"Is that so?" Lea said with nonchalance.
The youth was already speculating that Lea's indifference was ingrained in her bones as no matter how much he irritated her, she wouldn't go an extra mile to move her limbs. And if she couldn't make the essences suppress him, she rather stand idly by.
He bobbed his head while his smile deepened. "I've seen it. I don't know what your actual relationship with one another, but I can see you treasure him. Since I cannot defeat you, I'm here to request that you not touch my brother at least. I've worked so hard to pro—"
"No problem."
With Lea's quick monotone response, the youth was speechless for a moment. He coughed ones, feeling embarrassed for being caught off guard. "Thank you. With that out of the way, can I ask for your cooperation?"
"Whatever for?"
"Ahh... The thing is, I cannot let Kiel Fang live."
"......" Despite Lea's expressionless face, she was actually inwardly surprised.
"He is exactly as the novel illustrated him to be. Charms so great that he unknowingly makes girls fall in love with him left and right, but not only girls—. This fact alone is what drives me to eliminate his life."
"....."
"He can't use magic, but if he continues to live, eventually, he'd stumble upon means to be able to. I mean, he has all these girls fawning over him, and I know what happens if that continues."
"Your twin brother will be protected. What else do you want?"
Hearing Lea's words, the youth appeared delighted. He chucked, saying: "You finally graced me with more than 3 words!" So this was what made him perk up.
When Lea did not speak again, he could only helplessly continue. "With him around, I cannot fulfill my father's promise as well."
"......."
"Of course you wouldn't say anything. Ha... should've known... Nevermind. Sooner or later, he'll obtain his means to conjure magic and continue conquering the rest of the world and even other dimensions. If he does this, he would call upon the sleeping Guardians who have left their respective dimensions as their tasks were completed.
"Once they descend again, scenarios would change. At that end, my hard work would have been for naught. Magic should stop existing once and for all, so dimensions can exist without another's interference. —Do you know of 'entropy'?"
"'Law of Entropy' defines the processes toward decay and disintegration. It can also mean the rate of disorder."
"Correct. There is a universal tendency for all systems to go from order to disorder. A society will become disorderly. The world will come to a decline despite millennia of evolution. I just want it slowed, but with Kiel Fang's existence, it would speed up the process for a multi-dimensional world his destiny as a Male Lead require him."
"He is not like that."
"He is still the Male Lead nevertheless. And you, the heroine."
"I am not. And even if he is the male lead you speak of, he wouldn't want to conquer every world."
"Are you sure? As far as I've seen, you might be the trigger."
Lea frowned deeply, remembering how fixated her brother was of her. "But I cannot let you kill him." She said with as much resolve.
"...Give me a reason why?"
"He is my brother."
"...Uh?" For a moment, the youth was surprised with the unexpected information. "What did you say?"
"We came from the same world. Just like you, he transmigrated. But unlike you, his appearance in this world must be a given."
Hearing Lea's words, the youth nodded his head. "Indeed. I would be the irregular in the novel as I've destroyed how the story should've went. While you are the irregular in the game since upon your appearance, the heroine was overshadowed."
With Lea's early appearance and reincarnation as the 'goddess' proxy (as Escarchians would have called her), the game's plot changed. Coupled with another transmigrator intent on opposing Kiel Fang without revealing himself and only moving chess pieces in the darkness, it was possible for the Apostles to run their ambitions high. Leading up to this point when Lea has developed an intricate intimacy with the essences since her rebirth, no normal life form can stop her now.
If she wished the world to end, she would only need a day. If before, she was known as 'goddess proxy' because the Escarchians were ignorant, then now, she was considered just as good as an actual goddess; a living cheat. That's if essences continue to exist.
Ultimately, she beat the Apostles by becoming what they wanted to become; an almighty manipulator. If her full capability was revealed, it would be a huge slap to the elders' face.
It was only possible for Lea to easily manipulate intricate details such as human's organs, veins, bones, glands and etc due to her mid-level knowledge of biology and physiology. She needed to learn about her own body back in her previous world to better equip herself for higher survivability. Such as, she only did not read up which part of the body can she hit to make someone unconscious, but also what part of the brain triggers sleep.
She focused all her time reading for the sole purpose of surviving that before she knew it, she'd learnt enough to sleep throughout classes. Although her mathematics were not as good as Raize, but that's unnecessary information.
"....." Lea gazed at the elders shaking like a leaf at the side. Her ruby eyes glinted with murder. Due to the interruption, their punishment was delayed.
"Just as you said, your brother might be the intended Male Lead. This stands to say, I should eliminate him."
"As long as I'm around, you cannot touch him."
Upon her declaration, Victor tensed and the essences in the air were a little bit more fearless. Sensing the changes, the youth helplessly chuckled. "Being the belated heroine... Your halo is very strong... Whatever shall I do... I can no longer use that Fatima at this point. She's no match against you."
Lea frowned at his statement. "...You.."
"That's right. Me~ I used her to eliminate the other heroines to slowly cut off Kiel Fang's steps to obtaining magic. There were so many of them, honestly—"
"....." Inwardly, Lea was amazed at the youth's perseverance for his goals. Working with the Apostles' while getting in the way of other people's lives. He must have been really busy.
