Despite the clear hierarchical relationship, he acts as if it doesnât exist.
"White King, caw. I detest wordplay, caw. If you try to manipulate me, I have no reason to be here, caw."
Such a position of power.
Such a decree from the White King.
If itâs not equal, I donât need any of it.
I clearly declared that I cannot work with someone who only plays word games.
The White Kingâs mask trembled.
"......So, if I play word games, youâll kill me? The White King?"
He laughed as if it were absurd.
But it was a laugh filled with murderous intent.
Who would openly declare they would kill someone?
Especially in front of the White King.
It was as if he was lecturing, telling him to stop playing word games and treat him properly.
The White King had never encountered someone like this, and he was at a loss.
It was truly a baffling situation.
The situation was escalating to an extreme.
However, the more it did,
the more relaxed I became.
I shrugged and lowered my hand.
The water was already spilled, and there was no intention to blame each other, so all that was left was to pour more water.
How to pour it again.
Who would pour it.
That was the issue to be decided now.
"Sit on the throne, White King, caw."
Sit on the throne.
On the seat prepared for you in the White Kingâs hall.
When I said this, the Four Seasons and the White King showed a puzzled expression.
Wasnât asking him to sit on the throne an acknowledgment of his kingship?
The highest seat prepared here.
Was I offering to become a vassal?
At that moment.
['Using the Throne of Ominous Light.']
['When you sit on the Throne of Ominous Light, everything around you will be projected as an ominous form.']
['Using the Ultimate Omen (Lv10) will eliminate the prefix.']
To have a proper conversation, we needed to sit at the same table.
The White King at the White Kingâs seat.
"I will sit in my seat, caw."
I will sit in mine.
Now, letâs decide.
Who will pour the water into the cup again.
'Not as splendid as a grand prefix, but in this situation, itâs not bad.'
I slowly sat down.
The Throne of Ominous Light.
The prefix of the Throne of Light varies greatly depending on the offering.
The 'Ominous' prefix was obtained by offering two 'Ultimate Iron Swords.'
Weapons that would become unnecessary once I entered the Practitionerâs Mountain and improved my skills.
It was fortunate that I had already set it up.
When I finally sat down, the Four Seasonsâ eyes began to tremble.
"Ah......!"
Medusaâs reaction was particularly dramatic.
Blinded by all her eyes, she couldnât see the front.
But that allowed her to grasp the 'essence' more precisely.
Confronted with a form of pure ominousness, she couldnât help but groan.
The Great Earth Dragon, the Four Kings, and the Palace Guards were also looking on in confusion.
All the Four Seasons reacted to the Throne of Ominous Light.
Then, what about the White King?
At that moment.
"Stop it."
Someone intervened.
Dividing the space between the White King and me exactly in half.
The one who appeared was the Black King.
He stood between the White King and me, mediating.
The Black King told me to stop and then looked at the White King.
"I will understand the intentions of the Black King. Also, White King, you must recognize that the Five Seasons is different from the other Seasons. Unlike us, he has not received any 'favor' from you, has he?"
The Seasons who follow the White King have received great favors from him.
But the Five Seasons is different.
The Five Seasons has never received any favor from the White King, not even the 'city' that was supposed to be given as a gift.
Instead, he seized his own city.
The Abyss Labyrinth.
The land of the fallen empire, where the Sword City of Riley sank!
Therefore, itâs equal.
He cannot be forced.
The Black King looked at me again.
"And Five Seasons, you should stop too. Accepting the position of a Season, not a Guardian, was ultimately your decision. If you turn all of us into enemies now, it will be difficult for you as well."
Thatâs true.
Thereâs no way to return to the Guardians now.
If I did, the Giant of Evil would not stand idly by.
If I made Kramdel an enemy here, the whole world would be against me.
'What is he doing?'
At the same time, a red line appeared in the Black Kingâs hollow right skull eye.
The red line, visible only to me, formed a ^ symbol.
'......A wink?'
Is he winking at me now?
The Black King continued to speak in that state.
"I understand the Five Seasonsâ feelings, but your words clearly crossed the line. You know that if we push each other to the extreme, we will inevitably clash. Do you really want a war? Didnât you want a genuine 'equality,' not just wordplay?"
That was also true.
Calling me around and forcing me to do things is far from an equal relationship.
Moreover, the one who intervened was the Black King.
Personally, I wanted to maintain a good relationship with the Black King.
However,
"This is the minimum condition for me to be a Season, caw. I donât need an unequal position, caw."
I emphasized it again.
When I first became a Season, various circumstances led to me not properly addressing this issue, but I was determined not to back down until this condition was clearly established.
Thus, I passed the ball to the White King.
Equal. I donât ask for anything more.
So, White King, what do you think?
Do you agree to place me on the same level as you?
"......You are truly a fearless one."
This was the first time he had encountered someone who pushed so recklessly without any backup.
Itâs because he has confidence in his own status, but thatâs not all.
This guy is just like this.
Fearless and always challenging anything that stands in his way.
Whether itâs the White King or even a god, he would act the same.
Where did such a crazy crow come from?
If he was just crazy, I would have killed him a hundred times already, but his unpredictable ominousness makes him particularly difficult to deal with.
"I admire your boldness. But there wonât be a second time."
So, the White King took a step back.
Admiring his consistent boldness, he was willing to forgive the over-the-line statement once.
Since the mistake in the inconsistency of his words was clearly his own.
But there wonât be a second time.
This is the last chance.
'Iâm alive.'
