Chapter 301: Disboard's 16th Race, Imanity, Eliminated!
....
With those thoughts swirling in his mind, Seito casually retrieved the mysterious chalice fragment from his spatial storage.
"Oh?"
Seeing the crystalline shard materialized in Seito's palm, Sora's eyes instantly sharpened as he directed his gaze toward the glaringly fractured edge of the Suniaster.
The contours matched flawlessly!
This piece was, without a shadow of a doubt, a missing fragment of the supreme Suniaster itself!
"This is..."
Tet's breath caught in his throat, a look of profound astonishment washing over his facial features.
Hadn't the severed fragments of the Suniaster been lost to the void of the cosmic currents ages ago during the chaotic aftermath of the ancient Great War? How on earth did one of them end up squarely in Seito's possession?
"Let us wait until the conclusion of this entire war game to settle the details," Seito offered a confident smile, closing his hand to conceal the shard once more. "As for this particular match... it's already mine."
"Hehehe."
Tet merely let out a soft chuckle, offering no immediate rebuttal.
The three transcendent entities shifted their focus back downward, locking their divine sight onto the surface of the gaming planet below.
Meanwhile, down on Disboard, while Seito and his companions were conversing in the void, the disciplined forces of the Snezhnaya Empire had already established absolute structural control over the entirety of the Elkian Kingdom.
Throughout the systematic deployment, a few desperate pockets of localized resistance had naturally attempted to rebel against the occupying forces. However, they were all instantly and ruthlessly executed on the spot by the empire's elite, battle-hardened soldiers.
Shifting the perspective directly back to the interior of the grand Elkian royal palace.
Under the absolute vanguard leadership of Shiro, the Fatui, imperial military strategists, and top-tier guild executives had successfully marched into the royal throne room, completely securing the perimeter.
"Y-You... who exactly are all of you?!"
A young, petite maiden with striking crimson hair and inherently sweet features stammered out in utter terror as her wide eyes locked onto Shiro's advancing entourage.
This distraught maiden was none other than Stephanie Dola, the granddaughter of the late, former King of Elkia.
"Detain her," Shiro commanded, her tone entirely devoid of emotion.
Swish, swish, swish—!
Several high-ranking female guild executives instantly blurred forward, effortlessly pinning Stephanie's arms behind her back before she could even think of escaping. The sudden physical restraint left the young noblewoman thoroughly traumatized, her lips trembling as she failed to form coherent words.
Shiro paid her absolutely no mind. With an aura of absolute authority, she calmly walked up the stone dais and seated herself upon the grand throne of Elkia.
The exact moment her form settled into the seat!
A brilliant, golden crown materialized out of thin air, cascading downward to rest perfectly upon the crown of Shiro's head.
Simultaneously, the booming, celestial voice of Tet resonated throughout the absolute firmament of the entire world, echoing into the ears of every living soul across Disboard.
"Imanity has been defeated! The 16th race of Disboard has been officially eliminated. All structural assets, territories, and resources belonging to the human realm are now the sovereign property of the Snezhnaya Empire."
The moment the divine decree reverberated across the continents, the entire world fell into a state of absolute, collective shock.
"What in the world...?"
"Imanity was driven out of the game that quickly?"
"Hmph, as expected of those fragile, pathetic monkeys who have merely been lingering on the brink of extinction. To think they would be wiped out the absolute instant the war commenced."
"Still, I wonder exactly how powerful these invaders from the alternate reality truly are."
"I'll go out and test their mettle myself!"
"..."
Across the various territories of Disboard, the remaining sentient races of the Exceed began to loudly voice their thoughts.
In reality, none of the higher-tier races were particularly shocked by the lightning-fast annihilation of the human kingdom. After all, Imanity had universally been deemed the absolute weakest, most pathetic race in existence.
Returning to the grand throne room of Elkia.
Perched regally upon the royal throne, Shiro's gaze remained completely expressionless as she swept her eyes across the assembled ranks, her soft, delicate voice cutting through the silence.
"Have those two... been apprehended yet?"
"They have been successfully secured, Lady Shiro," Old Twenty-Eight stepped forward to report, before casually executing a sharp hand gesture toward the rear entrance.
A moment later, a few powerhouse female executives marched into the throne room, firmly escorting two captive young maidens forward.
Among the two new prisoners, one was a striking young girl with vibrant purple hair and skin as pristine and flawless as fine jade. Her delicate facial features seemed as though they had been meticulously sketched by a master artist. She wore the traditional embroidered white robes of a nomadic maiden, her elegant tresses woven into intricate, slender braids that beautifully framed the cascade of her flowing hair.
This individual was none other than Chlammy Zell, one of the primary, most influential contenders for the vacant throne of Elkia!
The maiden standing right beside her was equally breathtaking.
However, her distinct, elongated ears made it glaringly obvious that she belonged to the 5th-ranked race of the Exceed—the Elves! She was none other than Fiel Nirvalen, Chlammy's closest companion and, unbeknownst to many, the hidden trump card covertly planted within the human realm by the Elven hierarchy.
"What exactly do you invaders from the alternate world want with us?!"
