Chapter 318: The supposed Evidence
Rubedo leaned forward and rested his elbows against the crystal console. "You just handed me a massive strategic advantage. You confirmed that you and the other three gods of the Fourth Continent are entirely occupied with your exams. I will use that distraction to completely destroy your territories."
Rubedo pointed a finger at the screen. "My armies will wipe out every single temple, shrine, and religious monument dedicated to your pantheon. I will annihilate every citizen who still dares to pray to you."
The Radiant Monarch threw his floating golden hands up in exasperation. "You are sick. You take video games way too personally."
The halo tilted slightly to the side. "Actually, this makes perfect sense now. You talk exactly like a player who stays logged in all day. That explains how you managed to conquer the Fourth Continent so fast. You just sit in your chair and grind levels while normal people study and go to class."
"..."
"Don’t you have a life bro? Go outside and touch some grass. Meet real people. Get some friends. Live your life. Video games are made for fun, not to cope," the radiant monarch advised.
Rubedo watched the floating limbs gesture frantically. He decided to shatter the illusion entirely.
"I play all day because I live here," Rubedo stated. "Every single god on this server, except for you and your friends, is permanently trapped inside the game. They are players summoned from Earth. Their physical bodies are gone."
Rubedo let his words settle before continuing. "If they die on this server, they are permanently deleted from existence. We are fighting a genuine war for survival."
The Radiant Monarch burst into laughter. The glowing halo bobbed erratically across the monitor.
"You are definitely pranking me," Radiant Monarch said. He pointed a floating golden finger at Rubedo. "That is the oldest roleplay joke on the forums. You really expect me to believe I am talking to someone physically stuck inside a game? You need to take a break."
"I gain nothing by lying," Rubedo shrugged.
"Prove it," Radiant Monarch demanded while waving his floating golden hands at the screen. "Show me some actual evidence that you are stuck inside a game."
Rubedo rested his chin on his knuckles and stared at the glowing halo. "How exactly do I prove something like that? If you want to believe me, you will accept the evidence. If you refuse to believe me, you will dismiss everything I provide as an elaborate developer trick."
The Radiant Monarch crossed his floating arms in front of his halo. "You are just dodging the question because you have absolutely nothing to show."
"Prove you are not the one pranking me," Rubedo countered.
"I have absolutely no reason to prank a random solo player on this server," Radiant Monarch replied.
"That is not evidence," Rubedo said. "I can say the exact same thing."
The Radiant Monarch threw his golden hands up in exasperation. "Fine. I will call my other friends who play this game. Maybe you will believe me when a group of normal high school students log in to talk to you."
Rubedo maintained his composed expression. "That still proves absolutely nothing. You could all easily be in on the exact same prank."
The Radiant Monarch let out a loud groan and severed the connection. The Social Tab on Rubedo’s console collapsed instantly. The crystal interface reverted to the default map of the Fourth Continent.
Rubedo sat in the silence of his sanctuary and considered the bizarre exchange. He kept his guard up and waited for the next move.
A few minutes later, the console chimed again. The Social Tab forcibly expanded across the screen. Rubedo accepted the incoming video transmission.
The glowing halo reappeared on the monitor. "I contacted my friends," Radiant Monarch announced. "They are logging in right now. They will join this call very soon."
Rubedo adjusted his dark coat and watched the screen. He fully expected the Heavenly Divine Emperor, the God of Valleys, and the Silver Wing to populate the call. He prepared himself to face the united leadership of the Fourth Continent.
The interface dinged three times in rapid succession. The central monitor split into a four-way grid.
Rubedo narrowed his eyes at the new arrivals.
The top right quadrant displayed a towering colossus of living steel with giant grinding gears for joints. A roaring furnace burned inside his hollow metallic chest.
The bottom left quadrant showed a shifting silhouette of crimson sand wrapped in tattered golden silks. Hollow, burning embers glowed where his eyes should be.
The bottom right quadrant revealed a striking woman carved entirely from polished obsidian. Dark water wept continuously from her blank, pupilless eyes.
It was Iron-Arbiter, Ignisar, and Nyxara.
The rulers of the Second and Third Continents occupied the screen. These were the exact same deities who had signed highly restrictive vassalage contracts with Rubedo to save themselves from the Fourth Continent’s relentless invasions.
Rubedo looked at the four-way grid on his console while Radiant Monarch waved a floating golden hand to gesture toward the other three screens.
"These are my friends from school," Radiant Monarch announced. "We all downloaded the game during the summer sale. I told you I am a normal student."
Ignisar leaned closer to his camera and crossed his arms. "Why did you call us during exam week? I need to finish a history essay tonight."
Nyxara sighed and wiped the dark water from her eyes. "You interrupted my study session for a random group call."
"I am proving a point to a delusional player," Radiant Monarch replied. He pointed a finger at Rubedo’s quadrant. "This guy completely wrecked my capital while I was offline. He claims everyone on the server is physically trapped inside the game."
Iron-Arbiter stared closely at Rubedo’s dark coat and violet eyes. The massive gears in his joints ground together loudly as he stepped back from his screen. "You invited the Sovereign to a group call?"
"The Sovereign?" Radiant Monarch asked. "Wait, you guys know him already? Are you guys in this prank too? Wait... were you the ones who asked him to pull this prank to mess with me during our exams?"
