Mad God

"Everything went smoothly on our part," Ariana said, finishing her report while Ren was sitting in the throne room of the Spire. 01 and 02 were kneeling before her, refusing to stand up and leave, just waiting there for half an hour by now. "A few golden armored men showed up while the battle was ongoing, but we created too much chaos... So they were unable to stop damaging the formation," Ariana explained the destruction of the courtyard of the Nelvis family. For the people of Rozex, it seemed like the whole family was eradicated, but in reality, all the injured or "dead" that were brought away were inside the Spire of Ren, getting ready for the real battle.

"They will probably be more of a hindrance next time. Follow through with the plan! We need to demolish some other buildings too. If we attack only key points, they are going to catch on." Ren said, leaning to her right side, "Expect them to show up even then. If they don't want to look too suspicious, they have to! Take that opportunity to kill them all."

"Are you sure, Master?" Ariana asked but without any fear in her voice.

"Yes. No need to hold back. And you two!" She turned towards 01 and 02.

"Yes!" both of them answered simultaneously with lowered heads.

"Why are you still kneeling? You should go back to Veponia already!" She said with a smile and a soft sigh.

"Please don't send us away, Master!" kowtowed both of them, and before Ren could answer, the door to the room opened as Seya walked in, with Veponia in tow, looking gravely pale and nervous.

"Your Majesty…" Seya looked around with uncertainty. "She just came and said it is most important that she-"

"Please!" Veponia rushed forward, also kneeling beside the two. "Don't abandon them!"

"Huh?" Ren blinked her eyes, leaving her mouth agape a little as she was not expecting her to say something like this.

"They told me a lot about what it was like being under the command of Rudrick… and what it was being your servant afterward! The differences in their tone spoke for themselves!"

"We are happy to be your servants!" 01 and 02 answered at the same time with strong convictions in their voices.

"Haahh… and here I thought you would be happy to regain your names! Did you forget? I tortured you, stripped you both from your given names…." Ren said as she leaned on the back of her hand, watching the duo as they raised their heads.

"We were your enemies to start with, Master! We hold no grudges!" 01 answered, not tearing his eyes away.

"And our old names were given to us by the family of Rudrick! We were still just branch family servants, nothing more, only with a bit more talent than others, so we were given the opportunity to cultivate." 02 continued, "Since the day we were called 01 and 02, we are much more content than ever before!"

"Yes! Please, let us stay!" both of them kowtowed once again.

"What about Veponia?" Ariana asked suddenly, already knowing about what had happened to them.

"It was my selfish request to repay them a little, nothing more!" the head of the Brightseed family replied immediately.

"Liar." Ariana shook her head while everyone flinched, especially Veponia.

"My disciple can feel if you lie." Ren smiled, making her lower her head even further, looking really ashamed. 01 and 02, on the other hand, looked at each other, not really understanding it as it was really her who asked them to show her how real sex feels. Her figure was something that everyone would be proud of, and the way she asked and looked at them was something they were unable to reject. Not to mention it was both of their best two hours. Ever.

"You like them. I don't know if it's love yet… but you do like them," Ariana said once again, still looking at Vepoina. "I feel your yearning. It was a selfish request in a way, yes… but it was more than that."

"Huh?" 01 and 02 looked at her, feeling really funny and weird but still somewhat happy, hearing Ariana's words.

"Stop grinning like two old leechers, dumb dumbs!" Ren reprimanded them with a twitching eyelid.

"Sorry!" they murmured as they lowered their heads with panic.

"Now, what should I do with you? Haaahhh…" Ren moaned, massaging her head. "I was about to release you two and let you live here! I even entertained the idea that you two should take over the Spire of Corvux and establish your own line." she shook her head, but what was even more astonishing was the quick reply from 01 and 02.

"We would still choose to follow you, Master!" both of them said at the same time.

"Now what…" Ren pursed her lips, looking at Veponia, then Ariana, who shook her head. "My next choice would be you, Veponia, but…."

"I humbly refuse, Your Majesty!" she looked up at her with a newfound light in her blue eyes.

"This is why I said, 'but.' You are going to refuse." Ren nodded at her. "I can see you want to say something! Shoot!"

"They told me about your other servants… I… I have a selfish request!"

"Don't hold back." Ren smiled, already guessing what was coming next.

"Please let me be 05!" Veponia kowtowed towards her, making 01 and 02 raise their heads, almost choking on their saliva.

"Somehow, I had a hunch that this was coming!" She tapped on the armrest while Ariana just chuckled beside her. "Are you really ready to forgo your own name? Being my servant is not always easy!"

"My name was given to me by Corvux. I have zero attachment to it! Same for my… 'family.' I have nothing that ties me to Rozex, only memories of being a thing and not a woman. Certainly not a human being! Being your servant would be my choice, my wish, made as a human!"

