ACT V
THE GLORY WARS
This marks the end of the Special update. The series will go on a regular schedule from the upcoming Monday. Hope you all enjoyed your time reading this.
Not remembering what happened, Hans moved forward, his strides wobbling. “What’s with my legs, it feels like I lifted a mountain or something…wait did I use ManaStorm?” Shaking the thoughts away, he stumbled upon spotting Delimira lying unconscious in the distance. "Get up, damn it!" he shouted. But Allynna, fuming with anger, charged at him misunderstanding that Hans was still not done with Deli.
Nevertheless, Hans, already tired of the events that had unfolded, lacked the energy to deal with her. "Step aside, shrimp," he retorted, halting her in her tracks. "This mess is all because of you. If you hadn't come here, everything would've been fine."
His countenance turned to the previous, reminding her of the time when Dijkstra cleaved his father's long-time Aide and concerned about the situation escalating further, Allynna's tone shifted from anger to pleading. "Please, stop. Don't hurt her. I'm begging you."
“What? Why would I hurt her, she needs healing, idiot move.” Hans thought, “What does she take me for? Why would I do something to her when she is passed out.” But her pleading continued, almost desperate, “Please, I’d do everything you want, just leave her alone.”
Hans was having a hard time understanding her words, he knew he had some bad reputation among juniors but her acting up this way was just painting him a sadist villain. “It's not like I did something excessive, right?”
“Then give that thing you are wearing.” Hans pointed at her pendant. It had been a birthday gift from her mother, yet to avoid witnessing the brutal scene once more, she impulsively took off the pendant. "Fine, take it, just leave her be," she muttered, flinging her necklace at him.
Hans smirked, oblivious to the severity of Delimira's condition. Meanwhile, Chris was on high alert, tending to Delimira. His expressions, however, alarmed Hans. “What is wrong with this idiot, she is just unconscious, a little more.. bloody, a bit grave wounds…No, this is an absurd amount of blood." Activating his Manavasion to the maximum, he observed that her mana breathing was still active. But her current state sent shivers down his spine. "Damn it, this is serious. I need to call Grandma..." He turned around, intending to reach his grandmother, only to encounter a massive hand that slapped him, sending him flying. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Rudolf's voice boomed as he struck.
As he rose to protest, he found Sierra's disappointed expression, and it weighed heavily on his heart. "Why is she looking at me like that?" Her disheartened gaze had the power to immobilize him. She turned her attention to her disciples, her features tense as her healing efforts began to yield some results. "She's in critical condition. Make way." Sierra gently picked Delimira up and vanished in an instant. The others departed, leaving Hans rooted in place. It wasn't that he didn't want to follow; his legs simply refused to move. "She's in critical condition... Ah," he muttered, his heart clenching, his breath quickening. "What is this? Ahh, it hurts."
"That's the weight of guilt, young descendant," Dietrich's voice came from beside him. Not surprised by his sudden appearance, Hans questioned what he did not understand, “Just what happened here?”
“You happened." Dietrich answered pointing to him, "You showed what a dangerous thing a Parvian can be. Nearly sending that girl to her death, foolish descendant.”
"No, there's got to be some way she got hurt... I can't recall... Ahh," he began to retch, and as the retching subsided, blood trickled from his nose. "What in the world... Ahh," a piercing ache shot through his nasal passage, right beneath his temples and between his eyes. Then a slithering creature exited from his nose.
| Parasite removal - Successful Conclusion - It is advised for the host to adapt to life without the parasite. Since the data retrieved from the parasite suggest it was to regulate certain emotions. |
“Did I really... ”Hans asked, questioning his actions, and Dietrich who was looking at him responded, nodding, “Yes, I counted, it was seventeen.”
“Seventeen, what?” Hans asked anxiously.
“Seventeen bloody punches, right at her face. She lost consciousness midway, but you didn’t stop. You have a nasty temper —”
“Then what were you doing not stopping me.” Has shouted, his anger directed squarely at Dietrich. However, having lived for so long, Dietrich had developed a thick skin. Since people keep wishing things from him or blaming him for not helping when things went difficult, “Meddling in others' business is a bad thing for them.”
“You should have stopped playing god for a bit. What if, what if I had killed her..." He stared at his trembling hands, his voice quivering, "She might have died… by my hands.”
