Ch 116 – A Turbulent Storm

In a room holding a large table with nine luxurious seats surrounding it, eight humans can be seen sitting on those aforementioned chairs while the atmosphere was tense. In front of them, they watched the live feed of L's new products, and couldn't help but feel the grave implications this may bring.

"With access to a library of magic, along with Dragon Hearts and Dragon Meat, anyone who is a part of that kingdom can very much become an S-Rank Mage and Fighter without any problems," Anastasia Melokva muttered, her hands were crossed as she rests her head atop her crossed hands.

"Indeed, with that alone, their potential threat overshadows the entire world," Don Will Dead replied, his red soulfire eyes gleaming with an understanding of the current situation.

"Oh please, why must we be afraid of them? We're the Insurgents of God! The strongest amongst this world of ants! We can simply just squash them like we always do," Louis Crawford rolled his eyes, his demeanor was calm and nonchalant.

"You dimwit, even with my brain-enhancing food, you still have shit for brains. We couldn't do that due to the simple fact many important figures are currently residing there. If we just bombard them, it will put them in danger and anger the entire world," Shijou Yukiko said.

"And, we don't even know if we can actually deal them with force," Anastasia Melokva said.

"Hmm? What do you mean, Anastasia-san?" Flare asked, her eyebrows raising as the less smart members also wondered.

"The Sage and Lute Stolas, we don't know if we can actually beat them in a fight. The Sage has been alive for hundreds of years, while Lute Stolas has the brains to construct Meat Plants and the Akashic System. They might have created countermeasures against us already, anyone smart enough of their capabilities isn't easy to deal with," Anastasia explained, the atmosphere in the room turning graver.

As they stayed silent, Kilt finally opened his mouth and spoke, "Don, call Imerda and have her go back. She has been with Lute Stolas, right? She might have valuable information about him."

Nodding his head, Don Will Dead waves his arm and mutters, "[Video Call]."

While they were busy waiting for Imerda to answer, Honda was instead staring at the screen intently. His brows were furrowed while he wondered to himself, 'This… His eyes… Shit.'

Honda felt an ominous premonition already. The mere fact Lute Stolas held the same name as Lute made him a beat fearful for the incoming future he will have to experience.

"Hello?" A voice spoke from the video call, and they saw Imerda sitting on her couch.

Kilt opened his mouth, speaking, "You need to go back here."

Hearing his orders, Imerda nodded her head. Just as she did that, Don Will Dead waved his arms and they saw a dark purple gate appear beside the empty seat in the room.

Focusing their eyes on the gateway, they watch as a hand poke through before Imerda's entire body can be seen passing through the gate. Her hair was messy, she still wore her pajamas, and she looked like she had just woken up.

Sitting down on her seat, "The Best Nine," are reunited once more.

"Now that we are all here, we can officially start creating our plan. Imerda, can you please tell us all you know about Lute Stolas," Kilt said, turning his head towards Imerda as she nodded her head.

Placing her arm forward, she chanted lightly before light gathered in the middle of the table, "[Replay Memory]."

As a spark of blue light erupted, they saw a screen appear out of nowhere, causing Kilt to ask: "Did you just…"

"Yes, I learned how to chant with just the spell name, just like Don-san."

Hearing her response, Kilt simply nodded his head before they put their focus back on the screen.

"Please wait for a sec. I'm first trying to gather all the important parts about him, and there are many," Imerda said, the black screen in front of them then warp for a few times before it finally stopped, showing a certain scene.

It was a large, dome room filled with countless students sitting in their seats. Many students are influential members of society, from nobles to royal members of certain kingdoms.

"This was the entrance ceremony to the academy. In here, Lute Stolas fought against Arthur Pendragon," Imerda explained, and the nine watched as the series of events unfold.

"So, what is he gonna do anyway? Cast some magic like a fireball-" Louis muttered before their eyes widened in shock.

There he was, Lute Stolas stretched his arm outward and muttered lightly, "[Create Item: Excalibur]."

Out from his arm, they watch as golden light gathered into a sword of blue and gold. It was long and shining, seemingly holding infinite power within. It had the same prestigious aura as the original Excalibur, causing others to doubt their eyes.

With shocked eyes, they watch as it exuded the same abilities as Excalibur, and Lute Stolas easily defeated Arthur Pendragon.

"He first used the spell "Structural Analysis" before using "Create Item: Excalibur." So, he first analyzed the structure of Excalibur to then recreate it. But…" Don Will Dead muttered lightly, before continuing:

"There is no such Tier Magic Spell like Structural Analysis and Create Item: Excalibur. Even with my cheat skill, no spell appeared. So it means it's a spell outside the Tier Magic system," Don Will Dead muttered, causing the others to be slightly surprised.