"I may not be able to defeat you easily, but I can still eliminate magic, you know." He flashed Lea an alluring smile that was not effective to her at all. She could only stare at him with dead fish eyes.
"You are making me look silly, dear—"
Suddenly, darkness descended, but only for a split second. Power came back online again. At this, the youth was suddenly looking aghast. It was at this time that Lea smiled a little, revealing her ephemeral beauty that was usually hidden by her rigidness. She whispered, "Checkmate."
"....You—"
"Thanks for all the talk, Russell Rathir. But... your business ends here." With her voice hinting a finality, she waved her hands to recover the elders from their sorry state and have them stand rigidly at the side once again. They were looking flabbergasted and silly that Lea felt a little helpless. Bullying elders was not exactly her hobby, but can just anybody touch a hair of these greedy old men? No. She had to take care of them for the meantime.
She walked up to one of the single-door rooms, but before she twisted the knob, she looked back at Victor and Japatu, saying: "Watch over the oldies, will you?"
Without listening to their response as if it was a given to listen to her words, she turned back and walked inside the room. Left in the white hall, most of them were staring blankly at the youth. Where did the tense atmosphere go?
First muttered, "What just happened?" At his words, the Admiral could only shake his head.
Lea was not a generous person to others at all when it came to explaining things, leaving everyone baffled. Those she cared need not be given an explanation. Victor wouldn't care, while Japatu was only intent in destroying the Apostles. As for the rest? He could care less.
_______________
Inside the dim lit room, a shaking little girl was huddled by her lonesome at a corner.
Lea walked slowly towards her, while the essences in the air kept bouncing excitedly. It can only be said that the essences led Lea into the room specifically to meet whatever was inside the room. She had pointy fury ears on her head that were hanging low, while her bushy tails quivered in fear. Hands that appeared pointy with unpolished claws were clenched tight into fists, crimson blood dripping down her pale skin.
Seeing the child looking ever so pitiful, Lea's heart clenched in sympathy. This was one of the remnants of the elders' cruelty. A child birthed from cruel numerous experimentation. Only, when Lea got even closer, she noticed the girl's pair of sharp eyes.
Cold voice resounded in the little room, "Momma is dead... I saw her die... What do they want from me... I'll..... I'll kill them all... Cut their fingers, claw out their eyes... eat their guts.... I'll kill.. killkillkill!"
She was rocking back and forth in the corner, while crouching facing the wall and chanting her curses. Her eyes glinted with heart wrenching intensity that no normal child should carry. Her limbs so thin they could be just bones, her long hair disheveled and dirty. She was inside a cage with very thick glassed walls, but her mutters were multiplied in volume outside.
On the opposite side of her cage lay another prisoner. He had huge goat horns and he barely looked 5 years old. His eyes were empty like black holes, while his pupils were color of blood. He was starting at Lea blankly, not really registering anything in sight. Totally void of life but alive.
This room must contain the successful experiments, but since it's so hard to achieve, only these two little children were kept alive. They must be forced for another stage of experimentation from the look of the computers beside their cages. It detailed their physical and mental statuses, while also sustaining them constant essences from a huge wire.
Essences must have been absent due to a certain machine that sucks them into a huge storage, and manually navigate the flow to where they should be pumped out. This system was so complicated that nobody in other districts must have been aware. Exactly the reason why each district were extremely divided to the point spies would be considered dangerous as much as national spies.
This was the sort of metropolis the elders and their previous generation built to increase their effectiveness and avoid sullying the long term goal. For so many years, all they wanted was to prolong life as much as possible while making themselves grow much superior than the rest of humanities. Crudely speaking, they wanted to aim for godhood. Their methods, however, were vicious due to their inept lack of compatibility with the essences and Spirits.
Thinking up to her, Lea felt heartbroken at how miserable the innocents were. It was so unfair for everyone else to suffer without being given the chance to enjoy a bit of life, what it felt to be loved or happy. All they knew was injustice, hatred and the indifference of those that played with their life.
Sadness turned to wrath as Lea clenched her knuckles white. Glass panes cracked and exploded, flying all over the place but towards the children. The little boy blinked, but not an ounce of expression on his face. While the little girl startled, but ultimately glared at Lea as if she was her nemesis. She must have given up all hope long ago.
Feeling a little helpless, Lea made the children unconscious, effectively manipulating the essences to make them fall into deep sleep. With a slight control of essences to increase the production of melatonin hormones from the pineal gland, it was possible to forcefully bring down the children to sleep. They were quickly breathing slowly with tranquility on their faces.
[These children could be considered a part of our family...]
Nill quietly said, her voice obviously had a tinge of regret. Much like the essences in the air, she felt familiarity to the two configured children.
[I don't understand, elder sister. There are too many of us now because you know... There are Living Spirits, Beasts, High Beasts and now, there are these kinds too.]
[There are many of their kind in Felicity Domain. They simply consider themselves beasts, but they must have a certain hierarchy. We can ask Prince Ulyssis at some other time.]
At this, Mill silently agreed. Although she was feeling very confuse with everything that was popping up here and there after arriving in the metropolis, if Lea told her to wait, she would wait obediently. Despite her reckless personality, she's surprisingly obedient at times.
Then came Lill's quiet voice that was neither slow nor fast, but there was a hint of warning at the edge of her words. [Trouble. Outside.]