The Primal Hunter 13, page 63
“Please, save your apologies,” the Sword Saint said, still smiling amicably. “You planned on doing this from the very beginning.”
The projection just smirked before it disappeared, and Miyamoto saw the look of abject horror in the eyes of the slave holding the disc. Yet despite this fear, the D-grade slave tried to tackle Miyamoto as the entire room lit up, dozens of gunshots sounding out at once.
Unfortunate but not unexpected.
Drawing his blade, the Sword Saint filled the area all around him with slashes. The many bullets flying for him were cut in two, and upon infusing his sword with energy, he created a defensive zone around himself. The explosions came just then, but a bubble of water met them, the concept of time draining the powers of the magic circles rapidly.
A few seconds later, the excitement died down as the Sword Saint began walking forward, leaving the beastkin slave behind and completely unharmed. Another barrage of shots came just then, but he teleported forward to avoid them all. The bullets instead hit the walls, making them explode.
The room he had been teleported to had only a single exit—unless he wanted to make his own—at the far end of a spacious hallway. This exit quickly opened and a whole squad of C-grades rushed in, the bearkin who had brought him there among them. Out of everyone, she certainly looked the most nervous and like she didn’t want to be there.
Good—she will do if it comes down to me needing a guide.
Behind him, the gunmen who had been hiding also came out to surround him in the hallway leading to the exit, trapping him between the two groups. There were a few hundred C-grades at least, only a few of them mid-tier C-grade, with most low-tiers. A fight would simply be a needless endeavor. Bloodshed that would benefit no one.
“I know the Third King, as he calls himself, is listening, so allow me to offer a warning,” Miyamoto spoke, looking at all the clearly nervous C-grades confronting him. “I have come to kill the Prima Guardian, and I will not leave before that is done. I genuinely wish to do this under peaceful circumstances without unnecessary bloodshed, but should you continually impede my goal, know that forcing my hand will only give victory to the other Kings.”
A few moments of silence followed, but the Sword Saint decided to keep addressing the C-grades directly, as he didn’t want to stand there wasting any more time or allowing them to prepare some other useless method to try and deal with him. “Even if your leader does not allow you to stand down, do not throw away your lives meaninglessly. From this moment onwards, I shall retaliate against any attacks. Please, I implore you, do not end your own Paths out of misguided loyalty toward someone not caring enough about your lives to have a proper conversation with me… and Third King, do not let those loyal to you die for nothing. Prove my words wrong and show that these loyal comrades of yours are not mere expendables.”
With those words, he began walking forward with steady steps, not holding back his aura at all while still gripping his sword. With each step, the tension rose, but no one made the first move. As Miyamoto got closer to the group blocking the exit to the underground chamber, they slowly parted, allowing him to continue.
Despite the enemies on all sides, he was calm as could be on both the inside and outside. When he reached the end of the hallway, something finally happened. But it wasn’t someone attacking. A figure, flanked by two others, walked down the stairs leading out of the underground chamber, and Miyamoto recognized him as the same person who had been projected before, though with a far more conflicted look on his face now.
“Finally, we meet in person,” Miyamoto said as he nodded in greeting. “It gladdens me to see a leader who knows loyalty goes both ways.”
The beastfolk man, who looked like he had descended from a lion or tiger, clenched his claw-filled fist. He clearly wasn’t comfortable with the situation he had been put in, but at least he understood his own circumstances.
“I… apologize for the rude welcome…” he said, nodding back.
“I do not believe unfortunate circumstances and misunderstanding from a first meeting shall dictate an entire relationship,” the Sword Saint said in response. “Let us define what our shared future shall be from this moment forward and put the past to rest.”
The Third King nodded slowly as the Sword Saint smiled and sheathed his blade once more, having not drawn a single drop of blood yet that day.
Chapter 70
Setting People Straight
A singular demonstration was all it had taken to turn Miyamoto into a figure of authority above any others. He learned quickly that this planet wasn’t actually struggling much with the regular Primas—or at least, not when it came to defending their major cities.
The primary reason for this was the general lack of focus there had been on hunting down regular Primas before the Myriad Paths event, which was in part caused by their culture. As a civilization of purely beastfolk, they viewed the hunting of beasts very differently from the more humanoid races such as elves, humans, or dwarves, generally just leaving other beasts alone unless attacked. In fact, it was far more normal to work together with beasts and live side by side with them.
It was comparable to how humans in the multiverse tended to prefer fighting things that didn’t look human at all. Perhaps it was instinctive or born of Records to have an innate dislike of killing those of one’s own race, and it was clearly also present with these beastkin, directed toward beasts resembling themselves and their ancestors.
Of course, one couldn’t ignore the massive war going on among the four factions on the planet that had been established shortly after the tutorial, making the powerful focus on other things. One faction had been far more dominant in the early days, but during the time a World Leader had to be elected, the Second to Fourth Kings had grouped up to take down the first one after colluding to vote the Fourth King as the World Leader.
