“I-I can’t believe it!” Ultel shouted. All the subordinates around Ultel simultaneously turned toward him. Zich’s companions and the Bellid forces passionately fighting against them did the same thing. Yet, Ultel didn’t have the luxury to pay attention to anyone else. Their most important location had been left exposed to their enemies without any defense mechanisms set up.
“H-How! How did you open the door?!” Was there another item like the Emperor’s Ring? Ultel thought that the possibility was simply too low.
‘There’s no way they would make so many precious items!’ The empire could’ve made another one as a precaution, but making more than that would’ve only increased the danger and risk of losing very valuable items in other places. However, that only left one remaining explanation.
‘...Did he give it to someone else? An item similar to the Emperor’s Ring?’
It was unthinkable for Ultel. This was an item that could control the Brushel System. How could anyone give it to someone else? Ultel’s close subordinates were loyal and had outstanding skills, as expected of people that he had specially picked out using the information gained through countless regressions. Yet, no matter how much he trusted a subordinate, Ultel would never think of giving the Emperor’s Ring to any one of them. They were still another person after all.
Right now, however, it seemed that Zich had done just that.
“There’s no way. Absolutely no way! How could you lend something so important to another person with the right state of mind...!”
“That’s up to me to decide.”
Although Ultel’s murmurings weren’t loud, Zich was able to catch his voice easily. As he was gasping in shock from the unexpected turn of events, Ultel looked like really delicious prey to Zich.
“Seeing your response, it seems like my companions have arrived at the island. Why? Are you stunned that I entrusted something so important to those guys?”
“You bastard, did you really...!” Ultel couldn’t believe it at all, but based on what Zich said, it seemed like Zich had really done the unbelievable.
“Y-You crazy bastard! Did you really do something like that with a sane mind?!”
“Isn’t that the difference between you and me, though? It’s probably impossible for you to believe me with that very small brain of yours,” Zich snickered.
Ultel didn’t feel provoked by Zich’s statements; he was just certain that Zich that lost his mind. Though his curiosity was fulfilled, Ultel’s heart didn’t feel at ease and another question popped up in his head. When Zich used the strength and power he had once wielded in his prime days at the tower, Ultel didn’t think twice about it. The Emperor’s Ring allowed its wearer to use all the mana they possessed in areas where the World Tree’s mana held influence. Thus, since the World Tree’s mana flowed in this tower and Zich possessed an item similar to the Emperor’s Ring, it wasn’t strange that Zich could use all his mana. Yet, Zich just revealed that he no longer had the item with him.
‘If that guy really gave that item away, how is he using his powers...!’ Anyone could see that Zich’s powers were the same as his heyday, and in his current state, he had awakened all his mana. How was it possible that he was able to do this without that item?
“Are you curious about how I’m using all my powers?” Zich shouted as if he had peeked into Ultel’s mind. Although Ultel’s subordinates kept rushing toward him, their attack power wasn’t strong enough to seal Zich’s mouth.
“It’s really simple. I just freed up all the mana inside my body by myself.”
“Don’t make me laugh! How could you free all that mana inside you at that age!” Ultel had been actually glad to see Zich wielding all his power inside the tower. Even if Zich had regressed, it was impossible for him to free up all his mana at that age—that was the sheer enormity of Zich’s mana pool. Thus, Ultel judged that Zich had brought the item similar to the Emperor’s Ring with him. If this was true, then he didn’t need to worry about the safety of the island any longer, and so Ultel had called forth all his forces onto the island without any more hesitation. Now, Zich was claiming that he didn’t have this item with him.
Zich’s responded, “It’s simple! I’m so great of a genius that I can surpass your expectations!”
Ultel was at a loss for words. Was Zich simply mocking him? Or was he bluffing to cloud his judgment? However, Zich’s self-assured voice and confident expression indicated otherwise.
‘No, this isn’t the time for me to be worrying about that!’ Ultel wanted to immediately run to the island where the World Tree was, but then he stopped. He saw Zich slicing apart his subordinates like rotten pieces of wood and worried that Zich had more tricks up his sleeves.
“Pin!”
“Yes, master!” A robed person waiting by Ultel’s side jumped out. Ultel spoke while handing Tornium to him.
“We have a trespasser on the island! Go take care of them immediately!”
“Yes!”
“You should take...” After choosing the most skilled subordinate to take the lead for this task, he needed to choose which forces to send to the island along with him. Thus, the ideas inside Ultel’s head became more complicated.
‘How many...should I send?’ He only knew that enemies had invaded the island and didn’t know their exact strength and number. Considering how important the island was, Ultel was sure that Zich wouldn’t have sent some small fry. If he sent only a small number of forces, there was a high possibility that he would meaninglessly lose his subordinates without getting anything done. But he couldn’t send too much of his current forces either as he was still fighting Zich and his companions. It appeared that those with low stamina such as Lubella and Walwiss felt fatigued, but the others were still going strong.
