Chapter 146: Augustina: A Loser? How Could I Lose (7k)
Within the Thousand year City, the atmosphere between Shaya and Augustina, initially somewhat relaxed, turned chilling once more.
Augustina slightly raised her crimson-gold eyes.
The radiance emanating from them was no longer that of a pure, innocent maiden, but more akin to an empress surveying the world.
Only now, for the first time in front of Shaya, did Augustina reveal a hint of the majesty befitting the title “Queen of the Night.”
Not merely a legend, but a ruler looking down upon all beings from the heavens.
Sensing the aura of the Queen of the Night, which was in no way inferior to Sylvia’s, Shaya’s movements did not falter in the slightest.
He calmly extended his hand.
The ink-black undead metal transformed into tiny blades.
With a “噗嗤,” a small gash appeared on Shaya’s palm.
However, before the blood could even flow from the wound, the small cut rapidly stopped bleeding, scabbed over, and even the scar quickly faded and disappeared.
“I’ve always believed that in this world, for any abnormality to occur, there must be a reason and an underlying principle.”
Shaya’s gaze fell upon his scabbed wound.
“This Undying Body ability is too much like the Blood Race.”
“Of course, the regenerative abilities of ordinary vampires are absolutely incapable of reaching this level… not fearing sunlight, garlic, or silver. Even crosses and holy water don’t cause me any discomfort.”
“Even being blasted into smithereens by a fully unleashed Holy Spear, I can still resurrect completely unharmed.”
“This ability, rather than being called ‘resurrection’ or ‘self-healing’… it’s more like conceptual immortality.”
Shaya’s eyes lifted slightly, and he looked at Augustina with a casual gaze.
“Ordinary vampires can’t do this, nor can even legendary Blood Race Princes.”
“However, True Ancestor Kurohime, chosen as the vessel for the ‘Crimson Moon,’ might be capable of something like this.”
“Just as True Gods, even if they vanish, can return from the distant Astral Realm as long as the faith of their believers endures.”
…
“Merely by speculating about immortality, you’ve determined I’m the contractor of your fourth Soul Pact?”
“As you said, conceptual immortality isn’t exclusive to the ‘Crimson Moon.'”
After hearing Shaya’s statement, Augustina’s hoarse voice rang out once more, filled with interest.
“Actually, there are other reasons.”
Shaya thought for a moment, then spoke again: “For example, the time I visited the Shadow Council’s stronghold in the Imperial Capital – the Dark Night Garden. Your attitude towards me was… far too unusual, Your Highness Augustina.”
“A simple intelligence transaction led to your shadow avatar’s personal appearance… and later, you even suggested I use my body to repay the debt.”
Shaya’s expression remained calm: “At that time, I wasn’t even a Master Grade Beast Tamer of the Fourth Ring. My talent was outstanding, but that was all… Logically, I shouldn’t have warranted such special attention from a Legend, no, a Throne.”
“And then there was the Borgia Family’s banquet… the Shadow Council had strictly maintained neutrality for centuries. Yet, that time, in the Astral Realm, you relentlessly pursued and killed Goodrian as he fled. Objectively speaking, this was undoubtedly helping me eliminate an enemy.”
“I don’t believe there’s such a thing as unprovoked favoritism in this world.” He paused. “Some people might overlook anomalies and not think much of them, but my nature prevents me from ignoring these peculiarities.”
Shaya’s gaze was calm: “So, Your Highness Augustina, would you please explain?”
“The origin of the equal contract between us.”
“And the true appearance of Escarnia’s history from a thousand years ago, before Isadorella altered it into the Imaginary Plane.”
…
Augustina did not answer directly.
She sat on the throne woven from shadows, a few strands of shadow turning into thorns that twined around Augustina’s plain white fingers, which she toyed with casually.
After a long moment, her clear voice rang out again.
“At the end of the First Era, the beginning of the Second Era.”
“The Abyssal True God ‘Crimson Moon’ was defeated in the war that spanned the First and Second Eras, the Prime Material Plane and the Abyss.”
“Its divine body and more than half of its God Kingdom were destroyed by one of the original eight pages of the Black Tower. It was forced to descend to the Astral Realm, carrying its divinity and authority, along with the remnants of its God Kingdom.”
