"Damn that Dottore, nowhere to be seen at a time like this."
"Just as I thought. He wants to use the Traveler to eliminate me so he can claim all the research for himself."
"I won't let you get your way. You probably never imagined I still have an ace up my sleeve."
The Akasha Terminal worn by Great Sage Azar continuously fed him the latest updates. His expression grew increasingly grim, his eyes glinting with a manic fervor.
"It seems that bastard was also behind the tampering of my previous orders."
Great Sage Azar never expected Dottore to stab him in the back. Fury burned within him.
"Fortunately, my masterpiece is already complete. All that's left is the final activation sequence."
Azar gazed at the colossal, awe-inspiring figure before him, his heart pounding with excitement. A triumphant smile crept across his lips.
"Azar, what do you mean your masterpiece?"
"This is the collective masterpiece of everyone in the Akademiya!"
One of the Sages, hearing Azar's claim, immediately spoke up, his face etched with irritation.
Azar, calming down slightly, realized his slip of the tongue.
"Besides, you still haven't explained that incident," the Sage continued sarcastically. "Murdering civilians in front of thousands of people—quite the accomplishment, Azar!"
"I've already told you, that had nothing to do with me! I never issued such an order!" Azar roared, infuriated by the Sage's taunting tone.
But the Sage remained unfazed. "Whether you issued it or not, the order came from you. You bear undeniable responsibility! And if someone else framed you, that's even more pathetic. Letting your orders be tampered with is a sign of incompetence. If you'd actually been that ruthless, we might have respected you more."
"But now? You've caused such a massive uproar that even the Corps of Thirty has turned against you. 'Great Sage'? More like a clown! And you dream of claiming all the research for yourself? Delusional!"
"Azar has committed a grave error. I propose we strip him of his title as Great Sage and remove him from the Artificial God Project."
"I agree."
"Same here!"
Hearing their icy words, Great Sage Azar froze in disbelief.
While many participated in the Artificial God Project, only a select few would be immortalized in history. The rest would be mentioned in passing, either listed as "et al." or merely represented by a number.
If Great Sage Azar were removed from the project, he would lose his chance to leave a lasting mark on history—a fate he utterly refused to accept.
He cared little for the Great Sage title itself; it paled in comparison to creating a god. Its only benefit was placing his name first in the rankings, nothing more.
Their subsequent words struck at his core, and a ferocious glint flashed in Great Sage Azar's eyes.
As he gazed at the twenty-odd Sages before him, he had already felt that there were too many names destined for historical records, diluting his own significance. Now, their proposal to remove him entirely chilled his heart to its core.
Suddenly, a mad idea struck Great Sage Azar's mind.
What if only his name remained inscribed on the monument? Wouldn't he become an epic figure in the Akademiya's history, revered by posterity for millennia?!
The moment this thought surfaced, Great Sage Azar found himself unable to restrain his desires.
As he glared at the Sages before him, who were vehemently denouncing him and seemed ready to tear him limb from limb, the madness in his eyes grew increasingly palpable.
Of course, some Sages still defended Great Sage Azar, but his heart was now consumed by negative emotions.
Normally, these Sages would only chatter meaninglessly in his ear, utterly useless. Yet now that they had opportunistically rallied behind his Artificial God Project, they dared to claim a share of the eternal glory he deserved.
At least half of the Sages had contributed virtually nothing to the Artificial God Project. He hadn't even voiced his displeasure at their last-minute inclusion, and now they wanted to kick him out?
They must be dreaming!
Since they've shown their hand, I'll show mine too!
Conveniently, many of these Sages had contracted a contagious illness. If anything happened to them, it could be blamed on the epidemic, thus reducing the Akademiya's consumption of medicinal herbs.
Truly, these people would make their greatest contribution to the Akademiya only in death!
Just then, a violent commotion erupted from above, and the faces of everyone present instantly changed.
"It sounds like they've already broken through!"
"How could they be so fast?!"
