SIS B4: Chapter 113: Camera and Remaining Cardinals

"Why're we stoppin'?" Crusher asked.

"Sorry, I need to set something up first before I can drop you off," Daz said as he stepped out of the flying car that was thousands of metres high in the air.

He had obtained a newly tailored set of underclothing lined with gems before coming out here. Using that, he floated through the air without resistance.

'This is miles better than using the pebble gems,' he thought.

Daz then reached into his Industrial Item Box and pulled out a device he had purchased from the system on the drive here.

It was a massive camera with a jewel at its heart. The jewel wasn't too dissimilar to GriD CrosS in that it allowed the device to float mid-air.

Daz configured it so that it would see through clouds and focus on a particular building far beneath them. It was an expensive piece of technology but it would be worth it.

Once he was done, he touched his earpiece and asked, "Rose? Is it broadcasting?"

"Sure is. I'll do what you asked and make it live across the world when its appropriate. I've also got it set up on my end to translate any lips movement it can pick up into words, so look the right way if you wanna speak to the camera," his sister answered in an upset tone.

He smiled a bit warmly and spoke in an apologetic tone, "Thank you. I know you don't agree with my plan but it's the best way to get rid of the Truthian's once and for all without massive casualties."

"... You could use Dad's forces as a distraction. It'd increase your chances of winning. Red had already confirmed that. He sent over seven Ember-wielders and a whole army of men and women all prepared to die for the cause," Rose reasoned.

Daz shook his head. "He may be willing to see people as disposable pawns, you too for that matter. I don't blame him nor you for that but I'm not that kind of person. Not anymore. My emotions won't allow it nor will my ambitions. I can do this with just Crusher and myself. No one else need risk their lives."

Crusher yelled from the car, "I ain't riskin' shit! I'm a motherfuckin' peak existence! Even that pope bitch herself would need a long time to fully cut my big ass off from the system."

Daz laughed a little. "And I have a strong feeling I'll be fine. My instincts aren't warning me. They haven't really beyond light nudges for some time now."

"... I'll be honest, Daz; something I rarely do with you. I don't want you to die. Daz... Big Brother... There are a billion other ways you could tackle this. Why have armies and why train up Ember-wielders if you're not going to use them?" she asked as her voice began cracking.

Daz shook his head. "Planning is never unwise, but Crusher's evolutions have given us a new, far stronger method of attack. It would be foolish to pass up on it."

His plan only included himself and Crusher. He could show the world how powerful he was while minimizing casualties on his side, perhaps leading to weaker nations gaining faith in giving them the needed reason to join New Earth of their own initiative.

He wouldn't need to risk the lives of his hard trained citizens and he also wouldn't need to give his father a favour. That was the last thing Daz wanted.

Something about his Curse of Loneliness he'd received from the Door of 10,000 also gave him the feeling that, with it, he would be incredibly difficult to kill.

That would likely be proven or disproven today. Regardless, his method for dealing with the mythical city couldn't allow for nearby allies anyway. They would likely die as a result of his intended actions.

He had been worried how he would deal with that when the time came but this new opportunity through Crusher delimited that concern.

"I'll be careful, Rose. I love you," he said.

"Hah. As if I'm returning the sentiment. Go do your stupid fucking plan. Fucking idiot... I'll let you know how I feel about you if you succeed," Rose spat back.

"If my plan goes off without a hitch, will you confess to Vanessa for me?" Daz asked, catching the girl off guard while also ignoring her profuse cursing.

"... Whatever. If it'll make you be more careful, sure, I'll fucking confess... Jackass," she said before hanging up.

Crusher's laugher resounded out from the Ridomochi Final Model. "Hotwheels has a thing for Wukong? Never pegged her as a lesbian who's into older chicks!"

Daz shook his head. He gave the camera one final check before nodding and returning to the floating vehicle.

Once inside, he began flying straight up with it. "Wukong?"

"Well, she uses a staff, right?" Crusher asked with a grin.

"You and your silly nicknames... Well, let's go find out how far we can go into space before the system tells us off, hmm?" Daz asked back, clearly not too interested in the topic of Vanessa.

"I can't fuckin' wait to find out," Crusher replied.

***

[Warning! Turn back. Proceed and you risk being wiped out of existence. You are still a host participating in a trial. You lack permission to go any further.]

Daz immediately stopped moving the car. They had made it about 30-miles into the stratosphere and were incredibly close to leaving Earth's orbit.

"Ah, you get a message too?" Crusher questioned. "I just got one sayin' if I leave I can't come back until the trials end or fail."

Daz nodded. "I got something similar. Seems this is your stop."

Crusher smirked then got out of the car. She then used her hammer to avoid plummeting right back down to Earth. "15 minutes, Uriel."

"15 minutes," he repeated before he started up the Ridomochi Final Model again and headed back down to the surface.

***

Daz was a bit surprised to not get bombarded with attacks upon coming close to the grand cathedral that was the centre of the Truthian's land.

Many people had noticed his approach but not a single one had made his car disappear or stripped him of his system connection.

'Odd, but no matter. This only helps me,' Daz thought.

Not long later, he felt he was close enough to the massive and magnificent holy structure to get out. He stopped the car and returned it to its key before tossing that in his Industrial Item Box.

No army was at the gates to meet him. No, instead, according to the robes they were wearing, all five of the remaining cardinals were there just staring at him with condescension and arrogance in their eyes.

"To think, the turtle of Fort Home finally pokes his head out of his shell and has the audacity to invade our capital and our most holy of sites by his lonesome," a muscular man with a tome at his waist said.

