386 – The Dragon’s Game – 1

Darkness. Silence. Desolation.

Awakening in a pitch-black space, the playthings rose one by one. Though most among them were superhumans for whom darkness posed little obstacle, this place was strangely, oppressively dark. Visibility was scarce.

They recalled the memories of moments before. Yes, a grand and sacrilegious god had manifested in this world, and they had been swept away somewhere by 『Forced Exile』.

They carefully surveyed their surroundings, exchanging hushed words.

“…Is everyone here? I sense presences, but I’m unsure if they are friend or foe. To identify ourselves, please introduce yourselves. I am Elaine Crown, First Imperial Princess.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I am Cissel Yurensto… or, Rabbit Princess.”

“Are you still doing that?”

A brief laugh.

At Elaine and Cissel’s lighthearted, joking exchange, the other playthings also announced their names.

“I am Irrid Crown. I was managing command and control from the rear, but I awoke to find myself here. Who can explain the situation? What happened on the Eastern Front?”

“…Even a prince from the rear was exiled, huh? This is Duke Roderus Redburn. The mad magician was defeated, and the Black Dragon was resurrected.”

“Gordius, Magus of the Golden Tower, here. I was piloting the 『Meteor』, but only my body was transported.”

“It’s so dark here, I can’t see anything! Someone turn on the lights!”

Thus, there were six.

The other personnel from the Eastern Front were nowhere to be seen. Were they transported to a different, separate location? What criteria did the Black Dragon use to divide the personnel, and where had he sent them all?

To this, Roderus offered a clear answer.

“If you think of the Black Dragon as some vicious, mad sorcerer, then the answer presents itself. If he had an intention… it wasn’t to definitively eliminate enemies, but to divide us for his amusement.”

“That’s right.”

The voice responding so readily wasn’t one of the six players, but a seventh.

“…A voice I’ve never heard before!”

“High probability it’s an enemy. Prepare for combat!”

The players drew their weapons, adopting stances of heightened alert. Elaine and Irrid, however, frowned, a familiar sense of déjà vu washing over them.

“Wait a moment. This voice… I’ve heard it somewhere…”

*Thump.*

The lights came on.

A cone of light descended from above, illuminating the stage. Within the beam, a young boy with golden hair and blue eyes sat in an armchair, rocking back and forth leisurely.

His expression was nothing short of bright and gentle. Just looking at him evoked a refreshing, minty coolness, yet… why did it feel so incredibly ominous?

Elaine and Irrid knew him. A face nailed shut in the coffin of old memories, a face that should never have been shown again.

“…Brother.”

“How? You were supposed to be dead.”

First Prince Crown. The child whose name and body had been stolen by the Black Dragon. The child Elaine had poisoned.

He tilted his head, considering.

“How can a shell, already robbed of its name, truly die? The gods wouldn’t allow it, and won’t in the future. I have become his *character*.”

“…So, this place is…”

“Correct. The warm, yet cold palace where we spent our childhood. A place of remarkably consistent *misfortune*, wouldn’t you agree? Do you remember?”

The Locust Tree Palace.

The place where sudden bursts of 『misfortune』 plagued the young royals, driving Elaine to make the decision to commit patricide.

The chandelier that suddenly dropped, crushing a servant. The teacup that fell on Third Prince Sred. The sharpened mop handle that appeared where Irrid was about to stumble—all that 『misfortune』.

Now, they could identify the incomprehensible phenomenon.

The power that Duke Maximus Redburn once sought to gain through the evil deity statue. The power to stand against a chosen protagonist. 『Cog: Antagonist』.

The First Prince beamed.

“I’m so happy to see you both again, Elaine, Irrid. As a memento of our reunion, let’s play a simple game. A little pastime. I’ll toss 『fate』, and you can try to survive it.”

“…………”

“Let’s call it… catch. I hope the rally continues for as long as possible.”

*Thoom.*

As if firing a starting pistol to signal the beginning of the game, a heavy sound echoed, and all the lights in the Locust Tree Palace flared to life. And the evil deity’s power began to surge.

Kkigik. Kkigigigik-!

The world crumbles towards the players. 『Misfortune』, an unreal threat, is nonetheless devastatingly lethal. Window panes shatter, turning into thick fog, and the ground collapses, bursting open.

Even Roderus, who had never seen the First Prince, instantly understood. This power… it was of the same lineage as the one his father, Maximus Redburn, wielded… a destiny-manipulating Ascended ability. Moreover, the output was far greater.

He racks his brain, fast. How did they catch Duke Redburn’s 『Snare』?

By feeding him a fake soul, shaking him with a magical girl transformation, receiving backup with a live broadcast.

After solidifying destiny with his own 『Mana Hardening』, Envers’ 『Imperial Sword Form』 seized that destiny and cleaved it apart. Yes, it was a victory won with much preparation and assistance.

The ability to grasp and shake destiny was that demanding.

Even if the former was impossible, the latter was still possible now. If only Envers was here.

But he wasn’t.

“…Always missing when I need him!”