“Even for an Undying True God, this was an unimaginable wound. If it had simply waited to recover according to the rules, the restoration period might have taken thousands, even tens of thousands of years.”
“Therefore, Crimson Moon, in order to reconstruct a new divine body…”
“Chose me, who also specialized in the authority of night, shadow, and secrecy, as the vessel for its descent.”
“Or, as outsiders call it, the first True Ancestor.”
In Augustina’s crimson-gold eyes, the clarity of a maiden faded slightly, replaced by a profound ancientness, as if spanning eons.
Shaya, meanwhile, listened calmly.
Most of the fields studied by later archaeologists were concentrated on the history of the current Era, with very little, almost zero, knowledge of the historical secrets of the old Eras.
However, after acquiring the Knowledge Holy Grail, Shaya had a considerable amount of knowledge. The historical secrets he knew were not much inferior to those of ancient demigods and thrones.
The Fourth Era was the era Shaya lived in reality, marked by the establishment of the Holy Calendar.
The Historical Echo of Escarnia where Shaya was located was the junction of the Third and Fourth Eras.
As for the First Era, even the Knowledge Holy Grail knew little about it, as its power could only comprehend the present, and the First Era predated the Knowledge Holy Grail’s birth.
The symbol of the Second Era was the enlightenment of arcane arts, the establishment of the wizard and beast tamer systems.
And the establishment of the Black Tower.
That’s right, although the Western Continent currently refers to the Tower of Absolute Darkness, the Crimson Tower, and the White Tower as the “Three Towers of Wizards.”
In reality, the White Tower was founded by the Azure Silver Witch Sylvia in the middle of the Fourth Era, with a history of only five hundred years, making it merely a filler in the trio.
The Crimson Tower, or Red Tower, was slightly better, but it only began to sprout at the very end of the Third Era.
Only the Tower of Absolute Darkness, born at the end of the First Era, directly influenced the opening of the Second Era.
According to the Knowledge Holy Grail – the Tower of Absolute Darkness was the origin of arcane arts, wizards, and magic, and even the beginning of the Western Continent’s civilization.
Of course, the Knowledge Holy Grail itself was nurtured by the soul crystallization of the Great Sage and had an intricate connection with the Black Tower. So, how much of its words were biased flattery and how much was truth was impossible to say.
“Tsk, as expected of someone who knows about the Holy Grail, and possibly has been tricked by it. Augustina, are you also from the Second Era?”
“And according to Augustina.”
“The Abyssal True God ‘Crimson Moon,’ in its complete, peak state, was crippled by one of the Black Tower’s original eight pages?”
“Since it’s one of the Black Tower’s eight pages, it means that original eighty-page didn’t embark on the Path to Godhood… With a human body, they crippled a True God? Are the wizards of the Second Era this exaggerated?”
“The current entry requirement for the Black Tower’s eight pages is merely Legend, and being able to cripple a peak True God is something even an ordinary Throne couldn’t do.”
“I wonder who’s stronger, my teacher or that original eighty-page…”
Shaya pondered silently.
Meanwhile, after a brief period of recollection, Augustina resumed her story.
This time, however, her gaze was fixed directly on Shaya’s face.
“Crimson Moon needed a new body, or rather, a vessel for descent.”
“However, the chosen vessel naturally was unwilling to simply become its shell.”
“But that was, after all, a True God… with too many means to corrode and corrupt its chosen prey.”
Golden light flickered slightly in Augustina’s eyes.
“For example, at the cost of half its divinity, it bestowed upon me the urge to drink blood.”
“The status of True Ancestor gave me greater power, but the urge to drink blood was equivalent to a curse.”
“Every time the urge to drink blood was triggered, it would lead me towards degeneration into a blood drinker, or rather, a step closer to the vessel that Crimson Moon desired.”
“To quell the urge to drink blood, I had to expend a large amount of mental energy to suppress myself… But this desire would constantly accumulate, forcing me to use eternal slumber to suppress it.”
Her gaze swept over the ground beneath the Thousand year City.
“Crimson Moon’s believers perished entirely in the war at the end of the Second Era, along with the collapse of its God Kingdom.”
“After only two Eras, Crimson Moon had recovered some of its strength, and with this power, it created its new kin, what you call vampires.”
