Chapter 808: A ‘White’ Encounter at the ‘Golden Glass’
Golden Glass Casino and Bar
Apex World Verchester
Bracken Universe
June 27th
Year 731 of the 50th General Calendar.
"It’s loud, innit?"
[Yes, it is.]
[Loud, it is.]
Arthur, Celestia, and Lostvayne spoke one after another, their voices quickly drowned out by the blaring music and the chaotic buzz of thousands of people spread across the massive casino.
With a single sweeping glance, Arthur could see all kinds of people. Those celebrating wins, others wallowing in losses, and many convincing themselves it was worth trying just one more time.
He’d arrived in Bracken after a two-day journey, beaming himself into Verchester the same way he had entered the Universe—illegally.
The original plan was to explore the casino for a full day and see what it had to offer, but after only a few minutes, Arthur was already beginning to feel like he’d wasted valuable cosmic energy.
’There’s really not much to see. Just a massive space filled with strange alien games.’
The casino even had games sourced from other multiverses, but Arthur didn’t know how to play any of them, nor did he care enough to learn.
So far, the only familiar sights had been poker tables and slot machines.
’Let’s just check out the bar section, then find a secluded spot and open the gate to Draco Sirus.’
With that decision, Arthur stepped onto a nearby teleportation pad and warped to the bar section of the building.
This part, at least, had a nice aesthetic, built underwater, with giant windows offering a view of the surrounding aquatic life.
But Arthur was no fan of marine creatures, so his interest faded just as quickly as it had on the casino floor.
He descended the stairs to a lower floor, hoping he could at least find some mild entertainment in a drink. There were sample glasses set out, letting customers get a whiff of each menu item.
"Aromas so strong you could practically taste them, they say."
Arthur shook his head as he scanned the menus from a distance, but the moment his foot landed on the floor at the base of the stairs, he froze.
He stood there silently for a full minute, not saying a word, even as people passed by and gave him strange looks.
Lostvayne and Celestia said nothing either, having immediately realised the reason behind his sudden silence.
Finally, Arthur asked.
’Lostvayne... is that a clone?’
[No. That is, without a doubt, a real, physical, flesh and blood body.]
The Ego Weapon’s reply made Arthur sigh. He then took in a deep breath and wiped away the sweat that had formed on his brow.
’I did want to see something that would ’wow’ me, but this is a bit much, no?’
He took another breath to calm himself, and then, Lostvayne spoke.
[Master, let’s just leave.]
’Leave? I’ve already been detected.’
[And yet nothing has been said or done. Clearly, someone doesn’t care. Let’s just leave.]
Lostvayne replied, and right after, Celestia chimed in.
[Master, can you not approach that... existential contradiction?]
’[Contradiction??]’
Both Arthur and Lostvayne questioned her wording, prompting Celestia to clarify her feelings.
[I simultaneously feel both immense ’pity’ and overwhelming ’hatred’ at the sight. The contradiction is also of quite literally Cosmic scale.
It should be impossible for someone to belong to both sides and still exist, but what is before your eyes defies that fundamental law of reality.]
Her explanation didn’t make much sense to either Arthur or Lostvayne, and even she couldn’t fully explain where these feelings came from or why they were so strong.
All she knew was that she didn’t want Arthur going anywhere near that contradiction that made Grade 7 Singularities look cute.
’You sure I can just walk away?’
[100% positive.] Lostvayne answered.
’Alright, th—Ah...’
[You wasted too much time.] Lostvayne said with a sigh.
Arthur smiled wryly, knowing that was true.
’Welp, here goes nothing.’
With that thought, Arthur finally stepped off the stairs and walked over to the nearest counter, taking a seat exactly one stool away from another person.
[Smart choice. Direct physical contact with that much opposing power WILL kill you.]
’That’s not good to hear.’
Arthur replied to Lostvayne, then pointed at a familiar-looking item on the menu.
"I’ll have the Hell-Hot Lonely Island."
He ordered the mocktail and received the drink within seconds, taking a cautious sip of the contents.
"Oh, this is better than I expected..."
