Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Genhuis City.r

Governor's Manor.r

Two gentleman sat in a large room with a rigid air revolving around them. From the looks of their faces alone, the contrast in detail – stern with slight wrinkles of fury against relaxed skin and a carefree smile, one could already discern that the topic being discussed called no small amount of tension.r

The guards and servants who had been stationed in this room had been extremely grateful to be excused as a glimpse of the proceedings had told them that the already unfriendly relationship between these two was going to shoot up several degree in that same dark direction.r

"Rearren, whatever it is that you are planning.... It ends now. The Premium Age Royale must be cancelled," the Governor made his case with aged wrinkles building on his forehead to support his stance visually.r

He finally made his move after some lengthy deliberation.r

The reason for this was partially because there was a building suspicion that he was made known to by his subordinates and partly due to the fact that there was civil unrest that he could already see on his own.r

Something ugly was taking hold.r

Rearren EverSword upon hearing this wore a deeper, less dignified smile while his eyes narrowed in amusement.r

"Why the sudden call to end the event of the century?" he asked calmly.r

"Don't play me for a fool, Rearren. I know full well that you walked through the doors to my manor expecting this. Cut the pretence!" the Governor shot.r

The EverSword House head took a moment before responding.r

"Fair enough. What has driven you to act finally? You have been against this since the beginning," he said.r

The Governor scoffed in disgust.r

"For you to act like you don't know that more than 10,000 people have died since the beginning of your little event is disturbing. Every single one of these people had the Control Seal you introduced for the Royale! You'd be a fool if you thought the world would chalk it up to a mere coincidence!"r

"People die everyday, common folk especially. Why should it mean something more profound when they just happen to have the seal? It's been a growing trend all over, has it not? There are tens of millions of excited people attending the Royale now," Rearren gave his answer with a low voice.r

The man seated opposite him clutched the bridge of his nose.r

Shameless!r

This wasn't denial! r

The Governor had wanted to believe that something else was at play but no.r

That didn't seem to be the case.r

He slumped back into his seat and kept his serious gaze on this man.r

"I know a little about Creeds, Rearren. Incandescent Stage monsters like you can impart strange conditions on anything in the world in exchange for restrictions. The Royale rules, the lavish venue and this seal. There are a lot of Creeds used to make this whole thing possible, right? I underestimated your goals. You're as conniving as I've imagined. Proud. Arrogant. But if you think I'll let these deaths go, you have another think coming."r

Rearren gave a short laugh.r

"Proud and arrogant? I'll take it. As for my goals, you couldn't possibly fathom what an idea from someone like me would look like. I am not preoccupied with mourning the deaths of defenceless commonfolk who die miserably by stumbling to a fall in the road or from catching a cold. Only someone like you would read too much into it," he said, his fist supporting his cheek on the armrest.r

"The Premium Age Royale will not stop. In fact, the second Preliminary Round will end quicker than the first since 97 individuals out of the 234 were disqualified. Before long, the true event will start and end before you know it. Why don't you be patient?"r

The past month and a half had seen a rapid progression in the Premium Age Royale. Some contenders died, some conceded and some were swallowed by others in more ways than one. r

By disqualified, Rearren moreso alluded to the last group, contenders taken forcefully taken out of the event by one woman than anything else.r

Vali Kinn.r

A lot of the lower level contenders had withdrawn because of the deals she had been offering which to Rearren wasn't exactly a problem since he wanted to weed out the weak with the Preliminaries anyway and the process was quickly ramping up.r

In the Royale, contenders who were disqualified would have the Control Seal removed and they could go about their lives normally, which stressed the fact that the combatants were safe.r

With 137 contenders left, some of them being Vali's thralls who would only be surrendering without a fight so that they could leave the Royale, the second Preliminary Round was going to be a dull 28 day stretch with a measly 10 match days.r

The same was not true for the witnesses though. They could not withdraw from participating and fulfilling their role, an aspect of this whole thing that made many suspicious... behind the fact that many of these witnesses were dying outside the event in ridiculous ways of course.r

"Patience? If you continue to be stubborn, I'll have to request the assistance of the Purity or the Royale Family. They wouldn't turn a blind eye to this," the Governor said with unyielding resolve.r

"Go ahead. No one is stopping you. My defence will be the exact same if I'm ever faced with them. Besides, the Control Seals are set to continue the routine transportation to the venue even without the intervention of the Game Master. I can't stop them. You'd have that to deal with that even if you rally sizable support," Rearren said while leisurely setting one leg on top of the other.r

The problem THAT MAN had told him to prepare for was finally rising, but he was sure, nothing would stop whatever was coming.r

***r

The Purity Headquarters.r

The triangular space situated in an undisclosed location once again welcomed the union of seven distinguished figures who sat behind seven small netted doors that were distributed at different heights on one wall.r

At this time, an unusual guest had visited, but without nearly as little tact as the last lute strumming guest.r

"Your request for an audience truly surprised us, Helda. A Diviner from the first generation of the Seer's Height like you need not walk the distance to speak to us," a voice came from the topmost door, directing a scarcely seen level of respect to the old woman standing in the middle of the room.r

"This matter is sensitive and in need of closed doors. Yet I feel you may already have an inkling of it," the old woman said.r

She was one of the seven Diviners in Genhuis. The oldest one of the Diviners of the Seer's Height, the same whom Ruhrees had asked for help when a Grand Priest was murdered in the Temple.r

"I have seen a treacherous chaos ahead. It is murky and thick. The array of colours and storms it will cause are... are greater than any of us can comprehend. The folds of the past will twist backwards and the opposite will also come to pass. I do not know what to make of it," she said with a distressed face that genuinely showed anxiety.r

"When your young Paladin came to me seeking assistance with the death of a mere priest, I thought you may have your backsides too relaxed so I came to warn and seek enlightenment myself. What do the Deities say of this? Have you heard?"r

A chilling silence crept within the hollow space after this old woman, Helda, had introduced her case.r

She was clearly disturbed.r

"We know."r

A reply came from the same voice that spoke last time.r

"Erlton the Reader beat you to it," another said.r

"He warned that a coming disaster that cannot he prevented will swallow the world but we are to sit on our hands. All of us. Those that do not know must remain in the dark until it comes to pass," another voice added.r

Helda frowned.r

"The Reader? He is not a bumbling fool after all?" she said quizzically. "Why must we not do anything?"r

Another silence ensued.r

This time, it was of hesitation.r

An unnerving answer then came.r

"Apparently, just as with the Ashing of Time spurned by Jiggorrhax the Abiding Madness, what is to come MUST happen and nothing can stop it."r