Chapter 1400 - The Very Pinnacle of This Generation

“Seems like we’re all done here,” the projection of the Majordomo commented, taking a look around the room. “Let me just quickly clean this up.”

Down below, standing with a hand on his sheathed sword, the Sword Saint realized that this so-called Majordomo was far more capable than he’d first believed. When he was fully healed, including the strain from using parts of his Transcendent Skill, it was confirmed that this was a system entity, or that it had at least been granted certain privileges by the system.

Once more, Miyamoto wasn’t sure whether he’d been lucky or unlucky with his antechamber. There truly hadn’t been anyone worth fighting, and even his strongest contender, a Chosen from one of the Dragonflights, had barely held on for a few moments before being beheaded. He was a little disappointed, as he’d hoped to fight worthy opponents, but alas. He’d comforted himself with the thought that he’d at least be able to pass this stage without major injuries or overexertion; however, it turned out that wasn’t an advantage at all, since he had been fully healed. Something he expected everyone to be.

Floating above, the Majordomo regarded the Sword Saint for a few moments before nodding. “Besides a few minor aesthetic disagreements, I guess you’re rather presentable as you are. Based on how you stand... yeah, you don’t need any coaching in etiquette either, do you?”

The Sword Saint wasn’t sure whether the question was rhetorical or not, and choosing to be on the safe side, he responded. “Deepening one’s knowledge of culture and norms is always welcome, so I’d gladly learn how to act respectfully when in the presence of His Majesty.”

The Majordomo looked at the swordsman for another few seconds before nodding. “Yeah, just based on that response, you’re all good. Just act like yourself, and everything should be fine. Unfortunately, your audience is a little delayed as we have to wait for the other antechambers to finish their business, but don’t worry; when they do, I’ll fetch you immediately. In the meantime, relax, and please partake in the refreshments on offer.”

With those words, a table laden with various drinks and pastries appeared before the Sword Saint, along with another table and a chair to sit on. When this Majordomo had first appeared, Miyamoto had found him a little rude and condescending, but now it seemed he was quite the gentleman and knew how to treat guests properly.

 “Thank you, I’ll eagerly, yet patiently, await your return,” the Sword Saint said politely as he slightly bowed. “I shall not hold you up any longer.”

“If only all of you were this refined,” the Majordomo sighed before giving him a final nod. “Till I return.”

The projected Cyclops Majordomo disappeared, leaving the Sword Saint to enjoy some rather tasty pastries and tea as he waited for the next part of the event to start, hopefully prepared for this encounter with the Abundant Emperor, though a small part of him was nervous he would make some sort of etiquette mistake. Hopefully, what was expected of him wasn’t too extreme.

--

A blast of force sent his opponent flying as it tore into the Behemoth’s soul and body. She got up as quickly as she could and charged again, but at this point, she was too weak and was grasped out of the air using the Unique Lifeform’s telekinesis before she was smashed into the ground and then launched into a wall; the impact making her cough up blood, her body far more feeble now than it had been in the beginning.

She attempted to get up again, but she fell to her knees, unable to move easily as her body refused to listen to her. All she could do was look up and give a reluctant smile, knowing it was over.

“Unique Lifeforms really do live up to their reputation, huh?” the Behemoth that the King believed was a Vassal belonging to Jake muttered as her limp arm hung at her side and the light in her eyes grew dimmer, showing how little fight she had left in her. It would take little effort to crush her already weakened soul with her in that state.

“You did say I was the first Unique Lifeform you’ve ever truly fought, despite your long life,” the Golden Forest King responded. “Know that any you encounter after this King will only fall short of your expectations. The bar has been set high.”

“My bar was at Minaga from Nevermore before,” the Behemoth said with a chuckle, but before she could say anything else, a golden wave washed over her body, making her eyes go wide as she fell forward, turning into blue wisps of energy before she even hit the ground.

The Forest King looked annoyed at the scattering lights, now in a far worse mood after hearing the name of that accursed creature. That Minaga was most people’s first introduction to a Unique Lifeform disgusted him, as he was a horrible representative of those carrying that moniker. Minaga was an outlier even among Unique Lifeforms, not because of how powerful he was, but because his existence served as a living reminder of a failed product of the system. Someone like Minaga should never have existed in the first place, and the Golden Forest King felt he was a far better example of what it meant to be a Unique Lifeform.