He muttered, taking another sip before setting the glass down and speaking.
"Greetings. I would say ’Nice to meet you,’ but that would be a lie, so I’ll skip that part."
He addressed the person seated on a stool to his left. There was no immediate response, but Arthur didn’t mind. He simply ordered another drink he recognised, intending to mix the two.
Only when the second drink was served did the person beside him finally turn their gaze toward him. Yet even then, their expression remained disinterested, regarding him the same way one might look at a random chair or table lying around.
A few more seconds passed in silence as Arthur took a sip of his second drink, and then the person beside him finally spoke.
"You’re not the one Akasha wanted to test. Why do you have those Aspects?"
"The one he wanted to test tried to kill me. The fact that I’m still alive should tell you how that ended."
"Is that so?"
Came the calm reply, and Arthur set his glass down, catching the woman’s reflection in its surface.
Her eyes were the same colour as his hair, and the long hair framing her beautiful face matched the white of the shirt he wore beneath his jacket.
From the reflection, he noticed her gaze resting on the black and red dot on the back of his left palm.
"You also carry the sword he failed to retrieve from that devil," she eventually added. "You’re like a walking summary of his recent failures."
"Funny how something that happened 12,000 years ago still counts as ’recent’ to you. But sure, I guess you could put it that way."
Arthur replied while stirring the mixture of his drinks, then added,
"I heard you’re the type who doesn’t care. For once, the rumours weren’t wrong."
"There’s no point in caring. Telling Akasha wouldn’t change the inevitable. He’ll never acquire the sword."
Arthur blinked, a confused expression appearing on his face. But since he had no expectations in the way of explanation from his conversation partner, he turned to Lostvayne instead.
’What’s she talking about?’
[Akasha’s trying to collect Rule Breakers to reduce the number of things his Conceptual Authority can’t affect.
That’s part of why he has issues with Jamie Westley and had problems with Lucifer. They both hoard Rule Breakers.
But he’s never managed to collect any Single-Digit Rule Breaker. Even if he kills their wielders, those weapons are strong enough to slip past any control he tries to impose.]
’That so?’
Arthur nodded, took a sip of his mixed drink, and smiled with mild satisfaction at the taste.
"I didn’t plan this, and it’s kind of impulsive, but I’m going to ask anyway."
Setting the glass down and lifting the first mocktail, he asked,
"Can I borrow some of your blood?"
"...what?"
The woman was momentarily stunned by the random request, and while Lostvayne was still processing the fact that Arthur had managed to draw any kind of reaction from her, Arthur offered a clarification.
"Not you directly. A drop of your blood would kill me instantly. I meant the avatar you left behind in Olympus some time ago."
That explanation cleared the stunned look from her face, though she still seemed unaware of what he was talking about.
"Olympus? Where is that?"
"Hm? Oh, right. It was probably still called Orthys the last time you were there. It’s that nearby testing ground you had with Ranus and the others."
At his words, she fell silent for a moment before muttering,
"Right... they changed the name."
Her tone seemed to question why they even bothered changing the name, but she didn’t care enough to ask out loud.
"What for?"
"Ancestral Regression. It requires the blood of ’ancestors’ to function, and since I happened to encounter you, I figured I’d ask for permission."
After Arthur answered, he finished his first drink, then downed the second in one go, while the woman simply swirled the remaining bit of her own drink in silence.
Eventually, she gave a response.
"If you can get to it, you can use it."
"If I can get to it, huh? That’s good enough."
’Dad can’t complain since I’ve got permission.’
That thought crossed his mind as he took out the card Hades had given him and slid it across the nearby scanner, paying for his drinks before hopping off his stool.
"I’d usually say something like, ’we’ll meet again if fate wills it,’ but Fate probably doesn’t work on you anyway."
He slipped the card back into his pocket and turned around, briefly glancing at the woman, who seemed more interested in the ice cubes in her glass than in him, as he roused his cosmic energy and activated his Spatial Authority.
"Thanks for the permission, Gaia."
With that line, he teleported out of the building, leaving behind the woman who quietly ordered another glass of wine while waiting for someone else.