With the First King dead and territory to claim, the war had just become a three-way, and so had it been ever since then, with no one working together or agreeing on much… until one day, a swordsman descended from the skies.
After the Sword Saint convinced the Third King to talk, he sought out the other two Kings. He strategically chose a battlefield where the two of them used to fight but were now dealing with Primas. In view of scouts from both these factions—and the ones who had come with him from the third faction—the Sword Saint slaughtered thirteen Primas and over a thousand beasts within a minute. In Miyamoto’s view, these were some of the weakest Primas he had seen, but his actions got the job done and helped move his strategy forward.
That display of power was enough to create the current situation: The Sword Saint stood before three Beastkin Kings and some of the most influential people from their factions… speaking to them like the ignorant children they had been acting like.
“The World Congress was established as a mechanism to force a planet to come together,” the Sword Saint explained as he paced back and forth in front of the three Kings. “It was a way to meet in a neutral space with no violence allowed, to talk out differences and unite, with this system event serving as the final test of the enlightened on a planet.
“However, this event is only the beginning. Tell me, do the three of you have an inkling as to what is happening in the rest of the galaxy?” From their lack of response, they clearly didn’t. “It’s something that’s also happening everywhere else across the universe, but this galaxy perhaps has it the worst. A war far beyond the scope of your little conflict is playing out. Massive factions are fighting. Factions with power far beyond what this planet can handle. Factions that are more than interested in claiming a world, seemingly ripe for the taking because its leaders care more about fighting amongst themselves than addressing external threats.”
It was clear the three of them already knew much of this, but it required repeating. Perhaps they had needed someone to set them straight for a long time, and the Sword Saint would have to be that person.
“What I say next is not to sow discord, but that you know is important. All three of you privately proposed to me that I could help slay the two others to produce a favorable alliance.” The three of them threw angry glances at one another but remained silent. “I rejected you all… but others would gladly take such an offer. I also want you to consider something. What happens if a major faction comes from another planet, takes advantage of your struggle, and offers an alliance, effectively making you servants? Would you reject this, or would the desperation from fighting a losing conflict push you to make an unwise choice? I believe that if the status quo is maintained, the answer is clear.”
The room was silent as these words hung in the air, the presence of the Sword Saint making them unable to protest. One of them—the Second King—finally spoke up.
“Then what is your solution? Joining your faction?” A bold but very important question Miyamoto had naturally been expecting.
“I do not belong to any faction, per se, and the one I’m closest with does not care to integrate other forces,” he said, shaking his head. “But no matter the future, facing it with a united front will be for the best. Not just for at least two of you, but the people you rule over. So stop this endless fighting. Finally, if you wish to send a delegation to my home planet, be my guest, but I shall not be the arbiter of this planet’s future. That role and responsibility falls to the three of you.”
The three Beastkin Kings had managed to obtain their statuses not only due to their personal power but also their respective prowess as leaders. The Sword Saint wasn’t keen on how they had handled things so far, but he believed them all competent enough to understand the importance of avoiding an internal conflict when there were so many external threats on the horizon.
“We… will need to discuss,” the Third King said as he and the Second King looked at the fourth one. “But we will need to ensure fairness. There is only one World Leader spot, and that has already been claimed.”
“And such cannot be changed, only accepted and moved past,” the Sword Saint said, addressing the Fourth King directly. “Of course, your ability to do so depends on his ability to recognize that his position is not above the two of you. Clearly, you will need another leadership structure than your current one to ensure fairness, but I do not see myself having any role in making that happen. The only role I have yet to fulfill is that of a slayer of your Prima Guardian.”
“If you feel certain you can handle this Guardian alone, I would gladly release it,” the Fourth King said as he seemed to remember something and turned to the two other Kings. “Assuming the two of you have no protests against me doing so.”
When the two other leaders had no complaints, Miyamoto smiled. With that sorted, there was no need to delay. The Sword Saint headed off together with all three Kings alongside their escorts. These people were some of the strongest on the planet by far, and yet they posed no danger to the Sword Saint at all.
In fact, he found the overall power level of this planet low. It was very obvious they would find themselves instantly dominated should another of the stronger planets in the Milky Way choose to invade them, and in truth, Miyamoto had no way of knowing if the alliance he had sought to create would actually help. He hoped it would—he genuinely did—and he believed that his final demonstration to the Kings would prove how powerless they truly were when compared to those toward the peak. Those like himself.
He watched the Fourth King enter the Prima Vessel and, not long after, sprint out again, his tail quite literally between his legs.
The Sword Saint stood ready for the Prima Guardian to appear. The moment it did, he used Identify.
[Distinguished Prima Guardian – lvl 294]
This was only the third Guardian he’d seen that hadn’t even reached the rank of Honored Prima Guardian. This Guardian looked like a centaur, except it had an upper body on both sides of the horse body, and quite frankly, it looked pretty bizarre.