“They are Crimson Moon’s most devout servants, and they also follow Crimson Moon’s will, constantly searching for me since their birth, wanting me to completely degenerate in my bloodlust and become the purest, most perfect vessel their Lord desires.”
Augustina’s gaze swept over Shaya’s eyes, as if trying to discern something, but ultimately found nothing.
“I know that in the eyes of outsiders, I and those vampires are of the same race.”
“But – in truth, I view those Blood Race members, whether Barons or Princes… as nothing more than puppets in Crimson Moon’s hands, and likewise, my enemies, my mortal enemies.”
“Therefore, I slaughtered the entire ancestral land of the Blood Race – the Thousand year City, killing all six Blood Race Princes within, as well as ghouls, undead, and blood servants of all sizes.”
“Afterward, I hunted the remaining Blood Race members while sealing myself within the Thousand year City, using eternal slumber to suppress the accumulating urge to drink blood as time passed.”
“However, that was ultimately just a temporary solution. As time went by, the accumulation of the urge to drink blood would increasingly occupy my mental energy. At the most difficult moments, I had to use over seventy percent of my power to suppress this urge.”
“Because of this, under Crimson Moon’s scheme not long ago, my urge to drink blood was still triggered.”
A smile touched Augustina’s lips as she licked her lips with her scarlet tongue.
“As you can see, you became the first object of my blood drinking.”
“Or, as those Blood Race members would call it, you were ‘first embraced’ by me.”
“This is the common way for ordinary vampires to develop their descendants. Generally, those who are first embraced, regardless of their original race, are transformed into the same kind of vampire.”
“Of course, I am not a vampire in the ordinary sense, so I will not truly turn you into one. However, through that first embrace, we also signed an equal contract… a portion of Crimson Moon’s divinity and authority within me was thus shared with you.”
Her eyes held a smile, but beneath the smile lay a dark glint that Shaya could not fathom.
“In the war of the Second Era, many True Gods who perished completely could only wait for long ages to return from the distant Astral Realm… And Crimson Moon was able to retain some of its power and consciousness precisely because of its immortality, making it one of the strongest among True Gods.”
“This is the origin of the anomaly in your fourth Soul Pact, and your immortality.”
Augustina withdrew her gaze and lowered her eyes slightly.
“Since you have obtained immortality through the contract and shared some of Crimson Moon’s divinity and authority… you have naturally entered its sight and become one of the chosen vessels.”
“And because of this fated connection from the first embrace, you will cooperate with me to fight against Crimson Moon.”
“Finally, we will eradicate the remaining Blood Race on this continent and ultimately defeat the current, incomplete state of Crimson Moon.”
“In your words, it’s like sending it back to base, entering revive status, and if it doesn’t buyback, it won’t be able to descend and interfere with the Prime Material Plane for thousands of years.”
“And although the entire Escarnia will mourn the loss of Cain, under the grand tide of history, a new empire will still be established, and that King of Knights will face death with righteous resolve when his life reaches its end and he passes away naturally…”
“If the distortion of the Imaginary Plane had not appeared… then, what I have said above would have been the course of Escarnia’s history.”
“However, history has now deviated.”
Augustina lowered her eyes and looked towards the Cretaceous City at the end of the land.
Shaya also lowered his eyes and looked towards the holy city that would later be named ‘Camelot.’
Despite seeing a scene of countless artisans working ardently, full of life and vitality.
However, within Shaya’s “Astral Vision,” achieved through his mental power utilizing the Astral Realm.
Despite it being noon, the seemingly magnificent and sacred Imperial Capital was shrouded in a blood-colored night sky.
A blood-red moon hung at the highest point in the sky.
Blood-colored moonlight cascaded down, sprinkling upon a tall, slender figure that was distant and cold.
Although holding the Holy Sword, and wearing that familiar military uniform, Isadorella at this moment was completely different from the figure in Shaya’s memory.
No longer the Empress who was stern but occasionally revealed a hint of girlish sentimentality… but only the divinity of the “Crimson Empress” remained.
Augustina was not wrong.
The Imaginary Plane, opened by the Holy Sword, had become independent of the river of time.
Therefore, even upon returning to Holy Calendar Year 1, everything was irreversible.
