Chapter 161: The Conversation

Kamatayan Queendom, Siginarugan City, Royal Palace, Office of the Queen, a day before the Second Elven-Undead War.

The two queens of Kamatayan are sitting in front of each other, divided by a table, not looking like two flirtatious love birds. Instead, they look like queens who are planning their opponents' demise.

As such, Sophia did not beat around the bush, she sighed and then looked Eleanor right in the eye.

"I called you here because of one thing... normally, Bakunawa will be tapped to fight Tydings IV but, according to the simulation based on all the activities and decisions I have made, "that" is probably looking for a fight between "The Sand Demon" and "The King of the Underworld."

Sophia paused for a while as she squinted her eyes.

"It sounds like someone is making some obvious plot points when giving these titles, but that is no coincidence."

Eleanor nodded, but soon, she also squinted her eyes.

"I was actually going to force that fight into me because I have a hero's test that involves defeating and killing someone way stronger than me... however Sophia, I think as your wife, I need to know what this "simulation" you are talking about."

Sophia was stunned, but soon, she sighed. Indeed, even though she is the highest-ranking queen of Kamatayan out of the three, she still doesn't have the right bestowed by her own law to rule over the other two. She can pass a law to be able to do so, but she will never do so for obvious reasons.

"Alright, well, there is a time loop that this world is encased in. I have to talk with my god in the future about the specifics, but yeah, that's pretty much it, that's why I want you to fight Tydings IV."

Eleanor looked confused; she tilted her head sideways as she looked at Sophia.

"Time loop? Like bending time from a point to another to make a sequence of never-ending repeated cycles? That's impossible, Sophia, time is absolute; it cannot be controlled, nor does it need energy to function, and it has existed since the dawn of the universe, a time loop or time travel is only fiction material."

Sophia was shocked; this was the first time that Eleanor refuted her claim, which seemed to be related to the magical science of this world. Thus, she shook her head.

"No, time is relative... how do I explain this."

Sophia closed her eyes and then suddenly opened them as she raised an index finger. It's been a long time since she explained the physics of time to someone, and thus, she is excited.

"Think of it this way: if you need to transverse 1km using 1 km/h as speed, you will reach it in 1 hour, but if you speed up at the starting point at 2km/h, you will be able to cut down the time to 30 minutes, in that sense, don't you think that you controlled time, albeit artificially and rather insignificant? If time is absolute, the 1km of the 2km per hour will be the only time and distance that will be consumed in the said set length of distance traveled, also, is there any study about the universe in Gjallarhorn?"

Eleanor shook her head, though her eyes were shining at such a very interesting debate.

"We only know the sun is the star by which Pentateuch is revolving around, while the moon is a natural satellite... it is from a book that is written by mother and is tested by a lot of researchers during her early times, it was confirmed. However, we do not have any time to develop tools for physical exploration of what is beyond this world."

Sophia was disappointed; she would have been able to discuss time dilation if Eleanor had some knowledge of it, but because she have a goal and a deadline for the time loop in mind, she doesn't have time to explain the said concept at its very base.

"That might be true. However, we humans still cannot physically exist in the past; time is moving, and we are always stuck in the present, no amount of speed can control the flow of the 24 hours of our day."

Eleanor was fired up. However, Sophia shook her head. (Author: We are actually stuck in the future, albeit just for 15 seconds as that is the time lag of our vision so as to not overload our brain.)

"No, like I said... forget it, time is relative, it is, and you know, there is, in fact, someone who is controlling it."

Eleanor's eyes widened.

"So... someone...? Then... I will believe you in this for now, however, if someone is controlling it and they still did not do anything to you when you noticed the time loop, does that mean you are meant to notice it?"

Sophia shook her head at that; she ignored the reluctant belief of Eleanor. Unfortunately, she can only prove it when the war against Valentine starts.

"No, I don't think so, if it is, then my god will also be part of that time loop when he makes me come to being, but as far as I observe the gods or some of them, maybe the older ones are outside the time loop and are trying hard to develop someone that will notice it through subtle communications that bends the principle of the time loop, I am most likely their only successful attempt and from what I presume, their last attempt to break the time loop."

Eleanor nodded at this, however, soon, she once again frowned.

"But... is this conversation meant to happen? Are my questions..."

Eleanor cracked her finger.

"... and that meant to happen?"

Sophia chuckled at how curious Eleanor was, but she still shook her head.

"You know, that's what's good with the time loop, unlike the time loop in fantasy media in Gjallarhorn that controls even the fart of civilian number 57, this time loop seems to be able to just govern important points, their time frames and all, for example, the other Sophias in other circulations of the time loop is not meant to have family issues, and the other Urdujas are not meant to be a womanizer... and so on, they just needed to exist to serve their purpose and reenact important points like building the Kamatayan queendom and invading Gjallarhorn, it doesn't matter how will they do it in that specific time loop, they just have to do it, when an important point of the time loop is not made, or when an event finished a  second too early or too late, that is only the time when the controller can notice it, because time may be relative, but it's still one of the most powerful and complicated concepts in the whole universe."

Eleanor nodded at this. She is still in doubt, but she knows that soon, her wife, Sophia, will be able to prove her claims, as she always do.

