Chapter 730: A Reality Gamble
"It’s bright."
Those two words slipped from Arthur’s lips as he took in his surroundings—the flashing lights, the ostentatiously dressed people moving about, and the reflections dancing across countless glasses and silverware.
’I’m pretty sure I fell asleep on Aramis.’
Indeed, Arthur had returned to Aramis, gone straight to his usual room in Militopolis, collapsed onto his bed, and passed out from sheer mental exhaustion.
Yet, when he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in the middle of this dazzling place.
Glancing around at the gaming tables and the rows of slot machines lining the balcony, he quickly inferred that he was inside a casino.
The real question was—how did he get here?
"Is this even reality?"
[That depends on what you believe ’Reality’ is.]
A voice answered his quiet mutter, and Arthur spun around, his gaze locking onto a man seated at a poker table, casually playing a game with several others.
The man was dressed in a navy blue jean jacket over a black shirt and trousers. His long legs stretched out beneath the table, sneakers visible on his feet. He had the look of a young adult—handsome, with black hair styled in a simple side-parted undercut.
Arthur was sure that he was the one who had spoken.
’And that’s exactly the problem... Why am I so sure?’
He hadn’t seen the man’s mouth move. His senses hadn’t picked up any vocal activity. Yet, the certainty in his mind was unshakable.
Turning his gaze away, Arthur spoke again.
"So, if I deny this being reality, then it stops being reality?"
[Unfortunately, my belief in this Reality is stronger than your disbelief.]
Once again, the calm voice echoed in his ears, but this time, Arthur caught the man’s lips moving.
Realizing he had been noticed, the man finally looked up from his poker table, and Arthur raised a brow in mild surprise.
Just like him, the man had rather unique eyes—mesmerizing reddish-purple triangular-shaped pupils that spun in a steady rhythm, within which one could see an endless expanse of swirling space.
[Come, have a seat. Let’s play a game.]
"Not interested."
The man’s eyes widened slightly, as though the thought of Arthur rejecting his offer had never even crossed his mind.
Arthur remained standing by the balcony railing, facing the man in silence.
Around them, the other casino patrons moved about, engaged in their games and conversations, as though they couldn’t perceive Arthur and the unknown man.
[Now, this is rather awkward. It’s been a long time since someone has so blatantly rejected my request for a game.]
Arthur silently crossed his arms, his glowing eyes scanning the area before settling back on the man.
’This feeling... it’s annoying.’
Since arriving here, Arthur had been plagued by a strange sensation—like something unfamiliar was forcibly trying to make itself familiar.
And it was undoubtedly connected to this man.
"If you tell me who you are and why you brought me here, I might consider it."
His words made the man burst into laughter, his amusement spilling out freely. Still chuckling, he finally spoke.
[Sure! Let’s go with that.]
The man continued speaking, his pupils spinning even faster as he did.
[You see, some time ago—just a few months by your measure—I agreed to take part in a little experiment run by a colleague of mine, mostly out of curiosity.
I wanted to see how things would develop. And, well, the experiment was fun, and today, it reached a fantastic climax.]
He glanced down at his cards, his expression unreadable as he slid a poker chip forward. The other players at the table, each with their own tense, calculating expressions, hesitated before following suit.
[But now that it’s over, there are certain loose ends that need to be tied up.
You see, the whole thing was a bit dangerous—not to me, of course, but to a great majority of the Cosmos. If left unchecked, it could spark a very big war.
And me? I’m a rather meticulous person who likes tying up loose ends. It prevents nuisances in the future.]
One of the players across from the man, a lizardman with four eyes, smirked as he revealed his hand—four of a kind.
The man merely chuckled at the lizardman’s confident and smug expression, flipping his own cards onto the table to reveal a straight flush.
The dealer declared him the winner, sweeping the chips toward his side as the lizardman’s smug expression twisted into one of frustration.
[Speaking of nuisances, there’s a certain drifter in this universe who’s honestly more of a pain to deal with than Larry the Ubiquitous.]
Arthur’s gaze sharpened the moment he heard that name.
Larry.
Arthur knew Larry; He was the head of the Drifters back in the Hell Universe—an ancient-breed Drifter directly connected to their Progenitor.
And this man was saying that someone even worse existed here in Valmone?
Arthur remained silent as the man continued.
[Thanks to a certain someone, news about today’s events is spreading like wildfire across the galaxy and beyond. Eventually, it’ll become common knowledge.
This means that if certain sensitive details about the experiment make it to that Drifter, then—well, the information will DEFINITELY make it to Nash.]
Nash Finley Davis. The Progenitor of the Drifters.
[And if Nash gets his hands on it... well, being the irritating bastard that he is, he’ll let it slip to Quinn.]
Another name was called. Quinn Rhodes Gill. The Progenitor Devil.
[And Quinn still has it out for us. Actually, she’s had it out for us for, what? 10,000 years? Oh wait, by your time, it’d be closer to 12,000. Right around when Lucifer, well... died.]
Arthur’s fingers twitched slightly at that but he remained silent.
[And if she catches wind of this,] the man continued, idly flicking a poker chip into the air, [she’ll blow the whole thing out of proportion. Probably drag Zane or Astrel into it.]
Two more names were mentioned.
The Progenitor Celestial and the Progenitor Demon respectively.
[Honestly? I don’t want that mess. It would ruin my fun. So here I am, speaking to you—one of the many unwitting participants of this little experiment—to make sure you don’t, uh, I don’t know, accidentally spill certain details.]
He leaned back in his chair, grinning.
[In a way, I suppose I’m offering you a bit of hush money.]
Arthur remained silent, processing the man’s words even as he continued speaking.
[If you accept what I’m offering, you won’t be able to talk about it—whether you want to or not.]
The casino around them was still as lively as ever, but in Arthur’s mind, everything else had faded into the background.
The people this man had mentioned, the way he spoke, the terms he used. Arthur was piecing it together, but he needed one last confirmation.
Parting his lips, he spoke.
"You still haven’t answered my first question—Who are you?"
The man blinked before letting out another chuckle.
[Ah. That’s right. I did forget to introduce myself properly, didn’t I?]
He exhaled, shaking his head with amusement before speaking.
[Well, I go by many names and titles, but perhaps you’d recognize me best by my most famous one.]
Then, his gaze met Arthur’s, and his spinning pupils abruptly stopped. His lips parted, and a voice infused with cosmic energy echoed in Arthur’s head.
|Ranked Second among those who stand atop all existences, I am the Governor of the Concepts of Space and Reality.|
The fabric of space around him seemed to warp at his words.
|The name’s Ranus.|
And with a grin, he finished—
|Nice to meet you, Progenitor godslayer.|