"Haaaah, okay, okay! If you put it that way, I can't say no, can I?" Ren laughed, shaking her head "01, 02!"

"Yes!" both of them rose with a lively expression. "Brief 05 here about my rules, then escort her back to the Brightseed courtyard. Until everything settles down, you need to see to the family's reconstruction and continue as the family head. When everything settles down, you can follow me."

"Thank you, Master!" Veponia bowed with true happiness on her face. As they were leaving, both Ariana and Ren could hear 01 and 02 address her as Veponia, then being scolded with a sharp tone as they should refer to her from now on strictly as 05. After they finally addressed her as such, she grabbed onto their arms, laughing, walking between the two like a happy, little lovestruck teen.

…
….
…..

Malevick, sitting atop his throne that constantly siphoned his energy and lifeforce, feeding the formation under Rozex, looked greatly troubled for the first time. It was close to dawn, and while he watched the soon-rising sun's first rays shine above the horizon, his thoughts couldn't return to calmness.

"Do they know about it? If not possible… then they should already be sending people away. Or join hands in eliminating us." He murmured, completely confused as to what was going on. "But they are ganging up on us…." He leaned from one side to the other as any time his men showed up, they were eliminated. "Maybe this is a ploy to draw me out? Maybe they are not in the know and are trying to draw me out with this? To kill us off? Mmm… it would be a sound plan which I would agree with…." Malevick groaned softly, his hands already shaking from frustration. "I can't leave by now. It is too late for that!" he looked down on the throne, which was already his prison, as the formation's powering went above the 90% completion mark. "The others are only flies swatted down by her."

He was not wrong, as most of the golden soldiers' strength came from the armor they wore, made by Zelig, imbued with his own powers. Most of them were not even in the Harmony realm. They could stand up to one on that stage with the armor on. But only going by the old system's standards of what a Harmony expert is. In reality, only Malevick was in the 1st stage of Harmony, and few other squad leaders reached Harmony. He could block Ren from killing his men with his own armor set. Yet by now, he couldn't leave the Spire even if he wanted to. Ultimately, he could not decide, so he took out a small crystal and imbued his energy into it.

"Speak." Zelig's voice echoed in his mind as the crystal turned into a small, purple eye looking directly at him.

Malevick narrated everything that was happening since Ren's arrival, not missing out on any detail, taking him almost half an hour to finish. Zelig listened patiently, without interruption.

"Continue powering the formation. Ignore whatever she is doing and draw back your men. The preparations are almost ready at my side. A week or less and the army is ready, and we start marching on the dissident kingdoms. My forces are going to invade from the north to wipe out the Astrans and Lotharins, those loathful Elroth sympathizers. The remaining four idiots from the south are going to invade the Elroths. Your job is to be the starting signal of the era of the One True Kingdom. Use Rozex as the beacon for the dawn of the new era and burn as brightly as possible! Failure is not an option. Do you understand?"

"It is my honor!" Malevick replied with a firm and unshakable will.

"Your name is going to be remembered in the coming Kingdom as the first Hero."

As he said it, the eye slowly turned dim before disintegrating into dust. Malevick just looked at it before calling for his men, ordering their retreat and the closure of the Spire, making everyone focus on fueling the formation. He himself aged to an old man in only a few hours, supplying everything he had to make it finish as fast as possible.

…
..Earlier, before dawn...
…..

"Studying it in person yielded much more results," Levictus spoke up, meeting with Ren inside her study. She was woken up by him, and her hair still looked like a bird's nest. She was rubbing her eyes and constantly yawning, wearing only a loose robe she threw on herself. Backwards.

"So you have something for me, or did you just wake me up to have a good night's chat?" she groaned, trying to pry open her eyes with her fingers, preventing them from closing back immediately.

"Yes." He nodded as he placed a small piece of paper before her that had a surprisingly simple formation, with barely half a dozen symbols forming it.

"What is this?" Ren picked it up, wiping her mouth to not drool from the sleepiness.

"We must replicate this as often as possible and dish it out to everyone. This is a counter-formation to the life-siphoning effect. It won't stop it for 100%; some energy will be lost when the formation goes live, but it won't be deadly, at least."

"So, are you saying we won't be able to stop it from activating?"

"No. We have a day. Day and a half at most. Studying it in person, I could notice the minute changes and the subtle flow of energy under us. It is almost ready to go." He explained calmly. "We won't be able to prevent it from firing. But we can greatly lower its strength if it can't use the people as fuel."

"Damn… Wait!" Ren looked up at him, by now completely woken up. "You say this formation is going to… hit me?"

"Yes." He nodded after a slight pause, thinking about it. "With your strength, you are going to... Survive. Your life won't be in danger."

"How cold… geez!" Ren pursed her lips, grumbling under her nose.

"Even without our family's regenerative capabilities, your pure strength can withstand it. With the damage we have caused so far, and with this, we can save most people's lives. As they won't be used as fuel, the formation itself won't have an extended effect. You only need to survive it for a limited time."