Shaya was not facing the familiar King of Knights Artorius, but the King of the Imaginary Plane, who had become estranged, paranoid, and hideous after a thousand years of obsession and Crimson Moon’s corrupting influence, her maiden form no longer visible.
“To pursue eternal life, to await your return in the Hall of Heroes… Isadorella chose to cooperate with Crimson Moon.”
“She actively accepted Crimson Moon’s divinity, becoming its vessel, in exchange for the True God’s near-infinite lifespan.”
“However, the price for doing so was that her humanity would gradually be consumed by Crimson Moon’s divinity until she completely deified and became—”
“—a new god, the ‘Crimson Moon’.”
…
After Augustina finished speaking, she looked at Shaya.
Shaya, however, raised his head slightly and smiled faintly.
“If that’s the case, then what we need to do is much simpler and clearer.”
He pointed towards the holy city shrouded by the blood moon, and in the direction of the Hall of Thrones at its center.
“There are simply two enemies.”
“One is Crimson Moon, and the other is His Royal Highness the Empress… Oh, no, she should be addressed as Her Majesty the Empress here.”
“Since it’s an old True God crippled since the Second Era, that old god should have the awareness to exit. Just obediently perish and go wait for revive status in the Astral Realm.”
“As for His Royal Highness the Princess, it would be best if she could sober up. If she still can’t, then I’ll use a friendly punch to the face until she wakes up.”
Shaya smiled slightly and spread his hands. “Such a simple matter, see? The law of victory is determined.”
“Of course, four hands are better than two. Your Highness Augustina, you will help me, won’t you? After all, they are your enemies.”
“Okay… Although Crimson Moon has chosen another vessel, if Crimson Moon truly obtains a new body and descends into the world again, that is something I absolutely cannot tolerate.”
Augustina nodded.
But then, her gaze locked onto Shaya.
“However, do you truly understand what you are doing?”
“I know that in your previous identity as Cain, you accomplished many earth-shattering feats, such as the battle in the Valley of Termination, and were always able to retreat completely.”
“But you should know that you were able to do so because of Crimson Moon’s immortality.”
Augustina’s gaze was deep.
“However, once you become an enemy of Crimson Moon, regardless of whether you ultimately succeed or fail… it means you will lose the protection of the Undying Body.”
The Queen of the Night’s gaze swept across Shaya’s face. “Your true body is only Sixth Ring… Even with the enchanterments of those magical constructs, you can rival a Legend. But even a Prince like Flander has an ability to directly attack the heart… and other Legends naturally have ways to break through external defenses and attack the true body.”
“Moreover… what you are about to face is far from an ordinary Legend.”
“But a Throne, wielding the Holy Sword.”
Augustina’s soft words echoed in the silent garden of the Thousand year City: “Aren’t you afraid of death?”
“Of course I am.”
Shaya’s answer was immediate.
“But dying when one is killed is only natural.”
“If I didn’t want to die, I wouldn’t have chosen to return to a thousand years ago in the first place.”
“Besides…”
In Shaya’s eyes, Yui’s rune spun faintly.
In the warehouse, whose proficiency had been raised to “Extraordinary to Saint,” a massive construct with a streamlined metallic casing reflected silvery-white light.
On the streamlined metallic casing, an inscription in regular Chinese characters read:
“Tsar Bomba”
Looking at his fully stocked arsenal.
And reading the route Yui transmitted through the Soul Pact, determined after millions of simulations and selections.
A slight smile couldn’t help but appear on Shaya’s lips.
“Besides, even without the Undying Body… I’ve never thought I would lose.”
“I think, if it’s a total of one hundred percent, then Crimson Moon and His Royal Highness the Empress’s chances of winning shouldn’t exceed fifty percent.”
His gaze drifted towards the bizarre blood moon.
Despite his slender, not particularly strong physique, Augustina distinctly felt a powerful aura, not inferior to her own, erupting from Shaya’s body at this moment.
“The Legend of the King of Knights is about to come to an end.”
…
“I need some time to complete preparations and deployments.”
“Then, Your Highness Queen of the Night.”
“See you in Camelot in seven days.”
Shaya waved to Augustina indifferently.
Then he stood up and walked out of the Thousand year City.