"But this still holds precious info. One can infer that Lute Stolas is an arrogant character, full of confidence in himself, perhaps we can turn it into overconfidence and deal with him that way. Though he perhaps might have other hidden trump cards up his sleeves, if he can recreate the Excalibur, there's no telling he can't recreate Louis' Magic Tools."

Hearing him, their eyes widened as they finally realized the true danger Create Item holds. If Lute Stolas somehow manages to get God Slayer, there's no telling what he might do with it.

"Enough about that. Imerda, play more," Lute ordered.

Nodding her head, Imerda waved her arms once more as the screen shifted.

*** (A Few Minutes Later)

"He's arrogant," Flare muttered with an annoyed tone.

"Yet he has the right to do so; might means right in this world," Anastasia Melokva added, his eyes were squinted her brows were furrowed.

"Not only that, he's smart, scarily smart," Don Will Dead said.

Nobody denied that claim, just the snippets of Imerda's interactions with Lute Stolas was like speaking with a person from another dimension. It was like Imerda was simply an open book for him to read.

"His talent for magic is also unparalleled. Creating spells left and right without any problems, you can say most of the spells Don now knows were created by him," Kilt said, his eyes squinting with slight worry.

"He is a master of both Tier and Rune Magic. Have a myriad of attributes he can wield with the existence of Dragon Hearts, and an absurd mana reservoir that seemingly never ends," Anastasia Melokva added.

Each thing they analyzed from Lute Stolas made him a lot scarier. From high intelligence to hard work, the capability to learn from his mistakes, and a fake arrogant nature, it was like an old fox yet he was so young, less than 20 years of age.

No matter what angle they looked at, it was like Lute Stolas held no weakness. His family member is a Z-Rank Mage, he seemingly held no other friends except Maria Fluoret, so threatening him through his emotions was out of the question. Overpowering him might prove futile with his mastery of magic, and his absurd combat experience. Outsmarting him is even more abysmal with his ability to make the Magic Kingdom grow and prosper at such drastic speeds.

"This… Are we sure he's not a monster in human skin?" Anastasia Melokva asked lightly.

"How does he hold so much mana anyways? It's like he has infinite mana," Shijou Yukiko asked, rewinding the video to a certain part where Lute Stolas can be seen reshaping the world inside Aldrich's personal realm.

"And it's like he has no weakness to exploit. He holds all brain, brawn, talent, and diligence, he's a monster who simply grows when left unchecked," Don Will Dead said.

The atmosphere in the room was now a lot gloomier, the more they knew of Lute Stolas, the stronger and harder to beat he became in their eyes.

"Imerda, do you have any other important bit of info?" Kilt asked.

"Hmm… I think that should be it… Wait! I remember!" Imerda's eyes widened as she stood up in a hurry. Waving her arm, they watch as the screen rapidly shift and found Imerda now standing in an open field in front of a blue portal.

"This, this was the first time I met him," Imerda announced, before sitting down, and watch as the others focused on the screen once more.

As they watch Imerda walk through the portal, there they saw it, a man standing in the middle of an open field of dirt wielding a wood of spiraling wood holding a scarlet gem on top of it.

A soft voice emitted from the screen, entering their ears like the call of a devil, "[Buy Attribute: Death]."

Coins flew to the sky, and a pillar of darkness erupted to the sky from the magic circle below Lute Stolas. It was like the God of Death has descended to the mortal plane, enveloping Lute Stolas in its aura that made most of the nine except Kilt and Don Will Dead slightly reel back in shock.

"D-Did I hear that right?" Anastasia Melokva asked with trembling eyes, her mouth twitching as if she was hoping the thing she was watching wasn't real.

"H-He bought an attribute?!" Flare shouted, almost tripping to the ground while her eyes became as wide as saucers.

"Such thick aura of death," Roro Sendiger muttered, speaking his first few words for the first time.

As they all watched the pillar of darkness recede, they all sat in their seats with grave eyes. The mere aura he exuded was enough to cause them to feel scared, imagine facing it head on face to face. If he was able to produce such a spell, even if it was to take a lot of preparations, which was unlikely due to how easily he seemingly casted the spell, then one can only wonder about the spells and magical feats he can achieve and do as of now.

Turning their heads to Don Wil Dead, they saw his soulfire eyes flickering lightly before he muttered, "There's no denying it, even if I were to unleash my full power aura, it wouldn't be as powerful as that. If I were to give it an analogy, I'm a bucket while he was the sea."

"Y-You're kidding, right? You're saying he's stronger than you?!" Louis Crawford stood up in shock.

"I'm not saying he's stronger, I'm merely saying his aura of death was stronger. We do not know how powerful he truly is, we can only theorize and hypothesize potential countermeasures against him. The greatest course of action we should take is either befriend him and gain access to his magical knowledge and technology, or at least have him be neutral against us," Don Will Dead said, causing the grave aura in the air to lessen.

As the room became silent, Honda coughed lightly, "If I may."

In response, Kilt nods his head, allowing Honda to speak.

