Azik gave a wry smile upon hearing the situation, then glanced at the skeletal undead standing by the Gate of the Underworld. After a moment's thought, he issued a command, ordering them to suppress any potential unrest within the Numinous Episcopate.
The skeletal undead promptly rose and set off to carry out their task.
Once most of the undead had departed, Azik closed the Gate of the Underworld and turned to the three youngsters. "Haiter and the undead should be enough to handle this area, but just to be safe, let's go take a look ourselves."
The three youngsters nodded eagerly. They had come to broaden their horizons and had no intention of staying cooped up in this room.
At that moment, Azik seemed to sense something and looked in a particular direction. "It's over…"
…
To be frank, among the Kings of Angels, Tolzna was neither the strongest nor the weakest.
While Lady Sia bore the grandiose title of Pale-White Empress, she was only a Sequence 1, and naturally, she couldn't overpower her opponent.
"Stop fighting... I surrender!"
After narrowly avoiding being turned into a rabbit yet again, Lady Sia spoke with a hint of frustration, finally choosing to abandon her stubborn resistance.
She wasn't foolish. Why would she continue a hopeless battle against an opponent she clearly couldn't defeat? What was the point?
However, Tolzna didn't cease his attacks. It wasn't that he doubted Lady Sia's sincerity in surrendering; rather, Alaric hadn't given him any orders to stop.
Tolzna was no reckless fool. His life depended on Alaric's aid, so he followed Alaric's commands to the letter, avoiding any actions that might displease him.
As for whether this made him seem undignified... did serving as a puppet for the Mother Goddess of Depravity grant him any more dignity?
At the very least, Alaric only required him to act as an enforcer, not coveting his body in any sense... unlike the Mother Goddess of Depravity, who demanded he bear children, sought his characteristics, and used his body as a vessel.
Moreover, Tolzna was acutely aware that someone capable of purging an Outer Deity's corruption and summoning figures from the past as effortlessly as eating or drinking was no ordinary being. Such a person was undoubtedly a great existence!
Aligning himself with someone like that promised a bright future. Why wouldn't he seize this opportunity? Did he want to end up toyed with by an Outer Deity again for lack of a powerful backer?
Tolzna had learned his lesson. He knew all too well that in this world, without a strong protector, even a King of Angels was merely a larger ant, easily manipulated by an Outer Deity.
"Damn it! I said I surrender…" Lady Sia's blood pressure spiked in that moment. Abandoning her queenly elegance, she unleashed a string of coarse Balam Empire expletives.
Alaric glanced at Tolzna with mild surprise. He could see through Tolzna's intentions, which made his reaction all the more intriguing.
After all, beings at the level of a King of Angels typically carried some degree of pride. Take Bethel or Roselle, for instance... both were grateful to Alaric and willing to follow his orders, given he held their lives in his hands, but they never stooped to such outright subservience.
Considering Tolzna's past experiences, however, Alaric understood. He chuckled, quite satisfied with Tolzna's actions. He then glanced at Lady Sia, who was dodging attacks in a disheveled state but no longer resisting. With a nod, he said, "Enough, Tolzna. Stand down."
Tolzna immediately ceased his assault and returned to stand quietly behind Alaric, like a lifeless puppet.
Yet Lady Sia knew he was still locked onto her. If she made any move to act, Tolzna would hammer her back into submission without hesitation.
This realization left her feeling sullen. Any lingering thoughts of defiance vanished completely. Sighing, she turned to Alaric, hesitated for a moment, then bowed deeply. "I am willing to pledge my loyalty to you, Your Excellency Lucifer." She said, lowering her head.
Lady Sia wasn't entirely sure of the man's true nature, but one thing was clear: anyone capable of making Tolzna obey like a loyal dog was no ordinary figure. He might even be the incarnation of a Sequence 0.
She also began to piece things together. No wonder the Church of the Evernight Goddess treated this man so cordially... perhaps they knew the extent of his true power.
However, Lady Sia hesitated before lifting her head, her tone resolute. "I don't know why you're aiding Lord Azik, but… if Azik cannot defeat me, I must respectfully refuse to serve him."
Lady Sia had her pride. Having reigned as the Pale-White Empress for so long, she could submit to a great existence, possibly a Sequence 0, but she would never bow to someone weaker than herself.
It was her pride and her principle.
"Even if it means facing death?" Alaric looked at her, a faint smile playing on his lips as he spoke.
Lady Sia's body stiffened, but she stubbornly raised her head. "Yes, Your Excellency. Rather than submitting to the weak, I would embrace death's call. I do not fear death... it is the ultimate destination for all."
Alaric studied her, and as her body grew increasingly rigid under his gaze, he suddenly chuckled, intrigued. "And what if I, too, am one of the weak you speak of?"
Lady Sia froze, confused by his words.
Alaric continued leisurely, "I'm just an ordinary Sequence 2, after all."
No lie there... Lucifer's identity was indeed set at Sequence 2, as Alaric, whose true self was Sequence 6, casually remarked.
Lady Sia seemed momentarily stunned. She glanced at Alaric, then at Tolzna standing quietly behind him like a guard, and said in disbelief, "That's impossible! If you're merely a Sequence 2, how could you make Tolzna submit to you…"
"Hmm, so why is that, I wonder?" Alaric smiled, his mischievous side surfacing. He glanced at Tolzna and asked with a grin, "Tolzna, care to tell her the answer?"
"..."
In that moment, Tolzna dearly wished he could give Lady Sia another thrashing for dragging him into this with her stubborn principles.
As for Alaric's claim of being an "ordinary Sequence 2." Tolzna took it as a jest. What kind of ordinary Sequence 2 could confront the Mother Tree of Desire or summon the Ancient Sun God?
Tolzna wasn't clueless. He had specifically consulted Reinette for intelligence and knew full well that even if Lucifer was currently a Sequence 2, it was merely a phase of recovery. Such situations weren't uncommon in this world.
Tolzna hesitated, unsure of how Alaric wanted him to respond. Was Alaric trying to conceal his true strength, or did he want Tolzna to use this opportunity to put Lady Sia in her place?
Tolzna's mind raced through the intelligence he had gathered. Then, he made his decision... Lucifer had always been flamboyant, never bothering to hide his uniqueness, so the right course of action was clear.
With that resolved, Tolzna first turned respectfully to Alaric and said, "Your will is my will."
***
Hi everyone, I hope you're all doing well. I just wanted to let you know that right now I'm working on a really good and promising fate fanfic. If you're interested in reading it, feel free to give it a try:
[Fate/Max Level Returner]
Synopsis:
What if you took your max-level account and replayed the entire story from the beginning?
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