"I see... Wait a minute... can gods get confused when governing time?"

Sophia looked confused.

"Gods?"

But soon, her face cleared up.

"Ah, no, don't worry about that. There is only 5 minutes left, and I have to tell you all of what you need to do."

Eleanor wanted answers, but for now, she had to cooperate with the plan of Sophia.

"So, you will fight Tydings IV and make it drag on for 3 days starting tomorrow, after that, you will be abducted by  Hebi Tsukaiza, and they will use you to agitate me and for me to start the first and last war between Kamatayan and Valentine."

Eleanor is still perplexed by this. Sophia might have a very broad foresight, but this is more like fortune telling, something that, of course, Sophia noticed.

"All of these are meant to happen, and after they did, I'm sure you will believe me, make haste."

Eleanor nodded and prepared for her fight, and indeed, for the whole duration of the fight, she was still somewhat unbelieving, it was like how Sophia said, when Isaac Newton said that something will not move until you move it, the statement was regarded as bullshit before it was fully accepted, Eleanor also cannot accept something that opposes her beliefs, even the moment when she was abducted as Sophia have said, she still cannot believe it, after all, it's only strategically correct to provoke your enemy.

But still, somehow, someway, because it makes sense, Eleanor was able to believe more, blind trust must be one of the factors, but Eleanor can feel it, not only is it because it was ordered by Sophia to be abducted, it's like she has lost the will to fight back entirely when she can test her ability at that time.

___________

_Why is that? It feels like it makes total sense, it feels totally normal not to fight even if I can defy the strength difference... it's like there is something that makes me, or perhaps, time to move forward no matter what my abilities have become..._

Even now, when she is in a dungeon under the royal palace of Valentine, kneeling in front of 4 people: Loki, a man that has a swallowtail tuxedo, Eris, a very tall woman, taller than Arachne, and Arachne herself, she was looking at them confused, which made Loki look at her in wonder, for Eleanor is not glaring at them in hatred, she just looks utterly confused.

Eleanor looks like she saw a swan paying for a bus ride in the middle of a city, but soon, Eleanor herself notice this oddity in her behavior and then immediately started to glance at Arachne, who also looked at her with cold eyes, yet gritting teeth. She smiled at her, for she is not afraid of anything happening to her, after all, if Sophia knew of the time loop (that Eleanor now believes given the odd actions she just did that makes no sense and also because she has to cooperate with the plans of her wife like she always do) of course these two do and if Sophia said that they would use her as a provocation, then she will not be killed unless she has served her purpose.

"Hello there."

Eleanor was calm, relatively so, as she said that to Arachne, making the spider enraged as she moved her front claw, however, when she was about to swipe it forward, an itch was felt in her tongue and an existential dread course through her whole body, and as she felt cold sweat run down her forehead, she heard a system notification.

[Notice: The hidden command in the enslavement spell of individual [Sophia Demiurge] has met the requirement for activation, individual [Arachne] is not allowed to bring harm or allow harm to happen to her queen's wife, the individual [Arachne] is also tasked to free Eleanor in person the night of the first day of Kamatayan's war against Valentine.]

Arachne froze and immediately retracted her claws, which is something that seem to not be noticed by her father, so much to her despair and grief. Now, she has to free Eleanor in person and protect herself from a hero who is sure to be angry with her due to her betrayal. It will either leave her severely injured or dead on the spot for Arachne, despite her omnipresence, still has a main body, and she is not willing to risk using a "version" of her, or else she will die through the contract of the enslavement spell.

But now her road is basically just die a slave or die as a slave in the hands of your enslaver's wife.

_Why do I have to trick someone so intelligent..."

As Arachne was grimacing, she looked at Hebi.

"Mother-in-law, please detain her in the highest priority cell, which seals magical powers, we cannot have her escaping and wreaking havoc inside the palace."

Hebi nodded at this; she had no qualms about being ordered around by a daughter of Loki, she just efficiently executed her duty, though she was not aware that Arachne wanted to foreshadow her enslavement, something that she, yet again, failed to do.

__________

On the morning of the third day of the Second-Elven Undead War, soldiers once again prepared to break through their opponent's flanks and successfully destroy their army and, in turn, successfully invade their country, yet this time, the commander of the dead, [Guide] is blankly staring at a certain direction, the place by which the fight between Eleanor and Tydings IV happened.

When the battle ended with the king of the underworld being defeated, the living army's morale evidently crashed, as they showed up to the battlefield, they looked tense and seemed to be breathing more heavily from yesterday, even the five generals of the enemy, of course, the living army of Kamatayan was made to know of the death of Ruphas in that altercation, they are yet to give a response, but one can say that they too were shaken.

_Damn, I have to cover up the abduction of Eleanor and the true reason for Rupha's death to all of them... more importantly, Bakunawa should be kept in the dark about Eleanor, or the plan of Sophia will fall apart... damn.... this is the first time Sophia made such an inflexible plan... The leverage here is that the most probable action of Eleanor will be to help Sophia against Aerendil, so no living or dead soldiers will suspect that one of our fighters is abducted_

[Guide] sighed, but he did not think more as he started to order the generals of the dead.

An order to attack the living generals.