"If you might recall, I am friends with a certain mage named…"

"Lute…" Kilt muttered, his abysmal black eyes widening in surprise.

"Are you saying…" Kilt said.

"Yes, Lute Stolas is undeniably Lute. From him knowing Structural Analysis to having the same staff he wields when he bought the death attribute, he's definitely the Lute I know," Honda said.

"You should have said so sooner!" Shijou Yukiko sighed.

"Enough arguing. Are you sure you're close friends with him?" Anastasia Melokva asked.

"Yes," Honda nodded his head.

"Hmm, if that is true. Then we might not have to even fight him and his kingdom," Don Will Dead said, the feeling of hope surges through them.

"Should I call Lute Stolas?" Don Will Dead finally asked.

"Mmm, I'll talk to him live," Honda said.

With Kilt's approval, Don Will Dead lightly chanted and they saw a screen suddenly popping up beside Lute Stolas on the TV's screen.

"Hmm? Wait, isn't this the spell… Oh, crap. Sorry viewers, a certain somebody just went to call me at the wrong time, though the function to video call is also on the Akashic System! [Cast Illusion]." Lute Stolas said, before turning around and answering the screen that suddenly appeared.

Turning their eyes to the screen, they saw a purple-eyed man appear on screen sitting on what appeared to be a sofa. His appearance was very much the same one Lute knew, and the villain in the otome game Imerda knows of. Yet, weirdly enough, it seems like she doesn't know it's also the Lute she knows from school and her best friend.

His face was different, it doesn't have the same otherworldly beauty Imerda knows, he looked just like an androgynous man with an above-average face.

"Hello?" Lute asked.

"Oh! It's Honda! What's up, I haven't seen you for so long!" Lute greeted as Honda stood in front of the screen in the meeting room.

"Lute, be honest with me," Honda said, his words were grave and heavy.

"Hmm? What do I need to be honest about?" Lute inquired.

"Are you Lute Stolas?" Honda asked. In return, he watches as Lute's face suddenly turned blank before a light chuckle erupted.

"Welp, the cat's out of the bag! I'm indeed Lute Stolas, pretty crazy story on how I got adopted, by the way, I was just going home when-"

"So, you're indeed Lute Stolas," Kilt interrupted.

"Oh, so you nine are all there? Okay, fuck my secret identity bullcrap, I'm already an S-Rank mage and I'm basically invisible in this world, just look at the TV screen please," Lute said.

Turning their eyes, they saw Lute Stolas' dark purple eyes turned directly towards the screen. "Okay, viewers, we are currently talking with the all-powerful heroes of this land, the Reincarnates!"

Waving his arm, the screen that was floating beside him become larger, directly showing the face of Kilt as his face was apathetic and calm.

"As of now, I'm currently talking with the Nine Reincarnates. So, Kilt-san, can you please ask your questions?"

Looking at Lute Stolas for a few moments, Kilt opened his mouth and spoke, "We hope to negotiate with you in regards to your new magical technology and knowledge. With your help, it can improve our situation against the Demon Lord's army. So, are you willing to share it with the entire world, or keep it to your own kingdom?"

"Ha! That's a funny question, swordsman!" Lute laughed loudly, clutching his stomach as a glint appeared in his dark purple eyes.

"I'm only willing to negotiate in private."

"Then, are you okay with negotiating at the holy sanctuary, the Holy Kingdom?" Kilt asked, pressuring Lute to accept. If he refuses, he's the enemy of mankind, a selfish, power-hungry man. If he accepts, he'll face the nine of them all alone, increasing their odds of putting Lute under their control.

"Sure, I really do hope to meet with the Reincarnates personally. I do have some business I have to deal with a certain someone in your group who only thinks with his second brain," Lute glared at the nine directly, a killing intent so potent it even made Don Will Dead's soulfire eyes widen slightly.

"Okay folks! That's the end of this announcement! You can get the Akashic System starting tomorrow at L Enterprise and all related stores!" Lute announced, and the TV screen turned black.

As the nine sat in silence, they all slightly turned to Louis Crawford who only glared at the TV screen angrily. "He dares threaten me! I'll show that pitiful ant the difference between us!"

Sighing lightly, Kilt wondered what the future has in store for him.

AN: This chapter has 2723 words.

Having to write the thought process of multiple smart characters is making my brain hurt. Fuck, writing for so long is making my mind so muddled that I'm surprised I can still make the smart Reincarnates, well, smart.

But yeah, Braun really is an old monster. He basically manipulated the entire world into making the Reincarnates meet with him, gather Mental Energy, earn riches, have his kingdom grow, reveal his supposed "maximum" strength, and etc. in just one move. See! That's what having schemes with multiple layers look like! He literally hit multiple birds with one fucking stone and simultaneously made them give birth to ten other birds.

Scheming is hard, send me power stones.

(August 9, 2022 – 258th day of writing)