Something he would one day prove to the entire multiverse. For now, as a mere B-grade, he had to focus on this event, though.

Looking around the room, the destruction after the brutal battle was evident, and the King couldn’t say he was in excellent condition either. He had to go all out to come out victorious, and the only reason the Behemoth had lived till the end was her high durability and the fact that she was a lone actor, the same as the King himself.

Many different factions and groups had worked together to face off against one another, leading to a slaughter right off the bat. Individuals who acted alone, such as the King and Behemoth, attracted less attention initially, as most believed one of the factions to be the primary threat. The King also had one major advantage: the fact he’d died before, something that had been shared with most factions.

While it hurt his pride, it had proven itself to be a great strategic decision for this system event, as most underestimated the King. Usually, dying and being revived would result in damaged Records and a weaker Path, but for the Forest King, it led to his ascension and allowed him to grasp the power that had always rightfully belonged to him. He had never truly died, yet most people genuinely believed he had, courtesy of the Unique Lifeform himself.

Making use of the Court of Shadows, the King had sold the information of his own demise and revival, and as a Unique Lifeform that would certainly take part in this event, and who had performed well in Nevermore, he knew all the major factions kept track of him. After this event, all would learn that the rumors of his death and of how he’d weakened after his revival had been greatly exaggerated, but for now, it had done its job.

The rumor had bought the King some time, so he wasn’t targeted by everyone. When those remaining realized the Unique Lifeform was the greatest threat, surpassing all parties, it was already too late, as they were quickly slaughtered after the King unleashed his full power. Well, most of his power, as he naturally still kept his greatest trump card in reserve, nobody present having proven themselves worthy of experiencing it.

Perhaps that was for the best, as it would have made recovery far more difficult if he had to pull out all his cards. As things were, the King had gotten away with only losing a single leg, which in the grand scheme of things wasn’t even considered a major injury. Granted, he had consumed nearly his entire mana pool, which was saying something, considering his total reserves had already surpassed 5,000,000 – an absolutely ludicrous amount of mana for any B-grade, even if it was his only resource.

After confirming yet again that the King was the last Administrator alive, he was about to enter meditation to recover when the projection of the Cyclops Majordomo appeared, getting the Unique Lifeform’s attention.

The Majordomo looked around the room and didn’t say anything as he instantly cleaned it up, and at the same time, the King felt his vessel fully recover, as even his soul was healed. A feat only possible if accomplished by the system itself.

“I do apologize that you had to wait in such conditions and undergo such an endeavor, but there are regulations and rules for when I am to appear and what  I can do, even if the guest is a royal such as yourself,” the Majordomo said as he slightly bowed.

“It matters not,” the King responded dismissively. “I am the one who arrived here uninvited, intending to meet the Abundant Emperor. It’s natural I should be treated like any other guest.”

“Thank you for your understanding,” the Majordomo bowed once more. “I will have to apologize again, though. While under usual circumstances I would offer Your Majesty a personal meeting with my emperor, unfortunately, you will have to attend the audience alongside the rest of the rabble and continue to be treated like any other guest.”

The King nodded in acknowledgment, knowing that despite his rightful status as a King, he wouldn’t be able to circumvent the rules of the system. At least his title was recognized by the Majordomo, which had to be good enough.

“Your magnanimity is truly something to behold,” the Majordomo smiled and nodded. “I wish you a fruitful encounter with my emperor, but will sadly have to bid you farewell now, leaving you to wait until the rest of these so-called guests finish matters in their respective antechambers. Unless Your Majesty has any requests before I depart?”

“You may go,” the King said, giving a final bow before the projection disappeared. Despite having fully recovered, he entered meditation anyway as he reflected and worked on improving his abilities, knowing more fighting was likely to come.

--

Across the antechambers, there had been an absolute slaughter, as all but one Administrator was slain in each. Some took a long time as the battle stretched on, but in others, victors were quickly decided. Given the chaotic environment, one would expect this to be an opportunity for massive upsets and for new stars to rise, but alas, things rarely went that way.

It was nearly impossible to convince everyone to group up and take down a single opponent, even if doing so would be the best decision. There was too much hatred between factions, personal vendettas spawned from prior encounters in the simulated world, and in some cases, where one group or individual knew they certainly wouldn’t end up the last survivor, they made it a priority to ensure that at least their enemies didn’t get the spot.

