Bro, I'm not an Undead!

The stare down between Elita and Kintar continued. Neither was willing to back down, and as time went on, it almost seemed as though their invisible confrontation had little to do with their clashing ideals, and more to do with whose view Skullius would deem correct. Both women criticised the current Skullius' mindset, but they both had great resolve to change it for the better.

But Skullius could hardly focus on their whims and wills. Their words had stabbed him, leaving great wounds, but even greater than these words, was the throbbing pain in his soul. He still felt Camilla's presence and it was driving him crazy.

The yearning to know who she really was, and why exactly her appearance was superimposing on Kintar longer than it had on anyone else Skullius had hallucinated to be her before, was like a swarm of living ants crawling through him, chittering and biting his being mercilessly.

He gritted his teeth. He was sweating.

The fact that Allora's death, one of Skullius' greatest scars was opened fresh right then didn't make him feel any better. He recalled that mural he made for her and suddenly, it all felt too real. Elita was right. Skullius had never experienced the death of someone he really cared for, at least not on Aigas or in Deadmanland.

He was incredibly attached to friends and subordinates alike.

He had even done his best to protect Silrat when the Premium Age Royale was reaching its conclusion. He had used an artefact that temporarily deleted the man's existence until it was safe for him to return.

Yes. That was the kind of person Skullius was now. He held incredible attachments and would not suffer seeing death falling upon those who didn't deserve it, those who had nothing to do with him. He had failed with Allora where he had succeeded with Silrat… and that gave him a heart.

But according to Kintar, Skullius didn't really need one.

And according to Elita, he did need it, but was supposed to keep it hidden in a vault, away from the darkness in the wider reality.

What exactly did it take for a Divine to survive in this dreadful world?

Skullius couldn't imagine himself reverting back to the skeleton of old who burned an entire library of men and women in Inhone just to keep his identity secret. That Skullius had no regard for life whatsoever, and perhaps for that time, it was best. But now… if Skullius didn't regard life with importance, what was the point of having subordinates?

(A/N: Refer to Ch.166.)

What was the point of going to Deadmanland to claim his soul if Camilla - who must have been a human far weaker than any in Aigas - had no worth?

Wasn't this at the core of why he butted heads with his possessed self?

(A/N: Refer to Ch.166.)

Surprisingly, there came an answer.

"Neither of you are wrong."

Uyuniya had begun taking steps towards Skullius. She gave a passing glance to the Arch-Mages and the Monarch watching in awe and shock at the drama which had sprouted from nowhere within the Royal Dwelling.

Skullius turned his head to her. She looked straight at him, and then at Elita.

"You're not wrong, sister," she said, "but your beliefs are strongly based on your previous life as a religious knight. That part of you mustn't be something you try to inflict on others as an answer to their queries. You're naturally a selfless person who would avoid conflict if need be and you're always willing to help those in need."

Elita's face softened.

Uyuniya then looked at Kintar.

The ovular eyes of the short woman stared deep into hers. Discover hidden stories at empire

Uyuniya turned to Skullius again.

"I'm sure you've started to doubt this woman as an ally, but I'll tell you this. The fact that you chose someone like her as an aide marks you as someone with the makings of a great leader. Often, leaders need a contradicting voice that challenges their views, even in the extremes. Happy, peaceful times don't bring to light the truth about leading and all the horrible decisions it forces upon you. Believe me, I know," she said to him, her face looking incredibly grave. "Your… Deputy has confronted your ideals with nothing less than the truth. Or rather a set of truths. Now, it's up to you to decide if you are going to accept those truths and bear them as your own, or if you'll form your own truths, and make her accept it. Currently, you have none."

Skullius considered Uyuniya for a while. A deafening silence persisted as he did.

He saw in her eyes something he hadn't seen before. She had been abrasive and irrational earlier, opting to fight and mock him rather than to try and talk. But ever since Skullius acquired Maximum Jaqquezjaqqz, she treated him very differently. She considered him as something more than just an ally.

And as for what she had said just now…

'Ah. I see it now. She really is some kind of princess like Elita said. Violent to enemies and wise to friends,' Skullius thought.

And her words were true enough.

Kintar meant him no harm. She wasn't doing anything maliciously. She was simply presenting him with an interpretation of how she thought he should be, how he should do things. The fact that she was willing to die by his hand just for expressing her opinion was a clear sign that she was also willing to accept it if he chose a different path. It was Skullius' duty as her leader to stipulate an alternative path and hammer it home.

So far, Skullius had not convinced Kintar how exactly she was wrong and why.

He took a breath.

'Maybe I'm just too on edge because of the sheer number of enemies I've met in the last few hours. All of them have been branding me names, deciding what I am. I might have thought Kintar was doing the same,' he thought, and he looked at her.

She stared back at him, the look in her eyes unwavering.

"Prove me wrong, master, and I'll gladly follow the path you think is the best. But until then…" Kintar began.

Skullius waved her off.

"I get it, I get it." She still infuriated the hell out of him. He wanted so badly to rip her head off.

He stood up and gave Uyuniya a nod.

"You're right," he said, and then he looked at Elita. "So are you. But I can't create an entire philosophy from scratch right now. As much as I hate how Kintar acquired the information she gave him, it really is crucial. Boron must be stopped." He took another deep breath and felt his soul calm down. "He outsmarted us all and we're behind by several steps."