these creatures who had been created by the Demon God, had already swallowed about half of the land in this world.
He couldn’t tell about the Demon God’s thoughts, but his subordinate, Sedi, would surely consider this world as a ‘universe to protect’.
But the other Absolutes were different.
Lukas wasn’t sure what they would do. He could only hope that they were conscious of their identities as Absolutes.
So he wouldn’t touch them for the time being. He would try to avoid them as much as possible until they realised what was going on.
“Understood.”
Lukas accepted Sedi’s offer.
But they both knew that this alliance was as strong as wet paper. But for now, at least, it was beneficial to work together.
“Then our alliance is formed.”
Crack!
A large scythe came to a stop in the air right in front of Lukas. He’d released a barrier to stop Sedi’s attack.
Even though he’d put quite a bit of mana into the barrier, it still creaked as the scythe pressed against it while unleashing dark energy.
“What are you doing?”
“This is my last condition.”
A large smile blossomed on Sedi’s face.
“Let’s loosen our bodies a little. I’ll control my power. I won’t use any force beyond what this universe can handle.”
Both sides would fight while restraining themselves.
He couldn’t refuse it.
He could tell just by looking at Sedi’s face.
Lukas sighed.