I sighed deeply in relief.
This is not bad.
No, itâs very good.
'Really, a ten-year penalty.'
Just being alive is a success.
If the Black King hadnât intervened, it would have been the end.
Maybe my bluff was a bit too much.
And if it had ended, the result would have been obvious.
At best, I would have destroyed one mystery and my body would have been split in two.
It was fortunate that the Black King intervened.
Thatâs why I canât dislike the Black King.
Although the wink was a bit much.
"Alright, caw. Now we are finally ready to 'talk,' caw."
"......Five Seasons."
The Black King pressed, as if scolding me for ruining the reconciliation.
He was asking if I wanted to ruin the atmosphere again.
But now, itâs fine.
Being on equal footing means we can also make deals beyond equality.
"White King, caw. If I find your lost 'canine tooth,' what will you give me, caw?"
The formalities are over, now letâs talk about what we actually need.
The lost canine tooth.
What will you give me if I find it for you?
"......Even though I said there wonât be a second time, youâre still making interesting statements."
The White Kingâs eyes turned back to me.
As if asking what kind of provocation this was.
Telling me not to make another mistake.
However, it was a fact known to all players.
It was openly displayed in the Golden Rule Shop.
As one of Wilhelmâs trophies.
Of course, it requires a thousand-hour fragment, but depending on the reward offered by the White King, it might be worth considering a purchase.
'The complete Golden Rule.'
I had the complete Golden Rule.
A completely different, perfect Golden Rule from the broken fragments!
The Practitionerâs Mountain
After Randolph left the White Kingâs hall.
The White Kingâs hall was quieter than usual.
It felt like the world after a fierce storm.
A strange, calm atmosphere flowed, despite the mess.
'Strange.'
The White King, sitting on the throne, rested his chin and recalled the recent storm.
The crazy crow, the Five Seasons Randolph.
After he left, the White Kingâs mind was in turmoil.
Strange.
Unpredictable.
This was the first time someone other than 'him' fit the word 'strange' so well.
'Knight King Wilhelm. He was like that too.'
They are clearly different.
Wilhelm is human, and the Five Seasons is a corpse crow.
Their abilities and characteristics are entirely different.
However, they share a common trait.
They possess something that surpasses the White Kingâs 'intuition.'
They are beings with an indescribable and unpredictable ominousness.
'But he is different from him. This feeling is new.'
The White King felt an emotion he never experienced even when dealing with Wilhelm.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldnât understand what this feeling was.
After a long time of tapping his temples, he finally realized.
'......He is reading me. Thatâs why I felt this way.'
Wilhelm didnât understand him.
But Randolph acts as if he knows him.
The Five Seasons, that crazy crow, sees through him.
-......Impolite, caw.
At their first meeting, Randolph 'read' a 'skill.' Realizing he was using an observation-type skill, Randolph talked about 'etiquette' with a serious face.
At that point, he thought Randolph was just 'interesting.'
Randolphâs ability to destroy mysteries was only a slight cause for concern.
However, what Randolph showed today shattered all his first impressions.
Itâs not just about skills.
He sees through everything.
Even whatâs behind the mask.
He must see through even deeper aspects.
The threat to kill him if he played tricks.
He said he would let it slide once, but.
'Was I......tense?'
Perhaps it wasnât just a bluff.
Baalâs aura and the Throne of Light.
Those two things alone were enough to surprise him, but if they were just the tip of the iceberg?
So, he instinctively tensed up.
At the endless possibilities of this guy.
A new kind of tension.
"Ha ha ha!"
Realizing the nature of this strangeness, the White King burst into laughter.
'Interesting.'
How long has it been since he felt such tension towards someone?
Even Wilhelm was ultimately within the realm of his 'intuition.'
The overwhelming and bizarre power that could crush him was thrilling, but Wilhelm couldnât kill him.
However, Randolph is outside the realm of 'intuition.'
Not ominously ominous, not obviously strong.
Yet, he might be the only one who could kill him.
'The only one who can kill me.'
Thatâs why he reacted so strongly to the threat of being killed.
Unpredictable.
The crazy crow, who could go anywhere,
instinctively realized he might be the only one who could kill him.
Itâs a feeling he had never experienced.
Seeing through him, surpassing the realm of intuition, and directly hinting at death.
"White King......?"
The Great Earth Dragon, who remained in the White Kingâs hall, was puzzled by the sudden laughter.
The White King, wiping away his smile, asked the Great Earth Dragon.
"Great Earth Dragon. What do you think of the Five Seasons?"
"He will cause trouble someday. We need to take action before that happens."
"I agree. We need to take action."
The Great Earth Dragon had a strong animosity towards the Five Seasons.
A crazy crow who doesnât know his place and causes trouble.
A nuisance that wouldnât be enough to swallow in one bite.
The White King nodded at the Great Earth Dragon, who openly showed his emotions.
"I will connect the warp to the Labyrinth City and officially declare it in the name of the White King. And I will accept the Five Seasonsâ deal."
"Wh, White King? What are you saying?"
The Great Earth Dragon was shocked.
Was this the kind of action he meant by 'taking action'?
He couldnât understand at all.
But the White King was resolute.
"If we leave him alone, he will soon become an enemy. We need to give him a 'favor' beforehand, as the Black King said."
"I will kill him myself if he becomes an enemy."
"Be careful. I donât want to lose you."
"......Are you saying I will lose?"
"Yes."
The Great Earth Dragonâs expression twisted at the White Kingâs confident words.