Another cardinal, this one a lanky man in his seventies or eighties with long white hair and a cane in his hands, shook his head. "What tricks are you planning, High King Crowthorne?"

Daz shrugged. "I'm honestly asking myself the same question when it comes to you lot. Why has my system access not be stripped from me? Why are we even talking instead of just killing each other?"

A short woman with equally short blonde hair frowned as she tightened her grip on her odd-looking religious knives. "You think yourself capable of defeating all five of us? Laughable."

Daz smiled faintly. "Grace was easily tricked and the gravity mage who didn't give me his name was severely lacking in observational skills. Surely you all have your own weaknesses I can exploit as well. Five at once is a lot, but I can likely avoid getting bested immediately."

The most notable of the five cardinals, a gorgeous twenty-something-year-old woman with fire for hair, stepped forward.

"You killed Brother Matthew?" she asked, her voice containing an odd sense of power and authority.

Daz scoured her body for a visible weapon but saw none.

The last of the cardinals didn't seem overly remarkable being a young girl no older than Rose. She was holding a stick or perhaps a wand of sorts.

Regardless, the woman with fire for hair had nothing on her that seemed dangerous but she was the one triggering his Survivor's Instinct the most.

Of course, his life didn't feel gravely threatened, but the light alarm bells were ringing.

"Was that his name? Yes, yes I did. He attacked me so I defended myself. Quite similar to why I'm here, actually. You attacked my kingdom, now I am here to destroy yours," Daz stated.

He then reached into his Industrial Item Box and took out over a dozen suitcases. "Please, feel free to interrupt me whenever you so wish. I may take a while to set everything up. By the way, you have about ten minutes to evacuate your cathedral before it ceases existing."

Still despite his threats, none of the cardinals moved. Strange, but he wasn't going to complain. He had come prepared to not fight with his needles at all so he was happy to be given the chance to set up thousands of the things.

He needed more to counter the sheer amount that would no doubt end up getting destroyed and turned to ash.

Suddenly, a very powerful and almost seductively holy voice boomed in his surroundings.

"High King Daz Crowthorne, monarch of New Earth... Scion of the Hamilio line and perhaps the greatest obstacle standing in the way of the one True God's providence. I admit, I did not foresee your arrival here," the feminine voice stated. "I'm torn between ordering the faith's cardinals to send you to the Lord's side or to reason with you."

Daz froze for a moment before he turned to stare past the cardinals right at the cathedral. "Mother Danielle, I assume? Worry not, your time shall come as well."

Despite the massive danger to his life and the sheer scale of the alarm bells ringing in his head now... he felt at peace. Daz just had a strange yet unquestionable feeling that he would not die here.

Perhaps it was his future vision of himself calmly paying an incredibly large fine. Perhaps it was the boon he received from the Door of 10,000 giving him confidence. He didn't know.

'Not a thing to be upset over,' he felt. 'Regardless of the why, what remains factual is that I need not be afraid. I am the one in control here.'

A voice came through his earpiece. "We're live and that other thing you ordered is in place. You know, the thing. Be safe, Daz... Come home when this is all over."

Daz nodded slowly before he stored the earpiece in his Industrial Item box.

"Your belief in yourself is astounding. You would make an incredible pope, no, perhaps even an archpope," Mother Danielle claimed from within the safety of wherever she was hiding. "Perhaps it is a shame that I was chosen for that role and not you."

"You know I come from the line of espers that holds the most respect and power in the entire world. I've have enough experiences dealing with people who think of themselves as gods when really, they're just more powerful beings than the majority. Your god too is false. Just as the system's gods are," Daz chuckled.

"Now, why would you say such a thing? I and the Lord know you not to be a close-minded individual. You are no sheep waiting to be shepherded. Why then, do you lack faith?" Mother Danielle asked.

"Lack faith? What is there to faithful of? There is no god. Not even the system. Do you know why, Mother Danielle?" Daz asked.

"No. However, I do know your mind is clouded, young kin-"

"It's because if there truly was a godly being, they wouldn't need worthless pawns like you to do their bidding," Daz interrupted.

Indignant and rage-filled expressions flashed across the faces of the cardinals. Even the child was glaring at him hatefully as she tightly gripped her stick.

Daz cared not and continued speaking his mind.

"Your 'True God' is too weak to even affect this world without needing slaves. The system's gods need their champions. The system itself, cannot take from Earth what it wishes without countless trials. What is a god if not an omnipotent and omniscient being that can do whatever it wants without needing any help whatsoever, completely unaffected by rules, laws of existence, or restrictions of any kind?" Daz questioned.

He laughed suddenly. "There's no such thing as a godly being. It's only a title people use to make themselves feel greater than they truly are. Or for lesser beings to find some meaning in life. I have no issues with the latter. The former is flawed but can be harmless. Your cult is neither. Your cult is a parasite that uses death and misery to spread your false 'truth'."

"... Your view on the matter is unique, certainly. Misguided though is how I would describe you, Daz Crowthorne," Mother Danielle said, not bothering to try to counter his words.

He knew she had the wisdom to see his mind was unshakable. "In your eyes I'm misguided. In my eyes, you're a walking corpse. It's been just about ten minutes by the way. I gave you time plenty of time to evacuate," Daz said with a sadness in his tone.

The woman with fire for hair grit her teeth. "How dare you speak to her holiness like this, you heathenistic infidel! I have tolerated it thus far but I will strike you down despite our orders should you show any mo-"

She was prevented from saying more when the sound of the sky splitting filled the area. Immediately following that, an impact so strong and so loud that it could be felt and heard all across the entire continent, rocked the land.

Daz simply smiled as he endured what was happening, clearly aware of the reason behind this interruption.