Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Chapter 29: The Ship of Theseus

Upon hearing Ray Eurys’s proposition, Charlotte tilted her face with evident confusion, causing Dale to swiftly step in front of her with the intention of protecting her.

“Dale?”

“Did the legends of Rome and Greece also exist in this era?”

Dale inquired, manifesting a gesture of contempt and icy mockery, to which Ray Eurys moved his face from side to side in a sign of denial.

“In historical settings where ‘heroes from another realm’ were mentioned at some point, it was a quite widespread story, wasn’t it?”

“……”

Upon the reference to said heroic figure, Charlotte’s countenance turned somber for an instant. Remaining at the forefront, Dale replied with profound indifference.

He who dominated the empire as well as the destiny of the world, the authentic possessor of gold and shadows, whom no individual possessed the audacity to challenge.

“Get to the main point, Ray Eurys.”

“Your Excellency stated on one occasion that your being would cease to be part of the chronicles of this environment, and that you would never appear in the Book of Blood.”

Ray Eurys expressed, taking the initiative in the conversation.

“Nevertheless, at this moment, you proclaim yourself as the absolute ruler of the land, having destroyed the Ninth Empire to emerge with force in the course of history.”

“Positioning oneself on the proscenium of history does not constitute a resolution that depends on us.”

Dale answered, manifesting a cold determination.

“At least in that particular aspect, your premonition was accurate, chronicler of blood.”

“Is it really?”

“I interrogate you, Ray Eurys. What are your true intentions?”

Dale demanded, repeating the questioning.

“Even if you find yourself weaving some stratagem, it completely lacks significance in my presence.”

“Certainly, things are just as you describe them.”

Ray Eurys bowed his head, showing absolute silent respect.

“Before Your Excellency, no action possesses real value.”

Dale maintained a sepulchral silence, observing the general insignificance of the situation like a deity of the void and insignificance.

“For that reason, I put an end to the uprising at this very instant and request compassion for myself and for the Eurys lineage, seeking Your Excellency’s protection.”

“……”

Once those words were spoken, Ray Eurys, along with the rest of the vampires accompanying him, proceeded to fall to their knees.

“No element is capable of harming Your Excellency, and before your being, everything lacks weight. In the same way my blood relative acted.”

“Are you referring to Mikhail Eurys?”

“That is correct.”

Ray Eurys nodded firmly, corroborating the statement.

“Both the insurrection movement and the monarchs will end up prostrate before Your Excellency. Opposition and conflict are sterile before you, because nothing retains its value in your vicinity.”

Remaining prostrate, Ray Eurys continued with his speech.

“Your Excellency represents the entire cosmos, and your essence is equivalent to the primordial soul of this environment.”

Dale sketched an icy grimace at a eulogy that failed to elicit even the slightest hint of amusement or mockery from him.

At that very instant, an icy gust and a dense gloom enveloped both Dale and Ray Eurys.

That was the mental environment built by the monarch of the dark and the golden.

“You questioned me previously if I possessed knowledge about the Ship of Theseus.”

“Indeed.”

Dale exerted coercion over Ray Eurys with a sharp tone.

“Did you not admit a moment ago that everything lacks relevance before me? What are you truly planning? Was it not you who appeared in my nocturnal visions under the identity of the ‘Black Prince’ with the purpose of mocking me?”

In this manner, Dale expressed himself, manifesting as the entity capable of transforming any meaning into absolute nothingness in the midst of that atmosphere of cold and darkness.

“I beg you not to fall into a misunderstanding, Your Excellency.”

Ray Eurys bowed his face again upon hearing said claim.

“My presence here also obeys the need to provide a reply to the question posed by the ‘Black Prince’, in the same way as you.”

“What did you say?”

“The ‘Black Prince’ manifested in my own nocturnal deliriums and addressed me. I am certain of it. That entity is completely alien to the identity of Your Excellency who stands before me at this moment.”

“……”

“And that ‘Black Prince’ made mention of chronicles coming from another realm with the clear intention of mocking my own reality.”

“Do you maintain then that it was not a stratagem of yours?”

“That is correct.”

