Free Web NovelChapter 675: Chapter 674: The Pawn Finally Becomes the Chess Player_1
This was a space shrouded in darkness, seeming like a boundless dungeon.
Aiden stood in this space, lifting a lantern and letting it float in mid-air. Here, simple physical rules existed only at his whim.
This was the "Punishment" space derived from the authority of "Order," used to execute the powers of "Imprisonment" and "Exile." It was essentially the same as the spirit world derived from the authority of "Death."
Aiden could divide this space into any number of isolated small spaces to be used as independent cells. The space persisted with the authority and, when using the power of "Punishment," he merely opened the door to this space.
The light from the lantern cast a halo in the darkness, and under the vast cover of darkness, this illuminated spot was like an island in the vast ocean. freeweɓnøvel.com
Now, there were two people on this island, Aiden, and Melifilia, who was nailed to a crucifix.
"I’ve waited a long time for you," smiled Melifilia.
"Let’s begin," Aiden said, and sat back as if there was a chair behind him, but he settled steadily into his seat.
He took out a chessboard and allowed the board and pieces to float in mid-air, swiftly arranging them neatly.
"Chess again?" Melifilia looked at the board with interest, "And you’re letting me go first again?"
"I must win a game against you," said Aiden.
"Do you really believe that by letting me go first you stand a chance to win?" Melifilia raised an eyebrow.
"I’ve realized by now that you, with your power sealed, actually can’t exhaust all possibilities like a computer; you’re just very good at deduction because of your fusion with the authority," Aiden said calmly, "In this game, you are not invincible."
"Have you finally realized that reaching this level? But as you are now, you still can’t beat me," Melifilia said as she used her mental magic, moving a chess piece.
This mental magic allowed her to move light, small objects, but she couldn’t pull out the holy nail. The concept of the holy nail made her one with it. In principle, her telekinesis could not work on herself, just as one cannot lift off the ground by pulling one’s own hair.
And now, Aiden had added several rules to this space. It was indeed safer than the dungeon created by the Heretic Inquisitor. Melifilia had absolutely no chance of utilizing divine words here.
Aiden began to play chess with Melifilia with focus. After integrating with the authority of "Order," he found he also possessed a logic deduction ability that surpassed that of ordinary people, which greatly improved his chess skill.
Now, when he played chess with the initiative, he was basically able to force a draw from Melifilia.
But his goal now was to beat her when she played first.
He felt that playing chess with Melifilia allowed him to somewhat discern the way she thought, which helped him understand the Goddess of Conspiracy.
"You’re studying me through the chessboard," Melifilia suddenly laughed.
"After all, your other half is somewhere holding a belly full of schemes ready to cause me trouble, right? I have to be prepared," Aiden admitted openly.
"So that’s why you forced me to reveal the conditions for ’Wisdom’s’ ascension earlier? Are you really that afraid?" Melifilia said in a teasing tone.
"I’ve said before, killing you and taking the ’Wisdom’ authority is only the last resort. Unless necessary, I won’t arbitrarily kill my own prisoner; I still have my principles," Aiden replied.
"Principles, huh... Do you remember what you once told me about the original sin of gods? Now that you’ve become one of them, how do you feel?" Melifilia narrowed her eyes, her tone carrying a hint of irony.
"I still consider myself a mere mortal, merely harboring the power of gods within me. I bind it with my will to use it for maintaining the order of civilization; I think there’s nothing wrong with that," Aiden said, playing with the chess piece he had just picked up before setting it down.
"You’re as sharp-tongued as ever," Melifilia said as she moved her own piece, "Time changes a person. The authority makes it easy for you to live eternally. You’ll gradually become an outsider in the eyes of mortals, and you’ll realize you are different from them. You’ll eventually see there’s no need to bind yourself with the rules of mortals, and in the end, you will become like one of us."
"Then please save your sarcasm for that future," Aiden remained unaffected.
"Your resistance means nothing to me. By giving up your original memories and choosing your own life path, what difference does it make from erasing your own existence?" Melifilia said, "Why refuse? From start to finish, ’we’ have never harmed you."
"For the last time, stop trying to shake me with such poor sophistry; do you think I really care that much about who I truly am?" Aiden laughed coldly, "Not even philosophers can provide an accurate answer to ’Who am I?’ Why should I fuss over it? Admittedly, logically speaking, I originated from a part of you that was assimilated. But what difference does that make from one’s birth? Birth doesn’t determine a person’s will. After all, can I still be considered the same as ’you’ after discarding those memories? If we must straighten out the logic, your part died at that time, and the ’me’ now is the new existence that was reborn then. I choose to go against you because I want to, because I enjoy it, and most importantly, because I can."