“So you learned to feel guilty, now?” Dietrich asked him, curious and Hans answered, confused, “I don’t know, It's my first time feeling this, and this is a shitty feeling, damn it. How am I supposed to face her now.” Adding insult to his situation, Dietrich's tone became teasing, as he spoke, “Oh, I highly doubt she'll even want to see you after that, foolish descendant. But you used a magnificent trick, you called it what, three-step ManaStorm, yes? It was my second time, but it was impressive.”
"So that's what it was, no wonder my legs are still shaky. Damn it, I must have lost my mind. She could have actually died," he muttered, yanking at his hair while squatting down. However, he missed a detail which was dawning on him now, “I couldn’t see her unique mana. It used to show in very bright colours like a beacon, but now it just showed plain simple four-coloured mana.”
Turning to Dietrich, Hans hoped for answers, though the hermit's knowledge didn't extend to the technological advancements of his own nation. Still, his wisdom was as vast as his age, "Maybe it was due to that thing," he gestured at the thread-like creature, wriggling where it lay, and Hans activated SCAN on it.
| Reprogrammable tapeworm Installed instructions - None |
| Do you wish to see the archived data | |
| Yes | No |
“Yes,” he chose and the message changed.
| Converting the instructions into high-level language… Object–0073 will fully regulate the Host's emotions and help him make optimal decisions. The host of Object-0073 must never hurt and protect the host of Object-0093. The host of Object-0073 will receive an SOS whenever the Host of Object-0093's vitals reach critical values. The host of Object-0073 can track the Host of Object-0093 through radio waves. …. |
“Oh shit, she also has one in her.” Hans suddenly realised the identity of the second object's host. He proceeded to recount every detail from SCAN's results to Dietrich, leaving the hermit deep in thought. After a momentary silence, Dietrich voiced the same question Hans had been pondering, "Why? Why, indeed?"
"Yeah, that's the million gold question, great-grandfather. Any guesses on who could have implanted these things in our heads?" Hans asked, his tone laced with sarcasm. Dietrich played along, "Who else but another one of my foolish descendants."
“Yes," Hans said sighing, "My father. It seems he was dead set on me, never harming Deli and protecting her. Why? Was he indebted to Aredhel or did she die early —”
“Or maybe because of some preventive measures." Dietrich interrupted, relaying his thoughts, "Who knows you might have been the one to kill her off. I can’t deny the possibility after seeing your actions.”
“Ah, why did I go this far?” Hans said looking at his hands, his knuckles still smeared with her blood, “Shit this feeling again.”
“You never felt guilty, right?”
“No, if this is what guilt feels like, then I never want to feel this again.”
“Hmm, you never fail to amaze me. Well, it did say, this thing had helped you regulate your emotions. Feeling guilty, and empathy adds a disadvantage on a battlefield. This thing must have erased those emotions.”
Chris and the others arrived at the Medical Ward, entering the room to find Aredhel and Sierra gathered around the patient's bed. Sierra was diligently casting divine spells to aid in healing, while Aredhel nervously bit her nails. Vanir was taken aback by the presence of two deans on the duelling platform, but it wasn't hard to understand given that a second-year student was on the brink of death due to the incident. However, the fact that a Concordia Director was displaying such visible anxiety was a clear signal. "Don’t tell me, Senior Hans did that to a Director's daughter. Damn, it, just don't end up expelled, senior. You still need to fulfil that promise," he muttered under his breath.
directed his questions towards the bystanders. "What the hell happened? Explain it now." Allynna promptly began narrating the incident, with Chris filling in the details she missed. However, their account didn't make sense of Hans's actions; they knew him well enough to know he wouldn't do something like this. Frustrated with the incomplete explanation, Rudolf turned his attention to Vanir, his tone intimidating. "You're the kid that brat keeps around, right? Tell me the things that these two missed.”
But nothing came out of Vanir's mouth except an apology, "But when did it become a minions job to apologise for his lord, damn it, my lunatic senior," he kept apologising on behalf of Hans from Rudolf, “Senior Hans must have reasons,” he pleaded, bowing respectfully. "I admit he went too far in the duel, but please, find it in your heart to forgive him."
"Forgive?" Chris erupted, seizing Vanir's collar as he gestured towards Delimira. "Can't you see her? She is hardly breathing,” he directed, his finger stabbing at the bed. "It was a duel, not a fight to the death. He should have known when to stop. Damn it." Fuming, he stormed out of the room. And observing Chris's intense reaction, Rudolf mirrored his sentiments. he intimidated Vanir more and demanded, “Reasonse you say. Now, I wanna know that fucking reason, bring him here, now?” AnnouncementNEXT : THE FUCKING REASON
ACT V
THE GLORY WARS
This marks the end of the Special update. The series will go on a regular schedule from the upcoming Monday. Hope you all enjoyed your time reading this.