At that moment, a scholar watching the surveillance feed spotted figures storming the Sanctuary of Surasthana and immediately cried out in alarm.
"I see them! Besides the Traveler, Lesser Lord Kusanali, General Mahamatra Cyno, and Scribe Alhaitham are also there!"
"Cyno?! So he really did betray us! That ungrateful wolf!"
"That Abyss Monster is with them too! How did they form an alliance?"
"Damn it! We should have dealt with him permanently back then!"
Seeing the formidable lineup on the screen, the Sages felt their hearts pound with unease. Even with their trump cards, panic began to set in.
"It's over! We're doomed! Let's just surrender now."
"You all have to vouch for me! This has nothing to do with me! I was just coasting, I don't know anything!"
"It's all Azar's fault! He started this whole mess! It has nothing to do with us!"
"That's right! We should tie Azar up immediately and hand him over to appease them!"
Hearing these words, Great Sage Azar nearly exploded with rage.
It was bad enough that these people were useless cowards, but to shamelessly shift the blame onto him in this situation... what a bunch of bastards.
Gazing at the Sages who now completely disregarded his authority, the last shred of restraint in Azar's heart vanished, replaced by a ruthless glint in his eyes.
They want to kick me aside?
They want to sell me out?
And they dare to discuss it right in front of me, the Great Sage?!
Who gave you the courage? Do you all have a death wish?!
Azar's gaze toward the other Sages grew even colder.
If I eliminate all these fair-weather fools, I'll be the only one whose name is recorded in the history of the Artificial God Project!
Only I, Azar, deserve to have my name revered by future generations! You are all unworthy!
Azar let out a disdainful laugh, his eyes fixed coldly on the others.
He was the first to arrive at the God-Making Workshop, intending to prepare everything before the others.
Before the other Sages sought refuge in the God-Making Workshop, he had already used the Divine Knowledge Capsule.
Of course, this was easier said than done. An ordinary person could never withstand such a torrent of information. Great Sage Azar had only managed it by drawing upon the power of the Akasha, establishing a connection between his consciousness and the artificial Archon, allowing him to control its actions to a certain extent.
Heh, these fools... they must have no idea I've already secretly seized control of everything.
What expressions will they make when they personally awaken the Shouki no Kami, only to discover that its control has been completely transferred to me?
Great Sage Azar gazed at the panicked Sages before him, his heart filled with eager anticipation.
Just then, a young Sage strode briskly toward him.
SLAP!
A resounding slap snapped Great Sage Azar back to reality, his head ringing.
"You've got a death wish! How dare you look at us like that!"
After a long moment, Great Sage Azar finally came to his senses. A fiery sting burned across his right cheek, and an indescribable wave of frustration and rage surged through him.
"You've got a death wish!"
SLAP!
Another resounding slap sent Great Sage Azar spinning a full 360 degrees on the spot. Even the Matra standing beside him remained utterly dumbfounded.
"This is rebellion! Rebellion! I am the Great Sage!"
Another slap flew toward him. Though Azar had anticipated it and tried desperately to dodge, the slap seemed to have a mind of its own, curving around his defenses to strike his face.
SLAP!
"Great Sage, my ass! You're nothing but a traitor!"
"If it weren't for you, would we be in this pathetic state?!"
"And didn't you hear what we said earlier? The twenty of us Sages have already jointly removed you from your position as Great Sage!"
"Still calling yourself the Great Sage? You're not worthy!"
Hearing them twist the blame onto him, Great Sage Azar was so furious he nearly coughed up blood. Intense killing intent flared in his eyes.
SLAP!
"Still staring? You're practically begging to die!"
"You... you..."
By now, Great Sage Azar's face was swollen like a pig's head. He raised a trembling finger, pointing at the young man before him, too enraged to form the rest of his sentence.
SLAP! SLAP!
Two more resounding slaps. Great Sage Azar completely broke down.
To think that he, the Great Sage of the Akademiya, had ever suffered such humiliation! His eyes bloodshot, he gritted his teeth and snarled at the Matra beside him.