Unlike the thoroughly traumatized Stephanie, Chlammy possessed an incredibly fierce, fiery temperament. She was a maiden who dedicated her entire heart and soul to the survival of humanity. Now that her entire nation had been occupied overnight, her core was completely consumed by a wave of righteous fury.
"What do we want?"
Haruno Yukinoshita suddenly spoke up, a playful, incredibly mischievous smile spreading across her lips as she teased, "Why, to wage a total war, of course! This is a grand war game orchestrated between supreme deities. Since you have been cast as mere pawns on the board, you should try to maintain the proper dignity and self-awareness expected of a pawn!"
"!!!"
Chlammy's fists clenched tightly, her heart swelling with an intense sense of suffocating grievance.
While her intellect allowed her to conceptually understand that this entire conflict was merely a playground for the gods, physically witnessing her entire homeland being systematically dominated was a bitter pill that she simply couldn't stomach.
"Chlammy~ please don't burn yourself out with anger~" Fiel chimed in from the side, her demeanor carrying a characteristically airheaded, naturally ditz character.
Even though Fiel was Chlammy's most loyal friend, she herself was completely oblivious to the fact that she was a strategic chess piece engineered by the Elven leadership. After all, the Elven high command had thoroughly sealed away all of her relevant memories regarding her true mission!
"Take them down to the dungeons for now. Have the elite guards keep a constant, unwavering eye on them," Shiro commanded with a dismissive wave of her small hand.
None of these mortal captives possessed the tactical weight required to sway the final outcome of this Divine War.
Receiving their orders, the female executives turned on their heels, systematically escorting the captive trio of Stephanie, Chlammy, and Fiel out of the throne room.
ROAR—!!!
"Monkeys of the lower realm! Get the hell out here and face your demise!!!"
Suddenly, a thunderous, sky-shattering roar cascaded down from the heavens, vibrating violently through the atmosphere and causing the Fatui Harbingers inside the palace to instinctively expand their sensory arrays to inspect the perimeter outside.
Through their perception, they quickly discovered that an enormous, pitch-black Western dragon—a powerhouse belonging to the 4th-ranked race of the Exceed, the Dragonia—was currently hovering majestically right above the airspace of the capital city, roaring down at the palace with absolute arrogance.
"Well, isn't this amusing?"
Kirukiru Amou let out a sharp, feral grin.
A mere mortal creature actually possessed the sheer, unadulterated audacity to refer to an army backed by true gods as 'monkeys'? She truly had no idea where this overgrown lizard had managed to gather such a delusional amount of self-confidence!
Turning her body, Kirukiru Amou's gaze swept past the elite members of the Supreme Five Swords before ultimately locking onto Tsukuyo Inaba.
"Tsukuyo, go out there and obliterate that thing in a single strike!"
"Understood."
The white-haired, twin-tailed Tsukuyo Inaba offered a calm, concise nod. Keeping her eyes completely closed in her trademark serene fashion, she smoothly pivoted around and began walking toward the palace exit, her fingers resting lightly on the hilt of her blade.
Meanwhile, outside the grand palace gates.
Having just been escorted into the courtyard, Stephanie, Chlammy, and Fiel looked up at the looming silhouette of the massive black dragon, their faces instantly draining of all color. After all, they were looking at a living catastrophe belonging to the 4th-ranked Dragonia race!
"We're doomed! Even the Dragonia have descended upon us!"
"Curse it all!"
"Chlammy~ please don't be angry~"
The three captive maidens spoke in a frantic, disorganized panic.
The terrifying appearance of the black dragon wasn't just witnessed by the cowering human citizens within Elkia. Even the neighboring borders of the Eastern Federation—the sovereign realm of the Werebeasts—were currently utilizing their high-tech sensory equipment to observe the chaotic developments unfolding within the Elkian capital.
Furthermore...
Deep within the grand library of Elkia's capital city.
A stunningly voluptuous, sweet-faced young maiden possessing a pair of majestic, feathered wings extending elegantly from her waistline slowly walked out onto the balcony.
This alluring entity was none other than the Flugel maiden, Jibril!
"Oh my, this is turning out to be incredibly fascinating. To think these outsiders from the alternate reality actually wield such extraordinary, supernatural capabilities,"
Jibril murmured, resting her chin in her hand as a gleam of profound intrigue flashed across her eyes.
"I wonder if they actually possess the capacity to slaughter a powerhouse of the 4th-ranked Dragonia? Ah, this is simply too entertaining~" Jibril giggled softly to herself, thoroughly settling into her role as a detached spectator enjoying a grand theatrical performance.
It was precisely at that hyper-tense moment.
From the primary exit of the royal palace, a diminutive, white-haired L*li sporting twin-tails calmly stepped out into the open courtyard, cradling a single sheathed katana tightly against her chest.
The exact instant her tiny figure materialized, the collective gaze of every single observer monitoring the battlefield instantly converged upon her form.
"Hoh? They actually sent out such a microscopic little monkey? You aren't even large enough to get stuck between my teeth!"
Looking down at Tsukuyo Inaba from the clouds, the massive black dragon let out a thunderous, incredibly mocking burst of laughter.
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Thank you for reading.