The fear on the faces of the Kings was obvious as the Sword Saint bent his knees and prepared for his demonstration. They had seen some of his power once, planting the seed of knowledge that he was stronger than all three of them… but now he wanted them to truly realize how frightening the multiverse could be.
Right as the Prima Guardian saw Miyamoto, it charged. He took a deep breath, exhaling as he drew his sword and spoke.
“Glimpse of Spring: Stormcut.”
For a moment, the world was still. A faint line was drawn across reality before everything came crashing down, and blood filled the sky as the Prima Guardian was cut cleanly in two horizontally. Without even giving the creature a chance to rest, the Sword Saint stepped forward and attacked, swinging his blade two dozen times. The boss creature was sliced apart before it had the faintest chance to fight back, simply too weak to pose any danger.
You have slain [Distinguished Prima Guardian – lvl 294] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level
Stopping his attack, the Sword Saint breathed in once more, whipped the blood off his sword, and sheathed it. Without a single drop of blood on his robes, he turned to look at the three Kings, who now stared at him with complex emotions. Fear was definitely there, but more than that, he felt a sense of what he could only classify as reverence.
“Thank you for allowing me to accomplish the task I came to do,” the Sword Saint said with a smile and a nod. “Now, if you would accompany me into the Prima Vessel, I wish to see if I can use it to return to my planet. If not, the blueprint for a teleportation circle allowing not just you to teleport to other planets, but other planets to travel here, should have become available.”
His words made the Kings exit their stupor. All three accompanied the Sword Saint into the Prima Vessel, wherein they quickly confirmed that the Sword Saint could use it to return to Earth, so that was fortunate. What should not have come as a surprise was the instant question from the Kings about whether they could send some people back to Earth with him, which he naturally agreed to. Only three total, though. He wouldn’t want to needlessly overwhelm Miranda, knowing she was already incredibly busy.
With three diplomats, the Sword Saint thus returned to Earth once more, having only needed a few days to handle this one. He was already looking forward to the next planet and exploring its culture. The only problem was that to get to the planet, he would likely need to use the monstrous creation that Arnold had constructed—something he most certainly wasn’t looking forward to experiencing again.
Alas, sacrifices had to be made… and he couldn’t exactly show the scientist it bothered him too much. The same as when he’d gone to the amusement park when he was younger. No matter how bad those damn roller coasters made him feel, he’d never let his family see, instead suffering in the bathroom once alone.
Anything else, his flawed pride simply wouldn’t allow.
“Truly, your overcautiousness is wholly unnecessary.” The nahoom shook his head with a dry smile. “You being aware of my Bloodline would already make it foolish for me to attempt to use it, and I’m not silly enough to risk ruining a valuable relationship.”
“I believe trust is earned, not merely given, and so far, you have done nothing to make me willing to trust you,” Jacob answered as he stood on the balcony, the Chosen of Yip of Yore leaning against the railing as they spoke.
“I made a promise with the Holy Church—something you are very aware of,” Ell’Hakan pointed out. “Then again, you are this cautious around my Bloodline because you are with the Church, so I probably shouldn’t complain.”
“No, you really shouldn’t,” Jacob muttered, not exactly satisfied with the current situation. He had done what he could to stay safe, though.
Jacob, being aware of Ell’Hakan and his Bloodline, had taken specific measures to ensure he wouldn’t fall victim to it. The first one was, of course, to try and be in tune with his own emotions, asking himself a lot of questions to make sure he was thinking clearly and not affected in any way. Of course, some influence could still sneak through, but that was where he relied on his ultimate defense:
Bertram.
His Guardian wasn’t anywhere close to Ell’Hakan and entirely out of his effective area. Due to their connection, Jacob could share his emotions with his old bodyguard, and while Jacob would perhaps not notice any changes, Bertram sure would. Plus, having two people who were so connected would make it easy for them to point out if the other ever acted off, as long as they didn’t meet up while in the presence of Ell’Hakan and get affected at the same time.
“Your personal dislike of me isn’t truly that warranted, is it?” Ell’Hakan asked. “When I went to your homeworld, the Holy Church more than happily took advantage and was even warned of my arrival beforehand. They condoned what I did. The overall losses your planet suffered during it all weren’t significant, either.”
Jacob remained silent as Ell’Hakan kept speaking.
“Exactly how do you envision this going for the Holy Church if the Order of the Malefic Viper is allowed to run wild? The Church wants to control the galaxy—something I’m more than fine with—but will your old coworker agree with such a thing? Or will he put up a fight till the bitter end, killing countless in service of his own pride and stubbornness?”
“The Chosen of the Malefic Viper has yet to show any outright hostility toward other planets, unlike you,” Jacob argued. “In fact, quite the opposite, as per a recording you personally machinated into existence. I have no cause to believe he will not simply continue to let sleeping dogs lie. And while the Holy Church would like control of the Milky Way… it is but one of countless galaxies. Ultimately meaningless in the grand scheme of things. What I’m trying to say is that I believe your current approach is misguided… Fighting Jake or trying to control his future will lead to nothing but the end of your Path.”