It was not complex to evaluate the authenticity or falsehood of what was expressed. That constituted the authentic gift of the monarch of the dark and the golden, the sovereign of shadows.

Despite that, the individual positioned in front also proclaimed himself as the absolute master of deceptions and riches. Consequently, it was not prudent to accept his declarations or the apparent reality directly and unquestioningly.

In spite of everything, Ray Eurys’s shadowy silhouette loudly proclaimed that he was free of guilt.

“I perfectly understand that any plot or plan I attempt to structure lacks the slightest importance before your power.”

“……”

Dale preferred to maintain silence.

Initially, he judged that the event merely corresponded to a nocturnal vision devoid of foundations.

When Ray Eurys later detailed the specifics of said dream, he firmly believed that the one responsible had been him.

However, it had not been an act provoked by Ray Eurys. That individual represented only another piece on the board managed by the ‘Black Prince’.

Therefore, who truly was that ‘Black Prince’ who intruded upon the mental rest of both, and to whom did such a design belong?

It was an absolute mystery.

“Do you not find it highly peculiar?”

Realizing the situation, Ray Eurys let out a slight laugh, denoting entertainment.

“The brightest mind of the empire, the equivalent to absolute cruelty, who never manifested mercy towards his opponents. That was the profile of the ‘Black Prince’.”

Acting as the monarch of riches, carefully analyzing the deceptions hidden within Dale’s golden splendor.

“And now it gives the impression that said entity is measuring itself against the deity of insignificance. Do you not find it to be a truly captivating event?”

“……”

Ray Eurys expressed himself with evident glee, while Dale chose not to issue any response.

“At least, Ray Eurys never managed to impose himself over the ‘Black Prince’ at any moment. Neither the monarch of riches nor the blood oath represented an anomaly. The entirety of the territory ended up prostrate at his feet, and the current panorama is the reflection of that.”

“What is the message you intend to convey?”

“It is simply impossible for me to visualize a defeat of the ‘Black Prince’. Even if his opponent is the very deity of insignificance.”

“… That solely belongs to my previous stage.”

“It is a possibility. Nevertheless, do you not consider it a massive coincidence?”

Dale remained silent once more.

“At least, the ‘Black Prince’ of my knowledge never participated in a contest destined for failure. And everything indicates that he longs to measure himself against the deity of insignificance.”

“Was this a consequence of the demon of evolution?”

“On that day, my blood relative perished. He ceased to possess the purpose and utility of his own reality.”

Just as he exposed it, there was no room for doubt. The demon of evolution, Mikhail Eurys, had abdicated his mystical faculties and had ceased to exist.

“I do not possess additional data regarding that entity either.”

That being so, who was hiding behind the identity of the ‘Black Prince’ who mocked the realities of Dale and Ray in the dream plane?

“In addition, both the sovereign and the insurrection movement ended up bowing before Your Excellency’s feet. No element in this environment has the capacity to stand against you, so you will once again assume the role of the ruler of the world.”

In this way, Ray Eurys prostrated himself, exhibiting a certain amusement in his gestures.

“And no matter how much I try to debate the situation, I perfectly assimilate that currently nothing possesses real value before you.”

Contemplating the scene, Dale extended his upper limb calmly.

The icy atmosphere of the outcome began to dissipate, surrounding Ray Eurys’s physical reality, a single gesture being enough to vanish his being into the absolute void. Despite the circumstances, Ray Eurys did not manifest any opposition. Everything lacked weight before this being.

When the deity of insignificance pursued the monarch of the Ninth Empire, a countless number of aristocrats opted to kneel and lay down their arms before him.

They assimilated the total futility of undertaking a resistance or an armed conflict.

Nevertheless, there existed an entity that expressed mockery towards that mystical being. An apparition hailing from bygone times, adopting the appearance of the ‘Black Prince’.

“Despite the circumstances, the ‘Black Prince’ manifested before us, deliberately mocking our own reality.”

“Do you possess absolute certainty that this does not constitute a stratagem of your own making?”

“No element in this environment possesses the faculty to conceal the authenticity of the facts before your eyes. No effort of opposition makes sense before your being, is it not an undeniable reality, sovereign of the black and the golden, and deity of insignificance?”

