Chapter 1094: Broken Legacies
[I see...] King Purple Mist’s voice echoed in Black and Petyr’s ears with a mechanical hum. [Darth Vader. Sousuke Aizen. Vlad Dracula Tepes...]
Black waited after detailing the contents of the Inquisition Notification.
He had known that Purple Mist would definitely ask him if he had breached the Night of Truce protocol. The King might not be interested in whether he would tell the truth or not. However, if he had lied, then the 18th Floor monster might not have even been willing to hear him out further. Forget considering other... requests.
Black could have surely considered masking his words under a thick layer of Contrasts of Facelessness and Ad Infinitum.
Yet, after interacting with the King many times, he had learned that it was a grave mistake to underestimate such Contestants’ intelligence, even if they were in the Primordial Tower.
To some extent, Black blamed his father for this.
Alan Stormborn had expanded his vision to such measures that the likes of Kings felt... lacking. Every Storm Pirate was a force to behold, far stronger than a King, perhaps. Otherwise, it didn’t make sense for them to last a thousand years against a Half-Deep One.
Black knew that his father must have been trying to humble him, then.
But, by humbling him, He also implanted a cue in his mind that even Ad Infinitum had to be wary of constantly.
So, resisting that cue, Black had taken extra care not to lie to the Purple King.
He had not killed the Contestants during the Night of Truce. Nor had he commanded any of his underlings, Contestant or Character or Magical Creature, to do so in his stead.
Selene had herself come to a murderous conclusion, carrying out a massacre.
And that’s what he would tell the Inquisitors, if it came to that.
In a way, it was nothing short of throwing Selene under the guillotine.
But that’s exactly where things would work in his favor, too, even if the Inquisitors judged the Magical Creature guilty.
First, Selene was disposable.
Other than himself, Kai considered everyone disposable.
So, to get an instant upper hand during the Inquisition, he wouldn’t shy away from putting all the blame on her.
Second, and perhaps more relevant, was Selene’s current status.
The Three-Headed Devourer was not just Kai’s Magical Creature anymore.
Selene was a candidate for Zelretch’s True Ancestor Blessing!
Simply being a candidate wouldn’t have helped her survive, though.
However, Selene wasn’t just a candidate.
Zelretch had Himself claimed that no non-human existence that had received his True Ancestor Blessing had survived to reach maturity, dying before becoming a True Ancestor.
He did not know that these existences were still alive, tamed by The Banished.
So, in Selene, Zelretch saw not only a scheme, but also a chance, especially with her existence tied to Kai, who had already proved himself through the Great Holy Grail War.
In a way, the Three-Headed Devourer was not just a candidate for Kai’s Blood Devour anymore, but she was also Zelretch the Deep One’s legacy — a legacy that was destined to be broken apart, no matter if she died before becoming a True Ancestor or... after.
Or, at least, that was what Kai had schemed through Ad Infinitum and Lucky Intuitions, conspiring to let Zelretch accept Selene for the Blessing.
So, Selene being judged guilty during the Inquisition was not the worst, but the best-case scenario. Because then, the Inquisitors would need to deal with one of the strongest Deep Ones in the Multiverse.
And, coming full circle, the same question became a matter of importance once again.
Just how strong were these Inquisitors?
[Inquisitors...] the King said, perhaps reading Black’s thoughts across dimensions, [... are what we Contestants know as Broken Legacies.]
"Broken Legacies?" Black repeated, sharing a glance with Petyr.
[Hmm... These are the Storyline Characters who have surpassed their Timelines, becoming Overlords in their Bubbles. Then, by some turn of fate, they ended up losing everything, going rogue. When such a thing happens, Bubble Overseers, like the Order of Immortal Lotus of the Harry Potter Bubble, request the Contestants to help out. And, by Contestants, I mean... the Empires.]
An unsettling feeling was already bubbling in Black’s heart. "So, the Empires hire them as Inquisitors, and these Characters agree... to submit?!"
[...] The pause on the other side alarmed Black, making him straighten himself. [By Timelines... I meant... Pillar Timelines. And, yes. The Empires do their utmost to hire these Characters’ services because it’s almost impossible to kill them. Not without involving many 18th Floor Contestants.]
Black’s mind blanked.
He’d obviously thought that the Inquisitors sent by the Celestials were stronger than him, probably going well above the strength of a 13th Floor Contestant.
But... to think that these three Characters were... stronger than 18th Floor Contestants...
[As far as submission is concerned...] Purple Mist continued. [... It’s hard to tell for what reason they agree to become Inquisitors. The Empires are quite discreet about all this and don’t respond well to any prying. Anyway, I do know one case where it hadn’t worked out for them. A case where an Inquisitor rebelled and killed many 18th Floor Contestants and... even Celestials.]
WHAT?!
Black almost jumped to his feet. "Who..."
[One of the Storm Pirates —] the King told him. [Acnologia.]
Stunned, Black remembered the time when a Sadness had seeped into his bones, washing away his Calm. The time when his father had taken him to the Fairy Tail Bubble. The time when he had met Acnologia — the Character who singlehandedly destroyed four Pillar Timelines.
And these Inquisitors... were all like that?!
Black drew a deep breath.
Against raw strength, everything failed.
This was the case when he compared himself to the Inquisitors, but... so would be the case with the Inquisitors and Zelretch as well.
"Thank you for the assistance, Your Majesty," Black said. "I... do have one more request."
After half an hour, he disconnected, slumping back into the bench.
"That... went well?" Petyr commented. "But, not enough."
"Not nearly enough," Black admitted.
In the next moment, he contacted another person.
This time, it wasn’t a Contestant, but... a Character with also a broken legacy...
... a Character who had once ruled as a Deep One — Ainz Ooal Gown, the Overlord!
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Author’s Note: Intro to the Volume 26 - Legacy ends with this Chapter.
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