Watching the receding figure of the youth, Augustina’s beautiful eyes flickered slightly.
It was a mentality of certain victory.
And a conviction of inevitable death.
This immense confidence and resolve… overlapped with the figure in her memory, identically.
“To go this far for that young lady, Isadorella?”
She shook her head slightly, then looked at Shaya, who was gradually walking away, and softly spoke.
“But in this case,”
“What am I to you?”
Shaya’s steps halted.
He was not incapable of understanding the hint in Augustina’s words.
In fact, after his experience with Sylvia, Shaya had become extremely sensitive to such matters.
A strange woman approaching him, showing him special affection and favor… it was exactly like Sylvia.
Coupled with what Augustina had said earlier about the correct, un-distorted history.
One could guess what was happening… It was nothing more than fighting Crimson Moon side-by-side, and then his “Charming Ex” trait being triggered again.
However, Shaya did not turn back.
“How to put this…”
“I don’t know what happened in the correct history of your memory that made Your Highness Augustina have such a preference for me.”
“But that is something that the current me has not experienced…”
Shaya knew very well what the favor of a Throne, the master of the Shadow Council since the Second Era, meant.
If he showed even a little ambiguity, it would mean a new, beautiful leg and endless opportunities for freeloading.
But… the correct history Augustina depicted, whether it was a past life to him or another possibility… he had indeed not experienced it.
Since he did not have romantic feelings for the Queen of the Night before him… he could not reciprocate her expectations, not even a hint of ambiguity did Shaya wish to leave.
He was indeed fickle, but if he truly did that, he would not be fickle, but a scumbag.
The reason Shaya chose to accept Sylvia’s feelings, and even responded with a confession, was not because Sylvia was the Lord of the White Tower, a Throne… but because he had also fallen for her over time in that past event within the Historical Echo of the Ancient Azure Court. That was all.
“It is my honor to become Your Highness Augustina’s contractor and partner.”
“Therefore, for now, in my eyes, I consider you a very good friend and ally, or a trading partner.”
“That is all.”
With that, his figure rapidly shrank and disappeared at the edge of the Thousand year City.
…
“Judging by this, am I destined to be the loser?”
Augustina watched Shaya’s receding back, momentarily lost in thought.
However, her expression did not truly hold regret for “becoming a loser.”
On the contrary, a smile curved on Augustina’s exquisite, ice-like pretty face.
“That’s true, if he were to act like a scumbag, playing dumb and keeping me at arm’s length without any emotional basis…”
“Then he wouldn’t be the Shaya I know and am loyal to.”
A trace of recollection suddenly appeared in Augustina’s eyes, and she fell into a daze.
So sharp yet so confident, unwavering in what she identified as the truth.
Truly the opposite of “stubborn” and “kind.”
“This is the Shaya of my memories…”
After a long time, she finally snapped out of her reverie, a faint smile appearing on her face.
“However… you were still deceived by me.”
Augustina tapped the void with her plain white finger.
Most of her conversation with Shaya was true, but she had concealed two points.
Her equal contract with Shaya was not because of that blood-drinking first embrace, tricked by Crimson Moon…
And the affection and favoritism she held in her heart for Shaya… did not originate from this history of Escarnia at the end of the Third Era.
But rather, it originated from much earlier.
Long before the Black Tower was built, before the divine war between the Abyss and the Prime Material Plane erupted, when that annoying Knowledge Holy Grail was merely a concept and a hypothetical idea among the Great Arcane Masters.
And Augustina back then was not yet called Augustina. She was just freshly hatched, looking at the first living being she saw in this world with innocence.
A breeze blew through the Thousand year City.
The shadows and night that had always shrouded Augustina quietly dissipated.
Revealing her true face, originally obscured by the hazy veil of darkness.
Crimson-gold vertical pupils.
And faint horns glinting amidst her pitch-black hair.
Unlike the pink and beautiful horns of a succubus, the horns on Augustina’s forehead, though not particularly ferocious, bore an imposing curve.
Outsiders often regarded the Blood Race as an independent species.
But as the first True Ancestor, before being chosen as a vessel by Crimson Moon, Augustina had another race…
“You once said you wanted to be a dragon rider.”
“Heh, a loser? How could I lose?”
