As ferocious as the swathe of dark cloud was, along with its livid flashes, it did not do any harm to Replicus' men. In fact, aside from the visual spectacle, they all did not feel the hostile excitement contained within the immense mana their master had just exposed.
All of it, was instead meant to thwart the burning resistance in Baddan's eyes only.
Indeed.
The Sky Watcher and his riders were the guests that had been captured by Grim, and now, in a striking stroke of chance, and perhaps fortune, Baddan found himself before Replicus, a variant of Skullius whom he had met hours ago.
Baddan had been surprised by the depth of power that Replicus held even while sitting in silence. The cloud with sunny flares for eyes postulated a presence of immense strength... and a vast pool of nothingness at the same time, however that was possible.
It was like being placed in an empty vacuum. There might not be anything within to appreciate, but the suffocation would definitely be overwhelming.
Baddan buckled.
Amidst the black, he found torchlights illuminating his figure.
Replicus had swiftly left his throne and was now staring down at him menacingly, or rather it looked that way.
"Tell me. Do you recall meeting a human with auburn hair and a green sword?" Replicus asked, his voice several times more vibrant and intimidating. Without a perfect view of the floor, Baddan was almost left to believe that Replicus' voice was juggling the whole Fortress.
The dark eyes of the creature expressed a firm apprehension.
The situation was not at all favourable for him.
Even if he could use his mana right now, all his abilities were pretty much useless since he and kinsmen were no longer in their world. The blue clouds that Baddan commanded were no more. The great Appairitoni had been destroyed, along with all else that he called home.
He had been lucky to survive at all, and flee with what remained of his clansmen across the seas.
ραΠdαsΝοvεl.cοm "Yes," Baddan answered. "I met... one such as you have described."
"Hmmm. A communication skill. How rare. I see. Is he the one who halted the movement of your mana?" Replicus asked.
Baddan looked straight into the bright lights.
From what this creature had uttered before dyeing everything black to now, it was obvious that he knew what had happened to his core, as well as the one who had done it.
What was going on here?
"Yes. It is... as you say."
"Ah, I see. You are one of the beasts from the place the Royale... the competition among humans was being held, aren't you?"
Baddan frowned, but confirmed this too with a nod.
"Hmm. Good," Replicus said.
A few moments passed, and then, as if the view hasn't been tainted in dark cloud just now, everything cleared.
Replicus was back on his throne – to Baddan – in an impossibly quick transition.
Some of the armoured experts gulped. Nothing seemed to have changed.
Baddan was the only looking a little pale, while his clansmen and their Retrievers lay docilely on the floor.
"Looks like I will get a good account of what truly happened out there," Replicus said. "Now, please do narrate everything that happened to you and around you, ever since your world was used as the venue for killing sport, Baddan."
...!
Baddan was alarmed at having his name called out. He hadn't mentioned it. How did this creature know?!
'What foe is this? Was not killing that man and his partners immediately what lead to all this misfortune?' Baddan wondered.
Sadly, asking questions to Direction did not award a response, and Baddan did not need a Divine messenger to tell him that aggravating this being before him wasn't wise.
He could confidently tell on his own that he was outmatched here. It wouldn't do to have his clan wiped out after managing to escape the cataclysm prior.
"Very well," Baddan said. "It all started when a young one of your kind.... with a fierce energy of life entered our world..."
.....
The fact that Replicus knew his name somehow discouraged Baddan from lying, but he hadn't really been keenly intent on doing so. The humans, their nature, as well as their world had rules he was unfamiliar with, so perhaps what he thought were shrewd lies would appear to be funny, childish attempts that would be seen through easily.
Therefore, Baddan told the truth.
He began from when he had suddenly spotted an innumerable number of dark crows that flooded the sky months ago, and had then seen a blood covered Rias whom he hurried to battle, only to lose almost immediately.
He explained the orders Rias had given him to follow while threatening to wipe out his clan, and what he had been told about the Royale so that the concept wasn't too lost to him. He told of his kills when the game started, until he met Skullius, and had had him and his companions play a game. He explained how he lost through some witchery from the Hybrid Luman, and how he was escorting them to the mountain when they were suddenly separated.
"After that.... I spent some time trying to find my kinsmen. Thankfully, my bond has a good of sense of smell so within minutes I had gathered.... a majority of them, but then, a nauseating pillar of fire suddenly rose. I saw it rise and devour many, many souls... fresh from death. I led my men towards it, urged to extinguish it by instinct but... I saw that young one there, and I abandoned the thought. I fled with my own. The next thing I recall.... are powers so great they humbled the skies, tore apart the ground from its foundation and spun the world around us. Our world was destroyed, as simply as that. Thankfully, we survived, and distanced ourselves from your kind as quickly as we could..."
Replicus listened to the tale with interest.
"I see..."
He gathered a basic, but helpful picture.
The nauseating pillar of fire...
Cluster beasts, in his experience, unlike beasts from forests and Sacred Forests, did not know about Undeath. They only instinctively hated it without knowing what it was.
So, with Baddan's account as reference, it was safe to assume that the Green Neolists made their move. The souls that Baddan spoke of...
Many, many...
These couldn't belong to the finalists of the Royale if even Baddan expressed just how many they were.
Replicus' sockets flared.
'The witnesses. It has to be, especially if my original body is alive. Did all of them die?' he thought.
Ultimately, there were still a lot of pieces missing from this story, but at least Replicus understood a bit of it.
The Premium Age Royale was used to harvest souls. The purpose? He couldn't imagine, as Baddan had fled from anywhere close to Rias and what was happening around him.
It was also unfortunate that Replicus couldn't fill himself with Skullius' memory since the two needed to be close to share anything other than cumulative experience.
In any case...
"Your tale has been quite helpful," Replicus declared. "You resisted the urge to be difficult. I commend that. If you desire, I will grant you a splendid opportunity."
Baddan maintained a straight, but cautious face.
"What opportunity?" he asked.
Replicus leaned forward. A dark phalanx protruded from the clouds, and conjured a white string that floated before Baddan, emitting a sacred glow.
"Serve under me loyally. Join my cause. If you do, I will keep your kin safe, feed you and defend you. I will even undo what has been done to your mana core as well," the windy voice came.
"Grasp that cord, and I will give you a home and a purpose."
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