Not remembering what happened, Hans moved forward, his strides wobbling. “What’s with my legs, it feels like I lifted a mountain or something…wait did I use ManaStorm?” Shaking the thoughts away, he stumbled upon spotting Delimira lying unconscious in the distance. "Get up, damn it!" he shouted. But Allynna, fuming with anger, charged at him misunderstanding that Hans was still not done with Deli.
Nevertheless, Hans, already tired of the events that had unfolded, lacked the energy to deal with her. "Step aside, shrimp," he retorted, halting her in her tracks. "This mess is all because of you. If you hadn't come here, everything would've been fine."
His countenance turned to the previous, reminding her of the time when Dijkstra cleaved his father's long-time Aide and concerned about the situation escalating further, Allynna's tone shifted from anger to pleading. "Please, stop. Don't hurt her. I'm begging you."
“What? Why would I hurt her, she needs healing, idiot move.” Hans thought, “What does she take me for? Why would I do something to her when she is passed out.” But her pleading continued, almost desperate, “Please, I’d do everything you want, just leave her alone.”
Hans was having a hard time understanding her words, he knew he had some bad reputation among juniors but her acting up this way was just painting him a sadist villain. “It's not like I did something excessive, right?”
“Then give that thing you are wearing.” Hans pointed at her pendant. It had been a birthday gift from her mother, yet to avoid witnessing the brutal scene once more, she impulsively took off the pendant. "Fine, take it, just leave her be," she muttered, flinging her necklace at him.
Hans smirked, oblivious to the severity of Delimira's condition. Meanwhile, Chris was on high alert, tending to Delimira. His expressions, however, alarmed Hans. “What is wrong with this idiot, she is just unconscious, a little more.. bloody, a bit grave wounds…No, this is an absurd amount of blood." Activating his Manavasion to the maximum, he observed that her mana breathing was still active. But her current state sent shivers down his spine. "Damn it, this is serious. I need to call Grandma..." He turned around, intending to reach his grandmother, only to encounter a massive hand that slapped him, sending him flying. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Rudolf's voice boomed as he struck.
As he rose to protest, he found Sierra's disappointed expression, and it weighed heavily on his heart. "Why is she looking at me like that?" Her disheartened gaze had the power to immobilize him. She turned her attention to her disciples, her features tense as her healing efforts began to yield some results. "She's in critical condition. Make way." Sierra gently picked Delimira up and vanished in an instant. The others departed, leaving Hans rooted in place. It wasn't that he didn't want to follow; his legs simply refused to move. "She's in critical condition... Ah," he muttered, his heart clenching, his breath quickening. "What is this? Ahh, it hurts."
"That's the weight of guilt, young descendant," Dietrich's voice came from beside him. Not surprised by his sudden appearance, Hans questioned what he did not understand, “Just what happened here?”
“You happened." Dietrich answered pointing to him, "You showed what a dangerous thing a Parvian can be. Nearly sending that girl to her death, foolish descendant.”
"No, there's got to be some way she got hurt... I can't recall... Ahh," he began to retch, and as the retching subsided, blood trickled from his nose. "What in the world... Ahh," a piercing ache shot through his nasal passage, right beneath his temples and between his eyes. Then a slithering creature exited from his nose.
| Parasite removal - Successful Conclusion - It is advised for the host to adapt to life without the parasite. Since the data retrieved from the parasite suggest it was to regulate certain emotions. |
“Did I really... ”Hans asked, questioning his actions, and Dietrich who was looking at him responded, nodding, “Yes, I counted, it was seventeen.”
“Seventeen, what?” Hans asked anxiously.
“Seventeen bloody punches, right at her face. She lost consciousness midway, but you didn’t stop. You have a nasty temper —”
“Then what were you doing not stopping me.” Has shouted, his anger directed squarely at Dietrich. However, having lived for so long, Dietrich had developed a thick skin. Since people keep wishing things from him or blaming him for not helping when things went difficult, “Meddling in others' business is a bad thing for them.”
“You should have stopped playing god for a bit. What if, what if I had killed her..." He stared at his trembling hands, his voice quivering, "She might have died… by my hands.”
