Chapter 1092: The Indigestible Dishes on Kai’s Plate
Darth Vader.
Sousuke Aizen.
Vlad Dracula Tepes.
If someone had whispered these words in Black’s ears, the first thought that would have sprung up in his mind would have been related to the Five-leaf Grimoire — The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
The Item had been carefully crafted by the Soul King, hoping to replace Kai as a Contestant in the Primordial Tower and take over his Glitched existence.
The Soul King was gone... for now.
The Storm Pirates had sealed Him after a thousand-year-long war that had raged at Nowhere.
The Half-Deep One did leave behind the Item, and its broken abilities, to Kai, though... as a deranged, but insanely powerful, legacy.
Even after spending years in the Primordial Tower, making contacts that included Kings of the 18th Floor, Kai had never come even remotely close to hearing of any other such Item.
That’s why, when it came to keeping secrets, he always considered The Tales of Beedle the Bard on the same level as his Glitch.
Only the Grimoire could find a way to bring such names together.
Only the Grimoire could scour the Multiverse and bring such figures together.
The only thing that had come close to replicating the Item’s grand feat, Kai believed, was the existence of the Storm Pirates.
However, despite the ridiculous status and strength of the Storm Pirates, they weren’t... immortal.
The Characters of The Tales of Beedle the Bard were... in a way.
As long as Kai existed, they would exist.
As long as the Item existed, they would exist.
It wasn’t immortality, per se, but it was very close.
So, looking at the three names, Black couldn’t help but draw a deep breath, finally loosely grasping the scale of the situation he had fallen into.
But the real tragedy about all this was the timing of the Inquisition.
Neither Kai nor Black could spare time until the completion of this Main Mission.
For the Inquisitors, questioning him for a few months might be equivalent to the blink of an eye. Hell, it was a blink of an eye for Black, too, the Ad Infinitum helping him not lose his grasp of time constantly.
However, the coming twelve to fifteen months needed AI and Lucky Intuitions... needed Kai’s unshakable attention... for his plans to come to fruition.
So, two questions instantly towered in front of Black, becoming roadblocks to success.
"First," Petyr Baelish guessed, "how strong are the Inquisitors?"
Black side-eyed Littlefinger and nodded.
"You are not the same hot-headed fool anymore, my lord," Petyr said, openly mocking the Kai from years ago when he had just started his Contestant journey. "Even if the Inquisitors... rely mainly on their status and the authority bestowed upon them by the Empires, it’s wise not to go for the kill."
With the three Characters taking orders from the Empires, it was already clear that they didn’t come under their respective Timelines’ protection.
Which meant, in the simplest terms, they could be killed.
"And give an open invitation to the Empires to invade the timeline?" Black scoffed. "... after what I have already achieved... after what I am about to achieve... No."
"Second," Petyr continued, nodding with a small smile, "how long will the Inquisitors take to arrive here?"
Black fell into contemplation.
For the first time, he found himself out of his depth.
He had no information on what this Inquisition was and how the Inquisitors worked.
Even Red Sun’s mindscape had no such data, which meant the matter of the Inquisition was probably only known to Contestants above the 4th Set.
That wasn’t a good sign, as it would also draw a line for the Inquisitors’ base strength.
"I am all ears... Death," Black called out to the Deep One. "And Timeline. This cannot be something good for you, too, right?"
[We cannot speak on the matter of the Inquisition, my creation,] Death hissed.
Black frowned.
The way the Deep One had put it so bluntly and flatly seemed... foreboding.
No explanation. No hints here and there. No mockery or solace. It wasn’t like Death at all. Then there was Timeline, who hadn’t even bothered to show up, despite it being Her who stood to lose the most because of her delicate status.
Which meant the matter of the Inquisition was as old as the Great Old Contract itself.
Which meant...
"We are fucked..." Black concluded, burying his Calm deep inside and twisting his lips into an ugly frown. "At least tell me who’s behind all this?"
[You already know.]
"The Order of Immortal Lotus..." Petyr answered, holding his chin. "Only they know that Contestants had disappeared en masse from this timeline, my lord."
Black looked up toward the Death Star.
Wizards of various ministries were still casting mass Spells to block the dooming sight from the Muggles’ eyes.
"So..." Black took a deep breath, his dark eyes narrowing. "... the Six fools have already decided..."
"Well, it was about time," Petyr quipped. "Pardon my tongue, my lord, but you don’t have time to worry about those Six, either. You already have more than what you can digest on your plate.
"Lord Black Phoenix. Herpo the Foul’s Horcruxes. The two 12th-Floor Contestants... unsealed. The matter of the Wand. The imminent Karmic Dissolution. Herpo the Foul himself. And that’s only from this timeline.
"Demon King Muzan and the Verse Fusion timeline. The Great Spider and the Key Fate timeline. Bankai, without achieving which everything else is meaningless. The matter of the Overlord Bubble being invaded by Knull seems distant and irrelevant, but... is it? And now this Inquisition."
After listing out the dishes on Kai’s plate, Petyr slowly got up and came to stand in front of Black.
"A war is coming, my lord," Littlefinger counseled, ignoring the very existence of Ad Infinitum and Lucky Intuitions. "And, pardon my boldness, but you are but one man. Better than most, I agree. But... certainly not an immortal. I may not have the same capacity as your AI, but I know this...
"Wars are not meant to be fought alone. Not even Gods fought wars, throwing themselves on the battlefield like common soldiers. You need an army — soldiers and weapons. It’s time..."
And Black knew what Littlefinger was about to suggest.
"It’s time..." Petyr said it anyway. "... for you to leverage all your contacts... my lord."
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