Ultel’s original strategy was to deplete Zich and his companions’ strength by sending out an overwhelming number of monsters, the undead, and shadows. However, Zich’s party wasn’t one that Ultel could easily beat with just numbers; there was always a possibility that they could push past Ultel’s forces no matter how many they were and reach the top of the tower. Thus, it was essential for Ultel to deploy some elite forces to keep Zich’s party occupied at the tower. By using the monsters, the undead, and shadows as sacrifices, they could block Zich’s party’s attacks and the elite forces could use the openings created through those sacrifices to harm Zich’s party.
Yet, considering that the forces that Zich sent to the island had to be elite fighters, Ultel thought that he would also need to dispatch forces to match them. No, considering how important the island was, he needed to dispatch the whole lot of them. But what would he do against Zich’s party then?
‘I’m still barely holding them down now...’ Although Ultel was mobilizing all the forces that he could muster, these monster-like guys had managed to break through two barriers. If Ultel sent a large number of forces to the island right now, Zich’s party would climb to the very top of the tower and teleport to the island.
“Master?” Pin called out to Ultel, waiting for a command. However, there was no sign of Ultel’s mouth opening again. He was in a great dilemma: should he focus on the island where the Brushel System was or focus on the tower where his worst enemy was?
“Huh? What are you thinking so hard about? You sure are having it easy, taking your sweet time and all that. A Bellid pope sure is different from the average man!”
“Shut up!”
Ultel’s head felt like it was already going to burst, and he could almost feel steam coming out of his head, but Zich’s wily tongue didn’t seem to stop flickering.
“While you are thinking, my companions are steadily approaching the system. There’s really no time for you to space out. I am kindly giving you advice, but—”
“I told you to shut up!” Ultel thought Zich’s intention was clear. By mocking his opponent, Zich was trying to fog his judgment skills.
“Don’t want to. Don’t want to,” Zich retorted.
...Or was it that Zich simply enjoyed tormenting his opponents?
At the same time, there was truth behind what Zich said. If he continued to drag on like this, he could be handing the island and the Brushel System to his enemies. Thus, Ultel acted urgently and with the exception of some troops necessary to block Zich for the time being, he sent as many elite forces to the island as possible. In the end, he judged that the Brushel System was more important than anything else. He also tried to send monsters and the undead along with them, but Zich didn’t stand quietly and watch this happen.
“Where are you going?!”
Bam! Estellade’s blade shone brilliantly.
“I thought you wanted to continue dancing with us! You can’t just choose to leave the stage on your own like that!”
“That’s right! They sure don’t know a thing about manners!” Lubella shouted from behind. It sounded like she was enjoying the situation very much.
Zich turned back to his companions. “We will act a bit more rough from now on.”
“I understand.”
“Oh my, you are pushing this old man too much.”
“No problem! I still have plenty of arrows left!”
“Don’t worry about injuries, everyone! Unless you are instantly killed, you can just forget about the injuries.”
Their attacks grew fiercer.
Until now, Zich’s party had been enduring the enemy’s attacks by being on the defensive and withholding as much strength and mana as possible. Yet, with Zich’s command, the way they fought completely changed. The speed at which they advanced clearly increased and their momentum was greater than before. The enemies blocking their path scattered away as Zich’s party pushed forward more and more. Since they began to focus on attacking, they quickly took on more injuries, some of which were even critical. Yet, however deep the injuries were, they recovered without a trace as Lubella’s holy magic surrounded them.
“Block! Block with all your might!” Ultel shouted so hard that there were veins bulging out on his neck. He also personally attacked, brandishing his staff. Yet, after a whole bunch of their forces was dispatched elsewhere and Zich’s party took an offensive stance, the Bellids failed to hold Zich’s party back. Rather, some of the reinforcements that Ultel meant to send to the island were destroyed by Zich’s party. Monsters and the undead that were meant to fill up numbers there were all getting annihilated by Zich’s party as they tried to move.
“Idiot! This is why you shouldn’t have pulled us to this tower! It did nothing but make you split your forces! You are in no position to insult Glen Zenard!” Zich continued to shoot insults at him.
“Y-You bastard!” Although Ultel had experience fighting Zich Brave, he had never fought Zich Moore before, since Zich Moore was Glen’s sole creation. Through the Brushel System, Ultel used to think that he knew Zich Moore very well. Yet, he couldn’t have been more mistaken. The Zich Moore from his information and the Zich Moore he was facing now in reality were fundamentally different.
‘That idiot hero was dealing with a guy like this?’
Besides Zich’s strength, Zich had a tongue that could drive a person mad. Ultel felt like his brain would explode from Zich’s insults. They were on a completely different level from the humiliation that Glen Zenard had often forced upon him.
Yet, Zich’s presents didn’t end there.