“So you learned to feel guilty, now?” Dietrich asked him, curious and Hans answered, confused, “I don’t know, It's my first time feeling this, and this is a shitty feeling, damn it. How am I supposed to face her now.” Adding insult to his situation, Dietrich's tone became teasing, as he spoke, “Oh, I highly doubt she'll even want to see you after that, foolish descendant. But you used a magnificent trick, you called it what, three-step ManaStorm, yes? It was my second time, but it was impressive.”
"So that's what it was, no wonder my legs are still shaky. Damn it, I must have lost my mind. She could have actually died," he muttered, yanking at his hair while squatting down. However, he missed a detail which was dawning on him now, “I couldn’t see her unique mana. It used to show in very bright colours like a beacon, but now it just showed plain simple four-coloured mana.”
Turning to Dietrich, Hans hoped for answers, though the hermit's knowledge didn't extend to the technological advancements of his own nation. Still, his wisdom was as vast as his age, "Maybe it was due to that thing," he gestured at the thread-like creature, wriggling where it lay, and Hans activated SCAN on it.
| Reprogrammable tapeworm Installed instructions - None |
| Do you wish to see the archived data | |
| Yes | No |
“Yes,” he chose and the message changed.
| Converting the instructions into high-level language… Object–0073 will fully regulate the Host's emotions and help him make optimal decisions. The host of Object-0073 must never hurt and protect the host of Object-0093. The host of Object-0073 will receive an SOS whenever the Host of Object-0093's vitals reach critical values. The host of Object-0073 can track the Host of Object-0093 through radio waves. …. |
“Oh shit, she also has one in her.” Hans suddenly realised the identity of the second object's host. He proceeded to recount every detail from SCAN's results to Dietrich, leaving the hermit deep in thought. After a momentary silence, Dietrich voiced the same question Hans had been pondering, "Why? Why, indeed?"
"Yeah, that's the million gold question, great-grandfather. Any guesses on who could have implanted these things in our heads?" Hans asked, his tone laced with sarcasm. Dietrich played along, "Who else but another one of my foolish descendants."
“Yes," Hans said sighing, "My father. It seems he was dead set on me, never harming Deli and protecting her. Why? Was he indebted to Aredhel or did she die early —”
“Or maybe because of some preventive measures." Dietrich interrupted, relaying his thoughts, "Who knows you might have been the one to kill her off. I can’t deny the possibility after seeing your actions.”
“Ah, why did I go this far?” Hans said looking at his hands, his knuckles still smeared with her blood, “Shit this feeling again.”
“You never felt guilty, right?”
“No, if this is what guilt feels like, then I never want to feel this again.”
“Hmm, you never fail to amaze me. Well, it did say, this thing had helped you regulate your emotions. Feeling guilty, and empathy adds a disadvantage on a battlefield. This thing must have erased those emotions.”
Chris and the others arrived at the Medical Ward, entering the room to find Aredhel and Sierra gathered around the patient's bed. Sierra was diligently casting divine spells to aid in healing, while Aredhel nervously bit her nails. Vanir was taken aback by the presence of two deans on the duelling platform, but it wasn't hard to understand given that a second-year student was on the brink of death due to the incident. However, the fact that a Concordia Director was displaying such visible anxiety was a clear signal. "Don’t tell me, Senior Hans did that to a Director's daughter. Damn, it, just don't end up expelled, senior. You still need to fulfil that promise," he muttered under his breath.
directed his questions towards the bystanders. "What the hell happened? Explain it now." Allynna promptly began narrating the incident, with Chris filling in the details she missed. However, their account didn't make sense of Hans's actions; they knew him well enough to know he wouldn't do something like this. Frustrated with the incomplete explanation, Rudolf turned his attention to Vanir, his tone intimidating. "You're the kid that brat keeps around, right? Tell me the things that these two missed.”
But nothing came out of Vanir's mouth except an apology, "But when did it become a minions job to apologise for his lord, damn it, my lunatic senior," he kept apologising on behalf of Hans from Rudolf, “Senior Hans must have reasons,” he pleaded, bowing respectfully. "I admit he went too far in the duel, but please, find it in your heart to forgive him."
"Forgive?" Chris erupted, seizing Vanir's collar as he gestured towards Delimira. "Can't you see her? She is hardly breathing,” he directed, his finger stabbing at the bed. "It was a duel, not a fight to the death. He should have known when to stop. Damn it." Fuming, he stormed out of the room. And observing Chris's intense reaction, Rudolf mirrored his sentiments. he intimidated Vanir more and demanded, “Reasonse you say. Now, I wanna know that fucking reason, bring him here, now?” AnnouncementNEXT : THE FUCKING REASON
