Chapter 48 - Level 27[p4]. Anger (1/2)
'Although, I thought you will come out at level 30 or so.'
[That was the plan, but your actions made you a target, which forced me to appear earlier.]
'You mean target of death eaters? I know, but it should be okay.'
[No. 'Order' now knows of your existence.]
'...O-o-okay? What's the 'Order'?'
[It's an organization that 'fixes' the worlds. And you are a nuisance to them, that needs to be fixed... permanently.]
'Huh?'
[Before we continue, I think it would be wise to explain to you how the Creation works, but I have too little time. Creating a system-wide temporal force field is a taxing process. However, in short, do not change anything in a timeline. Your changes won't matter in the grand scheme of things and it will only serve as a target on your head.]
'But...'
[All explanations when you will be in a safer location. Please, return to your previous Auto-Save and this time, follow your friends. Save is just 5 minutes before the attack began.]
'What's...'
I didn't finish because the world unfroze and Athena disappeared once more.
'Well, I can ignore her, but I don't think she is my enemy. After all, she is my ȧssistant. Let's trust her for now. Return to last save.'
***
Back at the meeting, Markus presented all the evidence and it was concluded that there is a 99% chance that Athena's consciousness can indeed be hidden in the boy that was reincarnated in another world.
The majority of people present were participants of the Great Wars caused by Athena, while the remainder knew about Athena from books, where she was depicted as ”The Greatest Foe of Order”.
One of the veterans, sitting in the back, asked:
”Markus, we heard you and we understand the situation. However, what do you expect to do now? Do you have a plan?”
”Well, that's why I called for this meeting. To come up with a plan for probably the biggest threat our order ever faced!”
Despite how passionate Markus was, the hall remained quiet. Veterans stayed silent, while members that came after or during the end of the 5th War, didn't know what to say.
”Then it's decided. Put in active monitoring on that Universe and react based on the Codex. If the host of Athena breaks the law, act accordingly. That's it. Dismissed.”
The leader calmly stood up, after concluding the meeting.
”What?!” Markus was startled ”Are you serious, right now? Observation?! Is that your answer?”
”Then what is your solution?”
”That's the whole of discussing it! To come up with the solution!”
”Discussion will lead us nowhere.”
The sentence, despite how calm and quiet it was, ringed clearly in the ears of all the present. This made the whole hall still, mostly out of respect to the speaker.
”But...!”
”I have no solution better than the one I already proposed, so I deem this meeting obsolete. Dismissed.”
”It's not that you have none, but more of a 'you can do nothing'.”
Oh, so familiar voice resounded once more through the hall.
Markus looked once more at that person, still thinking who might it be. Despite being a veteran, he had no idea who the man was.
Leader responded:
”Dante, you are right. I can't do a thing in this situation.”
Markus was annoyed and angry at the impassiveness of these people. He lost his world, his lover, his everything to the Athena and now when chance to destroy her is so close, their order 'observe'? He just couldn't keep it in.
”But, leader, this is a real threat of her revival! Can't you see it? She has no base, no army, and no resources. She is at her weakest, and you are telling us that you can't do a thing?!”
The Leader calmly looked at Markus and then at Li Qiye.
”I am the 3rd leader of the Order, otherwise known as Dragon. I am strong. Probably the strongest in this hall. When I am at my weakest you should attack me, because my greatest attribute is literally ”Strength”. However, calling Athena weak, is the same as calling a rabbit weak. It is natural. Athena will be at her weakest when she will lose or heavily damage her intellect. Resources? Armies? She is the smartest being in the creation, without equal. Even the 9th child of the Creator, who is a manifestation of the ”Intelligence” property of the creation, isn't as smart as her.”
Dante stopped being lazy for the first time in the meeting and seriously said:
”In other words, Athena cannot be caught by surprise, boy.”
”But...”
Markus was insisting and anger clouded his thinking process, but Leader didn't give him a chance to continue and was similarly annoyed at the antics of his subordinate:
”You still don't understand?! No matter what you came up with, it was already analyzed and there is a counter plan, ready to be implemented. You want to trick her? She envisioned it and already countered! The only thing that she really lacks compared to the past is her predicting machines and her information net. But even without them, she still has her intelligence.”
Leader seemingly got older after this speech and slowly continued:
” Maybe it is hard to remember, but we never defeated her! The order was just a fish on a chopping block ready to be slaughtered by Athena!”
Markus felt as if a bucket of cold water poured on top of his head.
Indeed. We never defeated her. It was just another whim of the ...
”Creator...”
”Now you remember?” Dante snorted and continued, ”Creator intervened and let the Order off. We still have some destiny left, so he couldn't let us die-off yet. That's the only reason we are still alive. Moreover, the Creator already hinted that Athena will be undoing of the Order. You can't defeat her.”
”Our fate is...!”
Markus was once more interrupted.
”Is in our hands true. But our ultimate destiny and our path are already decided. The more powerful you are, the stronger the shackles that bind you.”