Chapter 11: The Winged Scout

A table suspended among the stars served as the meeting place of beings known as the Primordial's Council.

They were a group of supreme gods tasked with safeguarding harmony across the many worlds within the reach of the Divine Order.

Though at that moment, only two figures were present, watching an image manifested in the endless cosmos.

Their attention was fixed on one world in particular, one that had only just begun to bloom.

"Zorovan, to think that the world whose festival you're overseeing on a mere whim would gather so much potential..."

"Hmph, having an excuse to visit my granddaughter is no whim. It's a way of life."

"Hahaha, for someone with hundreds of children and grandchildren, you've always doted on Lirien to an absurd degree," said a hooded god, his face hidden in shadow. "Though I suppose that's only natural, considering she's a goddess of life like her grandfather, and even more talented."

"Ha! As if you knew my limits," the old man snorted. "But speaking of talent and potential... Mevis, you once shared dominion over the realm of death before ascending as a supreme god. What do you make of him?"

"I assume you mean the mysterious guest... Honestly, I have no idea what the primordial god is thinking."

Mevis stared into the void above them for a moment before lowering his gaze again.

"If I had to sum him up in one word, it would be extraordinary. Those skeletal soldiers were not normal." Mevis leaned back in his seat and clasped his hands over his chest. "It was as if the most skilled fighters among the fallen had competed with one another for the chance to be summoned by him."

"I see..." Zorovan murmured, stroking his beard.

"Even so, if you're worried about your granddaughter's rival, it still isn't decided," Mevis continued. "Our mysterious guest has shown unprecedented potential in mastering death... but there is another candidate who seems to walk with death itself."

The image they were watching shifted and now showed a girl with hair the color of blood wreaking havoc across a shattered battlefield.

It looked as though she had taken on an alliance of factions by herself, and only a pair of demigods remained, fleeing for their lives... and they, too, were soon reaped.

***

"Ah... blue sky, fresh wind, the scent of flowers, and not a single skeleton wandering around me. What more could I ask for?"

Reclining on the green grass of the field, Nerez took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"Didn't you say we were completely exposed out here in the open?" Vilkie asked, standing beside him. "Just look at what happened to the group we defeated a moment ago..."

"Relax, didn't you see I sent a few skeletons to watch the perimeter?" Nerez replied, waving her aside so she would stop casting a shadow over him. "Those are still active. It's important to rest once in a while. The stress of constant battles is going to catch up with you."

"You still have skeletons summoned? I thought you'd stopped using that skill because it consumed too much spiritual energy..."

"What? Ah, no, actually, I didn't notice the drain, now that you mention it... I should probably pay attention next time."

"That alone tells me your reserves are impressive," Aren said. "Vilkie, how high do you think they are?"

"At least fifty thousand..."

"I'd say even more," Aren added, one hand on his chin.

"But even if he didn't lose his spiritual energy when he died, he's still human..." Vilkie replied, copying his thoughtful pose. "Don't tell me more than a hundred thousand?! Impossible! Not even Lirien should have that much, and she's already a goddess!"

"All right, that's enough! Keep it up and I'll leave you two here alone!"

Nerez frowned and pushed himself up off the grass, a few leaves stuck in his hair, which Aren and Vilkie quickly removed in apology.

"What I want to know is how long this battle royale is going to last! Nobody ever says anything! I want to file a complaint with the organizer!"

"I heard some demigods complaining that Zorovan talked too much," Aren argued, laughing. "In any case, it could last a day, or maybe even weeks. It depends on how quickly the number of participants drops..."

"Weeks?! Ugh, we're going to have to find somewhere to camp..."

"Near a river or something?" Vilkie asked. "Safe drinking water is important."

"Near a river? In the exact place where every other participant would go looking for us? What's next? Start a campfire at night so everyone knows where we are?"

"Sorry... you're right."

"No... I'm sorry. I keep forgetting you're still a child," Nerez said with a sigh, hands on his hips.

"I'm nearly two hundred..." Vilkie murmured to herself.

"Sorry, Nerez, we only have experience fighting on battlefields," Aren apologized. "We've never gone through anything like this competition."

"This isn't the first time I've heard you say something like that. Why have you been in so many battles? Didn't you have gods among your relatives? I imagine even your clan's founder is still alive, considering he himself is a god."

"Conflict is one of the ways gods gain more power and influence," Aren explained. "Though our world already has an overgod, which makes disputes over gaining more territory and expanding one's control much more complicated."

"That's why our clan decided we'd have better odds if the two of us tried our luck in a new world," Vilkie added.

"I shouldn't have asked... it sounds like my problems won't end after this damned Festival of the Gods."

"Relax, Nerez, we'll be there to help you. That's what allies do," Aren assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"The god of the library doesn't need allies... only peace and quiet."

"But whether it's to find a place to set up a base, or to get a better grasp of what's going on around us, I think it's my turn," Vilkie said, placing a hand on her chest.

She stretched that same hand out, and a brilliant light flared beside her.

From it emerged a majestic winged steed.

"A pegasus?"

"It's my Eidolon," Vilkie said proudly. "Bet you weren't expecting a living creature."

"Aren't Eidolons supposed to be reflections of the soul or something like that? So this whole time... were you a horse?"

"I'm not a horse!"

"Hahaha, it just means Vilkie has a free soul," Aren explained, though he could barely hold back his laughter.

"That's why the first Skill my Eidolon got is fly," Vilkie added, cheeks puffed up in annoyance.

"Your pegasus needs a Skill to fly with wings that huge?"

"You said it yourself, Eidolons are reflections of our souls," Vilkie replied, stroking the horse. "In other words, the Skill is for me, and it manifests through the pegasus's wings."

"I think I get it... Still, I'm not sure I like the idea of sending you out alone to scout the terrain. Can't Aren go with you?"

"I'm not a little girl... how many battles do you think I've been in?" Vilkie protested. "It's true I only recently became able to summon my Eidolon, but it's not like it's my first time either."

"All right, but if you see anything dangerous, come right back. If you can't listen to me, this alliance is over."

Vilkie glanced at Aren, and he gave a small nod.

"Fine, but don't go defeating too many enemies while I'm gone, or the Divine Order is going to ignore me!"

The girl mounted her winged horse and took off into the sky.

"We should move too, at least for now. I have the skeletons keeping watch, but at the end of the day, they're still just skeletons..."

The two of them headed for the shade of the trees while Vilkie disappeared into the distance.

But beyond whatever they might run into next, something else was weighing on Nerez's mind...

"I didn't know raising your skills' proficiency was how you unlocked new ones. Seriously, no one explains anything in this place..."

Walking beside Aren, Nerez muttered to himself while checking his Godscript.

"On top of that, they give me a choice, but this Godscript, or rather the Divine Order it's connected to, can't be bothered to show me anything but the names..."

Nerez let out one of those weary sighs Aren had already grown used to; the demigod simply smiled beside him.

"How am I supposed to choose like this?"

[Death's Touch]

[Soulwarden]

[Ferryman's Due]

***

A couple of kilometers farther ahead, in the same direction Vilkie had taken, stood a tall, handsome man accompanied by a girl whose hair reflected the sunlight.

The two of them stood facing a girl with twintails as red as blood, her lance resting on her shoulder.

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