Aiden was not entangled in philosophical questions like who he was. In the end, he could entirely discard all identities. He could cease to be a wandering transmigrator, not be the Heretic Inquisitor Aiden, nor a split entity of the conspiracy goddess. In shedding those memories to ascend as a ruler, he could also resolve to be a newly born existence.
In his eyes, identity was not significant. What mattered was carrying through his own will. At that moment, he believed he should continue as a Watcher, breaking free from the conspiracy goddess’s control, so that’s what he did.
He had no need to be entangled in philosophical questions about his identity and then regret his decisions.
"No matter what you think, my fate is now my own," Aiden said, looking into Melifilia’s eyes.
"Alright, if I consider you and me entirely separate, I must admit... you really won," Melifilia turned her attention to the chess board, "You’ve achieved your goal. You’ve won freedom for yourself, escaped from my script and game board, stepping out as a chess piece to become a player on par with ’me.’ And I have reaped but a soul, losing a dominion that seemed certain to be mine."
"No, it’s a draw," Aiden lifted his head to look at Melifilia and countered, "My goal wasn’t just to win freedom for myself. I also wanted to capture you completely and imprison you. But Melissa has escaped. Although I’ve stepped out of the board to become a player, the game isn’t over yet."
He turned his gaze to the chess board and moved a chess piece.
For an instant, his thoughts plunged reality into this board.
Now, he became a chess player contesting the conspiracy goddess. With the ruler’s power obtained, he was capable of manipulating the game.
The conspiracy goddess had the dreamer to aid her, while he had the vengeance goddess by his side. Besides, he had chess pieces like Abigail and Qiqimora close to the handle, and even Lamia was not without her chances.
There was also the death god in the cursed land. With the vengeance goddess’s power, he might be persuaded to return to normal as a condition, especially since the conspiracy goddess was already his archenemy. However, the death god was not one to be easily controlled, so this choice must be made with caution.
But he must pay attention to the movements of the death god. From the issue of the Wordless Code, it seemed that the conspiracy goddess had connections with the vampire progenitor, and she may create an opportunity for the progenitor to seize the dominion of "death," adding reinforcements for herself.
Of course, the strongest card in Aiden’s hand was still Melifilia, the conspiracy goddess herself. He had already extracted the ascension ritual of "wisdom" from her using his authority. If necessary, he could destroy Melifilia’s flesh, strip the divinity, divine word, and the sole dominion from her spirit, allowing himself to ascend as the ruler of "wisdom."
However, he also had to consider the possibility that Melifilia might have tampered with his memories. Furthermore, Melissa likely anticipated his potential actions, but Aiden could set a trap based on this as well.
Beyond that, there was another path open to him, to personally seize other dominions from the "order" throne...
In the distant or not-so-distant future, the conspiracy goddess would return to the fray, and by then he would be ready to face the contest. However, this game didn’t have such formal rules; both he and the conspiracy goddess could interfere with the other’s plans at any time.
But in any case, he was no longer that powerless chess piece; the fate of his world was finally in his own hands.
He would continue his happiness as a mortal, serve as the warden of the Rose Iron Prison, carry out his consciousness as a Watcher, and at the same time, he would meet the challenges of other rulers with the power of a dominator—though the latter was not entirely what he wanted.
It seems that, willing or not, he would not be bored in the future. Aiden thought to himself.
"You seem to have considered a lot," Melifilia suddenly laughed, "Don’t you think, your way of thinking is becoming more and more like mine?"
"In that respect, you’re indeed a good teacher," Aiden said, "To be honest, to have come this far, I still have a bit of gratitude for you."
It was his sincere sentiment; without the conspiracy goddess’s arrangement, he wouldn’t have had the chance to reach this point.
"Another draw, it is," Melifilia sighed after moving the chess piece.
"Yes," Aiden also foresaw the end of the game, "Let’s play another round next time."
"Okay," Melifilia slowly closed her eyes, ready to succumb to slumber, "An unpredictable future, I look forward to it."
"Sleep, prisoner 4001," Aiden picked up the chess piece for the last time but did not place it. Instead, he casually tossed it onto the board, "I will always be watching over you."
His chess piece bounced on the board and rolled off the edge.
The light from the lantern faded, and in the space, only the sleeping Melifilia remained.
(The end of the book)