Pajik.

Gordius, without warning, malfunctions and violently throws off the artifact that was sending currents of electricity through his fingers. He couldn’t hide his consternation.

“Wh-What kind of ability is this? How are we supposed to deal with it?!”

“Listen well. When fighting destiny-manipulating abilities, weaklings who get in the way only become stumbling blocks! Gordius, escort the Second Prince out of here!”

“I agree with that assessment, Duke Redburn. Irrid, leave. And… call for reinforcements.”

“… … … ….”

He told him to call for reinforcements, but the meaning behind those words was to preserve his life. Irrid was, after all, the next emperor who would lead the Empire.

“Yes, I will escort you. This way!”

“…Sis, don’t die! Don’t you dare die!”

Gordius, his robes billowing, bolted away. Irrid gritted his teeth until his blood vessels strained, accepting that remaining here would be of no help whatsoever. He moved his legs, determined to escape.

As if protecting the two departing figures, four people stood side-by-side.

The wind-wielding Princess Elaine. The knight Ciesel, gripping his greatsword.

The magical girl Oh Dae-su and Kim Ruru, clad in power armor.

Three fully matured Ascended Users… Indeed, it was a force capable of easily occupying a city, but if asked if it was a threat. It was not.

The First Prince smiled, shaking the bookmark like a conductor’s baton. Jjeojeok. Jjeojeojeok. Black scales began to grow along his skin. His pupils narrowed sharply, like those of a reptile.

He was a terminal of the Black Dragon Crown, a high priest receiving an unlimited amount of power from the resurrected god. Fundamentally different from black mages who gathered souls, forged evil god statues, and obtained power by begging and pleading.

It wasn’t going to end with just one.

“Succession Ascension, 『Cogwheel: Protagonist』.”

Chalkakchalkakchalkak-!

The power that chooses the protagonist of the story envelops the First Prince. The two Ascended abilities interlock and spin simultaneously. The scales of fate tilt grotesquely.

The world’s narrative favored him to an extreme, held a blatant bias, and remained utterly stingy towards every other being.

The expressions of the four tightened with tension. Yet, a sliver of fragile hope flickered. Were they expecting Irid, now outside, to do *something*?

But.

Would things be any different out there?

—

Gordius and Irid ran. More smoothly than they’d imagined, they slipped out without resistance. Leaving the Hall of Paintings meant they were now in the heart of Crown Hall.

“Around here, there should be stationed Imperial Knights. Let’s head that way…”

“Hold, Your Highness. Lower your profile!”

Gordius urgently stopped him. He’d sensed a strange current in the air. The two pressed their backs against the wall, concealed themselves, and strained their ears.

“Find Irid Crown! Seize the incompetent Crown Prince who is destroying the Empire!”

“Death! Death! Death! Death!”

The cries of a mob.

“…”

“…It seems to be brainwashing, Your Highness.”

The Black Dragon’s power blanketed Crown Hall. Citizens and knights had become enemies, not allies. Isolated in a city swarming with adversaries.

It overlapped. That moment when he was called the ‘Yongle Emperor’. That scorn.

Now where to go, what to do? Frustration and helplessness pressed in. Irid clenched his fist. He felt rage at his own lack of combat prowess.

Those with strong mental defenses might be unscathed. But the Capital Knights, who specialized in dealing with such things, were deployed to the Eastern Front. He couldn’t call them.

Gordius scanned their surroundings, a dawning realization in his eyes of what needed to be done.

“Your Highness, do you recall? Beneath the headquarters of the Capital Knights… there remain power armors. Prototypes with exceptional performance but crippling side effects, shelved away. The ‘Overclock Units’!”

“I remember.”

“Those might be of help. And, the headquarters also holds communication terminals. We could request aid from each of the Magic Towers! Plus, with the Knights gone, the headquarters will be deserted!”

“Understood. Let’s move to… hold. Do you see that?”

Beyond the blind spot, obscured by buildings, Irid noticed a suspicious shadow. The whole cityscape of Crown Hall was imprinted in his mind; he recognized instantly that this structure ‘hadn’t been’ there before.

He knew at once.

It was the colossal robot, ‘Meteor,’ lying crashed atop a building, its systems offline.

“…’Meteor’! Did it arrive with me…?!”

“Gordius. Can you reactivate it?”

“I see no major damage. I would need to examine it more closely, but if the engine is intact, I should be able to get it running.”

“Place the priority on resolving this crisis above my personal protection. I will go to the Capital Knight headquarters and call for support. You go to ‘Meteor’.”

“But──.”

Irid raised a hand, cutting Gordius off. The Second Prince of the Empire, that sly fox, chuckled and played along. He was mimicking the expression of a crazed mage.

“Me? I happen to be quite good at escaping, believe it or not. Even a century from now, at Crown Hall, I never got caught by the guard. So, go on, scram!”

“⋯⋯Yes, sir. I’ll see you later!”

*Taat.*

Irid and Gordius took off running in opposite directions. In this desperate situation, to carve out even the thinnest sliver of hope.