Just a few disagreeing with forming an alliance would ruin any semblance of teamwork and make the battle chaotic, and in those instances, power often ended up being the only real decider, resulting in the strongest person also being the last one standing.

Within one, the Cerulean Demon Prince sat atop a ruined pile of furniture, his final opponent turning into wisps of energy as the demon’s crown was glowing with immense power. He was injured, his body bloody all over, and his resources nearly spent, but in the end, he’d come out on top as one would expect.

In another, the entire antechamber looked as if it had just experienced a snowstorm. Ice and snow covered everything, with several humanoid-shaped statues spread around the room. The individuals who had once been entombed had long turned into blue wisps of energy as they were slain. Wintermaul floated in the middle of it all, like the harbinger of a new ice age, as the final survivor in the room succumbed to the frost.

A third had a large golden dragon, many of her scales torn off or broken, with her wings and one leg missing, floating in the center of the room. Damaged, but far from defeated. Her final words echoed through the chamber as the only other surviving Administrator was crushed beneath the might of the Regalflight as Aishalstromoz reigned supreme. Something which, in her mind, was only to be expected, considering who she was and the Legacy she had inherited.

In a fourth, a great white stag stood, looking entirely untouched as the whole room was enveloped in moonlight. His form flickered slightly, indicating he had taken damage, with his power waning, yet his form remained majestic. Not too far away, two other Administrators stood comatose, staring up towards the projection of the moon. A few seconds later, one of them suddenly fell over, turning into blue wisps of energy mid-fall, and half a minute later, the final Administrator in the antechamber suffered the same fate.

Similar scenes played out all across the Palace of Abundance as only a few Administrators remained. More geniuses of a generation had fallen within a short time span than perhaps any other time in history, with hundreds of Chosen and similarly powerful individuals slain. Some antechambers had upsets; most went as one would expect, but one thing was clear: every single individual who would attend the audience with the Abundant Emperor would be a figure at the very pinnacle of this generation.

Some more than others.

--

What the hell even happened? Carmen asked herself as she looked down and saw the mushed flesh where her legs had once been. She looked up and saw only a few wisps of scattering blue light, knowing Sylphie had also fallen. Casper and Tramon had died long ago, Casper having been targeted by the Holy Church right from the beginning, making everything a mess from the second fighting started. They had tried to help him, but with the Saintess and the High Templar, their group was in for a tough fight.

Sylphie had managed to kill the Saintess, but the High Templar had killed both Casper and Tramon while Carmen killed the three other members of the Holy Church party. The many other Chosen in the room, the majority of whom were geniuses who had never taken part in Nevermore but had been B-grades for, in some cases, over a thousand years, were all proving themselves credible threats, too, the antechamber quite frankly too small for this many powerhouses.

Battles spilled into one another, but in the end, a few figures stood on top at the end. Carmen and Sylphie had survived, both of them still in relatively good condition, even after teaming up to kill the High Templar. Lopas had also shown himself to be an absolute monster, tearing apart three other Chosen.

However... one person still stood on top, as despite him being the greatest threat in most minds, few had dared target him. Only now, towards the end, did all the survivors realize just how foolish that had been.

In the distance, a figure was moving at insane speeds as the once lazy-looking sloth was enveloped by a torrent of reddish energy, having gone entirely berserk while swinging away at his opponent, every single hit capable of tearing apart anything the sloth’s claws came into contact with.

Yet no matter what the beast did, Lopas appeared utterly powerless in front of his opponent, who swayed to the side, appearing ethereal as he dodged each of the sloth’s hits, before finally taking one hit directly. Trying to block such a blow would usually be utter insanity, yet rather than the monk getting blasted away, Lopas was sent flying, his arm torn and distorted.

Two other Chosen, including a True Dragon, unleashed their attacks as a Dragon’s Breath flooded over the monk’s form, but he was already gone from where he’d stood. A moment later, the dragon fell lifeless to the ground, Carmen not even sure how it had died. The second Chosen didn’t last much longer, both of them falling as the monk let out a sigh that echoed throughout the antechamber, seemingly not enjoying a single second of this.

Carmen stared, wondering whether they would even have won if everyone had teamed up to face him. Maybe, maybe not. It didn't matter now. She listlessly looked towards the ceiling as a grand bell swung in slow motion, giving her a sense of calm as she felt oddly relaxed even as its toll came and her vision went black.

You have died.