"Are you just going to stand there and watch? Kill him for me—"
Before he could finish, someone grabbed him by the collar, and a relentless barrage of slaps rained down.
SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!
As he struck, the young Sage issued a warning to the Matra surrounding Azar.
"You all better think carefully! Azar is no longer the Great Sage. He is a criminal against the Akademiya and all of Sumeru!"
"You should know that the combined power of twenty Sages is not something a mere Great Sage like him can challenge."
The Matra, who had been hesitating whether to intervene, heard these words and decisively turned around to stare up at the ceiling.
Great Sage Azar was right, they thought. It's indeed improper for us to just stand here and watch. So, we'll stop watching.
After dozens more slaps, all of Great Sage Azar's teeth had been knocked out, and his mind went completely blank.
The one hitting him was also a Sage from the Akademiya. He could never have imagined that a Sage—one who supposedly preferred to "persuade with reason"—would resort to this kind of "persuasion."
"So, how's that feel?"
The question snapped Great Sage Azar back to his senses. He saw another young Sage approaching, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation. Azar's body trembled violently.
"I was wrong! Please, spare me! I'll never do it again!"
His powerful survival instinct finally forced Great Sage Azar to swallow his pride and beg the young men for mercy.
These youths have no virtue! he raged inwardly. Tricking and ambushing an old man like me... it's a complete moral collapse, a perversion of humanity!
Great Sage Azar bowed his head low, hiding the frenzied killing intent in his eyes from the others.
"Heh, should've just done this from the start!"
"Figures. You were just asking for a beating."
The Sage released his grip on Great Sage Azar's collar, letting him crash heavily to the floor. Azar's head spun, and his vision blurred.
"I'm the Great Sage now. Any objections?"
"No objections!" "None at all!"
Before the older Sages, who had been planning to discuss seniority, could even open their mouths, the remaining nineteen young Sages had all voiced their agreement.
"Do you have any objections?"
The Sage who had nominated himself for the position turned his gaze to the older Sages, cracking his knuckles as he asked.
"N-No objections!"
Seeing Great Sage Azar's miserable state, they immediately followed their truest inner feelings and expressed their support.
"Good. Since no one objects, I am the new Great Sage."
Lying on the floor, Great Sage Azar was utterly stunned. His title of Great Sage had been stolen just like that?
And through brute force, no less!
This isn't scholarly at all!
"Tie this old fool up. We'll hand him over to the Traveler and her companions as an apology."
"Activate the Shouki no Kami immediately. Have it stand by."
"When we hand Azar over to the Traveler, wait for them to lower their guard. Then, have the Shouki no Kami unleash its full power and completely obliterate them all!"
Ruthless. Utterly ruthless!
The older Sages had initially harbored some reservations, but after hearing this, they completely abandoned any such notions.
These young people today are just too brutal!
Best not to provoke them!
They valued their lives too much. It was better to retire quietly as Sages and not get any grand ideas.
Hearing the new Great Sage's plan, Great Sage Azar's eyes filled with venomous hatred.
So you want to be the Great Sage?
Fine, I'll grant your wish. You'll be the shortest-reigning Great Sage in Sumeru's history!
Just wait. The moment you activate the Shouki no Kami, none of you will escape. You'll all die!
Even that won't be enough to quell the hatred in my heart!
Smack!
"How long has it been since I told you? You've already forgotten? You still dare to look at me like that?"
"Beat him! Beat him hard!"
"Oh, right! You Matra over there! Come here and whip him for me. Whoever does the best job gets to be the next General Mahamatra!"
The Matra, who had been staring at the ceiling, couldn't help but step forward toward Great Sage Azar.
"What do you think you're doing? You're nothing but a pack of dogs!"
"Dare to anger me, and I'll make sure you're erased from Irminsul itself!"
Smack!
"Who the hell do you think you're threatening?!"
Smack!
"Old bastard, I've been itching to teach you a lesson! And you still dare to threaten us?!"
Smack! Smack!
Smack! Smack! Smack!