Chapter 826
All-in
Star Antinomy, Leipzig. Inside Prince Xiardo’s mansion.
A stern-faced and handsome middle-aged man with brown hair was conversing with Prince Xiardo.
“Since that’s the case, then it’s decided. If necessary, we will need you to be the King first.”
The middle-aged man’s voice was deep and steady. “Regardless, having a ‘Valentine’ is better than not having one; the public will at least be greatly reassured. The Ministry of the Army will support you, and the Academy will support you. The Association hasn’t decided on a supporter yet, but at least they won’t oppose you… as for the Spirit Tower, we’ll see about their opinion later; they don’t seem like they would make a move in this situation.
“In that case, the only ones who might interfere with you are those Children of the Moon. As for the departments controlled by the Children of the Moon… such as Finance, Foreign Affairs, and the Navy, they won’t directly help in resolving the current situation. We will send people to personally protect Your Highness later, so you don’t need to worry too much about their beheading operations.”
He said this, then paused to add, “Actually, at most, the situation in Star Antinomy will gradually stabilize by mid-May. But if we let Star Antinomy continue in chaos like this, by May, all we’ll reclaim will be ruins. No one wants to see such an outcome… perhaps someone does, but we certainly don’t.
“Chaos breeds new chaos, death brings new death, yet order and rebirth will also be born from chaos and death. The great misfortune that Star Antinomy is currently facing might also be a great fortune—when the trial of fire ends, gold will shine brilliantly. Star Antinomy will eventually be reborn, soaring high and shining brightly. Just as ordinary Antinomy will eventually turn into Star Antinomy.”
…Does that mean I’m that “ordinary Antinomy”?
Prince Xiardo’s heart sank slightly, but he couldn’t say anything.
After all, his talent was insufficient—even among Alfonso’s many children, his ability was at best mediocre.
But it was precisely because of this that after Star Antinomy fell into complete chaos, the Academy sought him out.
Without their support, he would absolutely not be able to ascend the throne. Rather than adding flowers to the brocade, they wanted to choose a monarch who was easier to control, rather than an excellent successor.
—It wasn’t us who started it first.
The Children of the Moon did it too!
Because the Children of the Moon had already acted, others became ambitious and followed suit.
“…Yes, Master Walter.”
Although Prince Xiardo thought a lot, he didn’t show it.
He nodded slightly and agreed, “I will cooperate with your plan as much as possible. It’s all for Star Antinomy.”
The middle-aged man nodded in satisfaction at his calm demeanor.
Just as he was about to politely see him off, Master Walter’s gaze suddenly shifted to a certain corner.
He turned his head and cast a meaningful glance at Prince Xiardo. “It seems you already have a plan… I came here at the right time.”
After Prince Xiardo saw Master Walter off, when he turned back again, he suddenly saw Master Honey Badger there.
“…Did Master Walter sense you?”
Prince Xiardo looked worried.
He knew Master Honey Badger’s strength—she was a Fifth Tier assassin, and there was no other Extraordinary in all of Star Antinomy who could match her.
“I deliberately let him sense me.”
Master Honey Badger, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, shook her head without a hint of nervousness. “Otherwise, even if I held a knife to his throat, he might not have noticed me.”
Assassins of master level with Eagle Eye backgrounds had such confidence.
While not all Fifth Tier individuals could be restrained and killed by her, there were also types that could counter assassins.
However, Demon Avatars were clearly not among them—their bodies were too fragile, and their senses were not as strong as Priests or Hunters, let alone Extraordinary individuals on the Path of Beauty.
The survival ability of these Demon Avatars basically relied on “dragging its feet”—because if they were killed, the demons confined within their bodies would break free and go mad, and high-level Phantom Demons were not easy to deal with.
—Do you dare to kill me? I don’t care anyway. A Demon Avatar is half of me. If you dare to kill me, you’ll die with me. Replacing half of me with one of you is not a loss for me.
Because of this, Master Walter wasn’t afraid at all when he sensed a Fifth Tier assassin near Prince Xiardo.
Honey Badger slightly raised one leg, resting it on the wall behind her.
At the junction of the wall and her shoe behind her, shadowy black ripples occasionally appeared.
The beautiful woman chuckled, her body sinking slowly into the shadow formed by the wall behind her as if stuck in cement, her voice gradually becoming muffled from clear. “Let the people from the Academy know that you are not so easily manipulated…
“Recruiting a Fifth Tier assassin indicates that this prince likely has some ideas.”
“What about Miss Alistair?”
Prince Xiardo asked the empty wall, “I have something I want to ask her.”
“…She is preparing for an important ritual.”
After a moment of silence, Honey Badger’s voice rang out again, clear as if surfacing from the depths of the sea. “If you have anything to say, I can ask her for you.”
“I want to know… why is Master Walter so certain that Star Antinomy will get better by May?”
Prince Xiardo’s brow furrowed. “Master Walter said that Father Snake is affecting the entire world… Three Heavenly Envoys have been born this month, and there may be more next month. This means that the variables affecting the entire world will continue to increase, and all plans will be broken.
“No matter how I deduce it, I feel that the situation in Star Antinomy should become more chaotic… It might even spread from Star Antinomy to other countries, eventually plunging the entire world into chaos. I don’t know if I’m overlooking something, so I want to borrow Miss Alistair’s wisdom.”
“…You are truly perceptive.”
Alistair’s young and clear voice echoed. “But your deduction is correct, Xiardo. The world will unavoidably become chaotic… Those people’s foolish plans are merely to use this chaos to achieve Ascension.
“But their plans will ultimately fail. Perhaps due to arrogance, perhaps due to foolishness, or perhaps…”
She had reverted to Alistair’s appearance and was slowly descending the stairs while removing her ritual gloves.
She casually tossed the gloves into a corner, and a hand from Honey Badger’s shadow reached out and caught them in mid-air.
“…It might also be out of timidity.”
Alistair said meaningfully.
Will everything be resolved by May?
This is equivalent to saying: “After the [Ouroboros Ring] ritual is completed, everything will be fine!”
But do those Demon Scholars truly not understand that there might be problems with this?
Probably not.
Now, the secret of the ritual has begun to spread, causing a stir… After all, they need to attract Transcendent individuals from foreign countries to come. Since they are abroad, there is no way to restrain them from speaking carelessly. Now that more and more people know this secret, the Church must also know.
However, the Church has not sent anyone to stop them.
This fact alone should make them hesitate.
—But at this point, they can no longer stop.
Star Antinomy has already fallen into chaos. If they cannot obtain any power that surpasses everything from the Ouroboros Ring ritual to suppress everything, they will gradually be drawn into a bloody meat grinder of a melee.
Let’s assume there is a problem with it.
After all, Transcendent individuals are precisely those who surpass difficulties and dangers!
“Either win everything, or lose everything. They are merely choosing to go all-in on the table of fate… This cannot be called courage, but it is not an error; it can only be called having no other choice.”
Alistair said softly, “Such is fate.”
(End of Chapter)