"You realize it still sets me up as a sacrificial lamb, no? What the hell?" Ren twitched her mouth, then looking back at the paper before her, she continued, "Not to mention… you want me to replicate this how many times?" She asked him with twitching eyelids.

"There are 1 139 721 souls inside Rozex right now. I counted."

"And I have… 24 hours?" She said it in a barely audible voice.

"32 tops."

"Fuck you!" Ren trembled with a shout that sounded like moaning, snatching up the paper from the table, slamming the door open, and brushing past him.

"I'll organize a distribution party," Levictus added.

"Still, fuck you!" she said, already hurrying down the stairs to start and replicate them as fast as she could.

"I'll help after everything is done." He walked out, raising his voice a little but the only response he heard was a "fuck you" coming from far away.

…
….
…..

It was midday, and there was a big commotion in the city of Rozex. It came out that morning, just after the sun rose up in the east, that it was Veponia who bought the fabled technique of Ren. After the day of the auction, there was a rumor immediately about one of the things sold that day. A unique technique, the one that makes anyone able to resist the gaze of a Naulin. Nobody knew amongst the masses what it was or how it worked, but people quickly realized maybe that was why there was a fight previously at the Brightseed's courtyard.

Soon their guesses seemed to be proven right, as by now, the Brightseeds were under the protection of Keina. Even more impressive was the news that they started to give away something incredible for dirt cheap in the name of unifying Rozex against the appearance of a second Corvux or Rudrick! A talisman that, if one carried with him or herself, could defend them against the gaze of a Naulin. Most of the civilians and low-ranking nobles, servants, or merchants, who were not in the know, only saw the battles between Spires. They knew that once a purple eye looked their way, they may end up as collateral damage. Anything that could defend them against such a scenario was worth every penny. There was a big rush immediately to buy as many as possible. Yet no matter how many they snatched up, there were always new batches coming to the main market square. Even if it had no real effect, because of how cheap it was, even the skeptics bought some.

"Was it really necessary to paint Master in such a bad light? It seems like they are now buying it because they are afraid of her…." Ariana complained, walking next to Levictus inside their courtyard.

"I did not do that," Levictus replied, carrying a giant box, now completely empty. He was coming to collect the new batch of talismans that were ready. Every big family, who knew what was happening, already ordered their own to not just carry these talismans but to help distribute them. Thanks to everyone's effort, it spread like wildfire inside the city.

"Corvux was mentioned by name. He was killed by me! Rudrick was killed by my Master! Not to mention she is a descendant of Rudrick and the rise of a second one… Saying that is... after what happened is irritating! Especially by what has been going on in the past few days! It is as clear as day that the advertising you came up with points towards her as the villain!"

"I came up with the most effective way to incite the populace to buy them. This was the most efficient way to do so."

"Tsk… You could've come up with something else…" she clicked her tongue. "Why even ask money for it? We also should've given it away for free!"

"Wouldn't work. You can't give it away just like that." Levictus shook his head, "It would arouse suspicion immediately and would be counter-effective. You also can't force it. This was the most optimal approach to reach the desired effect in our limited time. There are going to be deaths, but the whole city will survive in the end."

"But I won't!" Ren moaned as they arrived at the workshop, which was messy beyond words. There were almost a hundred clones of Ren, rushing around and drawing up multiple talismans all the time, preparing materials or sorting the finished products, including her main body. "Here! Another batch is ready!" She pointed to the side where a newly filled box was ready with thousands of completed talismans.

"We are reaching the one-and-a-half-million mark with this," Levictus said, raising the box to deliver it to Keina so they could spread it around the city.

"Then why do I need to make more?" Ren moaned, looking like a kid, ready to throw a tantrum because she did not want to do any more homework.

"Some people buy more than one," Levictus replied, only receiving an inkwell thrown at his face, which he failed to dodge. After it loudly clanked on his forehead, he was drenched in black ink, turning his blonde hair into a completely different color.

"Then limit it to one per person! FUCK YOU! You are killing me here! I'd take on the formation already instead of this fuckery!" She fumed, making Ariana chuckle, but she just gulped it back as most of her Master's clones snapped their heads toward her.

"Hm. I forgot." Levictus nodded, not really bothering with Ren or with wiping his face, walking towards the completed batch, picking up the box, and leaving as if nothing happened.

"Haaah… Ariana…" Ren cried out softly as her disciple was about to sneak out but stopped when she called out.

"Y-yes?"

"Next time you bring me coffee, pour something strong into it!" She moaned, returning to crafting more talismans before Levictus returned for another batch.

"Yes, Master! On it!" She hurried away, barely holding back her laughter as seeing her Master this flustered and all of her clones either pouting or grumbling as they worked like an ant hive was immensely funny to her.