Chapter 265: Ragnarok (11)

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Alokes remained silent.

He stared into empty space without even breathing.

Confirming that he had fallen into deep thought, Carl let out a short sigh inwardly and leaned back on the sofa.

According to the rules of Ragnarok, it was impossible to harm members of other factions inside the corridor.

That applied to lodgings as well, so there was no risk of curses or fights breaking out here.

‘If Alokes is even slightly considering our proposal…’

They could more easily prepare against the Fairy King’s trickery.

If not, it would be a troubling situation, but even so, there were still ways.

After all, he hadn’t been following the rituals and taking the tests mindlessly up to now.

‘Rather than allying with unknown factions, it’s better to join forces with the Demon Realm.’

Excluding NOX, none of the other factions could be trusted, so it was more comfortable to side with the enemy instead.

“I’ve confirmed that your words are not lies.”

After a moment, Alokes finally spoke slowly.

The subtle hostility he had shown toward Carl had long since disappeared.

With deepened eyes, he looked at Carl and spoke in a heavy voice.

“That was also a concern of ours. Even if one is a Guardian of Ragnarok, beings of the Middle Realm cannot be easily trusted.”

Even if they were of a different dimension, beings from the Middle Realm would hardly welcome the birth of a Demon.

By indirectly strengthening the power of the Demon Realm, they could support invasions of the Middle Realm like now.

“You coming to me means you can’t trust the other factions either. For example, the Empire or the Holy Church.”

“……”

He had seen through Carl’s intentions.

But it was inevitable.

In this situation, there was no other reason to approach the hostile Demon Realm faction.

“Interesting.”

Alokes interlaced his fingers and leaned forward.

“We were also sent to Ragnarok with a heavy mission. Your words certainly carry considerable weight, but that alone isn’t enough to move us.”

“Same here. If we ruin the game without certainty, we’ll be attacked by the Guardians of Ragnarok.”

If there were multiple beings like Mabel the Fairy King, it would be nothing short of a disaster.

With one wrong move, they could find themselves in conflict with transcendent monsters like Dragons or High Elves.

“But they too won’t act recklessly. If they had such power and still resorted to the ritual form of Ragnarok.”

“Exactly. As you’ll soon understand, beings like us are bound by certain causalities. Even roaming freely is not easy for us.”

It was a veiled pressure, letting him know that Alokes, the Grand Duke of Hell, was on the same level as the Fairy King or the Dragons—transcendents.

But he had chosen the wrong opponent.

Carl chuckled faintly, rose from his seat, and looked down at Alokes.

If they were transcendents, then he was one imbued with a demigod.

It was clear without comparison who stood on a higher level.

“In that case, let’s consider this a mutual understanding.”

“Yes. Should the need arise.”

Alokes nodded.

If Ragnarok proceeded normally, they would end up pointing blades at each other as originally intended.

But if things truly unfolded as foretold by the participants of the previous round…

Click.

Finishing the conversation, Carl exited Alokes’s room.

The stares from the demons guarding the outside were fierce.

Some of them were ones Carl or NOX had killed before.

He glanced at them lightly and moved on with a calm demeanor.

As long as Alokes didn’t personally step in, there was no one strong enough to stop him.

While returning to the NOX faction, Carl encountered an unexpected intruder.

—What did you discuss with the Grand Duke of Hell?

“Do I have to report something like that?”

Despite Carl’s sharp reply, Mabel the Fairy King didn’t flinch an inch and stood firmly in his path.

—The ritual of Ragnarok must be fair and noble. Please be aware that if any foul play is involved, you may receive a warning.

“Fair? Noble?”

Carl sneered.

“If that really mattered, don’t you think it should have been enforced from the beginning?”

Ragnarok had been an unfair battle right from the start.

The human faction, the Empire, the Church, and NOX all had no information and simply reacted to unfolding events.

Of course, he didn’t complain about that.

That’s just how the world worked.

But now, to suddenly preach fairness and nobility—it was ridiculous, wasn’t it?

—The movements between factions fall under the rules of Ragnarok.

“Then me visiting the Demon Realm’s leader is no different.”

—…Carlos Leipzig. You are a person of interest. Hence, stricter rules apply to you than to other participants. If you wish to lift them…

“If I want to lift them?”

—Please tell me what you saw in the labyrinth of the second trial.

“……”

Carl narrowed his eyes.

Mabel’s words carried many implications.

It meant that he had been tracking Carl the whole time, that the space created by the Priest of ‘Rest’ was out of their sight, and that he was afraid of something.

Carl tilted his head.

Mabel still stood his ground, showing a firm attitude that he wouldn’t take a single step back.

Tsszzzz.