Listening to Ray Eurys’s arguments, Dale slightly contracted his eyebrows in a sign of displeasure.

“What is it that you require of me?”

“My only yearning consists of capturing the advance of history in the pages of the Book of Blood, emulating the actions of my progenitor. Even if said resolution forces me to kneel and manifest eternal obedience to the monarch of the dark and the golden.”

Faced with the proposed proposition, Dale plunged into a profound state of silent reflection.

“… I will grant you the vote of confidence.”

After a moment of deliberation, the deity of insignificance resolved.

Once Dale vanished the mental environment, the members of the Night Raven Knights proceeded with haste to draw their weapons from their scabbards.

“There is no reason whatsoever for agitation.”

However, Dale calmly extended his upper limb, restraining the advance of his warriors.

“Ray Eurys, I formally accept your subordination.”

Dale manifested, causing Ray Eurys to bow his face in a sign of submission.

“Nevertheless, I require you to fulfill an unavoidable condition.”

“What is it about?”

“Place under my custody the ringleaders of the insurrection who march under your command.”

Upon perceiving such a demand, the members of the Eurys lineage held their breath out of shock. Despite that, Ray Eurys, denoting that he already foresaw such an outcome, bowed his face showing total conformity.

On that day, the insurrection movement saw its definitive conclusion.

The ringleaders of the rebellion who stood firm by Ray Eurys’s side until the final moment desisted from their objectives and proceeded to prostrate themselves, while the remnants of the insurrection opted to disperse; however, such a retreat lacked real impact against the actions of the ‘Blue Spider Web’.

The actions of eliminating opponents were executed in an automated manner without the need for Dale to intervene directly, reaching their conclusion.

Having collapsed both the monarch and the rebel movement, it fell to the deity to assume the reins of absolute control over the population.

“Brother.”

His blood relative, Lize, uttered a voice to catch Dale’s attention, prompting him to turn his face. In that spot she stood, wearing her eyes covered by strips of dark cloth.

“Your Excellency… I mean, Uncle Dale…”

Standing beside the main figure of the Blue Tower, Yufi proceeded to pronounce his name exhibiting a marked hesitation. Almost instantaneously, he perceived that an internal phenomenon was developing within the young woman’s being.

“Miss Yufi.”

“You… you have noticed the matter, haven’t you?”

Yufi inquired, manifesting a clear unease. Nevertheless, her agitation was primarily tinged with modesty.

“Lady Lize has informed me that I possess suitable aptitudes for the wielding of mystical arts.”

“… My congratulations.”

“She assured me that it is a rather uncommon capability.”

“T-thank you very much, Lady Lize.”

Yufi was unable to hide her shyness and revealed a joyful expression. Faced with such declarations, Dale opted not to issue any comment temporarily and, after a brief period of meditation, expressed himself.

“I was a participant in a dream vision, Lize.”

“A dream vision?”

Having her visual capacity blocked by the dark blindfold, it was impossible to determine where her attention was directed.

“The times in which I was identified under the name of the Black Prince have returned,” he expressed.

Yufi moved her head to the side, devoid of the tools to fully comprehend the background of those declarations. Lize chose to remain silent.

“In the beginning, I supposed it was merely a nightmare. However, reality proved otherwise. Therefore, Lize, do you possess any knowledge or suspicion about the hidden meaning behind this event?”

Dale inquired, seeking to avoid exerting excessive coercion upon her person. Nevertheless, the alteration of mental processes and the state of wakefulness undoubtedly constituted a manifestation characteristic of the Blues.

“You made a formal commitment, Lize. The resignations and losses that are imposed unidirectionally only bring misfortune for all those involved.”

Dale pronounced, bringing to memory the day on which he established contact with Lize in the winter period of the cosmos.

“……”

Lize did not offer a reply immediately, although her muteness did not prolong itself too much.

“Grant me your absolution, brother.”

“There is no fault whatsoever that requires forgiveness.”

Dale replied, sketching a gesture of melancholy, at the same time as he held Lize tightly in his arms.

While proceeding to wrap his body around her, he tilted his face toward the ground.

In the midst of the dark zones created by his own physical silhouette, the “Black Prince” manifested a smile.