A green aura surged from Carl’s entire body, unleashing a powerful wave of energy.

Likewise, Mabel spread both wings wide, revealing his presence as the Fairy King.

Crack-crack-crack!

The storm of opposing energies clashed violently, shaking the corridor.

With such a commotion, someone should have noticed, but perhaps due to Mabel’s interference, the surrounding area remained eerily quiet.

Crunch.

Carl clenched his fist.

At his will, the divine power surged into a sharp blade, baring its fangs at Mabel.

Tsszzzz.

Powder scattered from Mabel’s wings, forming a prison that slowly closed in on them.

In the suffocating tension, it was Mabel who first withdrew his power.

—A Guardian of Ragnarok must not disrupt the ritual. If you do not wish to speak, I have no intention of forcing you.

Swish.

Mabel folded his wings and slowly stepped back.

Even then, his gaze remained fixed on Carl.

Carl also lowered his hand and withdrew his divinity.

He felt slightly disappointed deep inside.

It was a rare chance to gauge the strength of transcendent beings residing in the Middle Realm.

But to Mabel, the duty of a Guardian seemed more important.

“…I discovered traces of participants from the previous round there.”

—……

“They called you lot shameless liars. Said the Guardians don’t welcome the birth of a true Divinity.”

Carl deliberately blended fact and fiction to observe Mabel’s reaction.

But Mabel maintained the same expression, devoid of any emotion.

—That is false. Our role as Guardians is to officiate the ritual of Ragnarok. The ritual is only complete when a new Divine Being is born.

“Then who reached Divinity in the previous round?”

—……

Faced with Carl’s sharp question, Mabel closed his mouth again.

Carl shrugged, as if he had expected this, and gathered all of his energy.

“So you won’t answer. I got the short end of the deal.”

In truth, he had learned quite a lot from Mabel’s attitude.

The problem was that the puzzle pieces—‘Rest,’ the demons within the barrier, and Mabel’s reaction—weren’t fitting together.

‘Something’s not adding up.’

Whether it was false information or hidden truths, there were still pieces missing from the puzzle.

And wherever that missing piece was, it couldn’t be far from where he stood.

Carl turned around, intending to leave.

Mabel’s closed lips and silent stance were no different from a wall with no intent to converse.

—…I do not know the details.

“……”

But Carl’s steps halted at the faint voice that followed.

—I heard some sort of incident occurred at the time. Back then, I had not yet ascended to the position of Fairy King, so I did not witness it myself. However, they said the previous Ragnarok had to be concluded in a different way.

“A different way?”

—What that was has not been revealed. All we know is that it turned into a form unknown to anyone now. Only someone like the Dragon Lord might be able to access it.

So in the end, he was saying he didn’t know.

To Carl, the results of the previous round didn’t matter much.

The pressing issue was how to survive the current Ragnarok.

Thus, he turned and walked away, leaving Mabel behind.

Some distance away, he felt himself pass through a kind of barrier—then saw Queen.

“Master.”

She had likely been waiting outside and hurried to him with a concerned expression.

“You didn’t sense anything from outside?”

“No. Your presence suddenly vanished. I tried to enter, but it felt like the path didn’t connect.”

From Queen’s words, Carl could gauge the extent of Mabel’s power.

Then why had Mabel gone so far as to create such a distortion just to speak with him?

‘Fairies are said to be truthful beings.’

If they lie, they fall into corruption, so they must speak only truth.

If the legends were true, Mabel’s words should be truthful.

But just because one doesn’t lie doesn’t mean one speaks the whole truth.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Carl walked down the corridor with Queen, deep in thought.

Alokes, the Grand Duke of Hell.

Mabel, the Fairy King.

Prometheus and the Holy Church.

……And even the Empire.

‘Complicated.’

It felt like he was solving a problem with no answer.

It would’ve been nice to get help from others at a time like this, but sadly, those he could trust were few.

Still, at least his strongest ally had been left outside.

In the worst case, he could rely on them.

—We will now begin the third trial.

After the rest period ended, Mabel the Fairy King announced in a calm voice as the participants gathered in the Central Corridor.

—This trial is fundamentally the same as the second. Investigate the interior of the test site, and earn points through strength and intellect. However, physical conflict with other factions is strictly forbidden, and the faction that reaches the target score first will be declared the winner.

This time, the entire factions would participate, not split into smaller teams.

Now halfway through the trials, a serious atmosphere surrounded each faction.

Crown Prince Yulian nodded and looked at Carl.

“A structure where only one team takes everything. Makes sense, things have been too soft up until now. So, what do you think? To keep the Demon Realm in check, we should probably funnel points to NOX.”

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