Chapter 267: Fight The World (2)

Regardless of any reasons or events of the past, they only had one path ahead of them. The war between worlds was imminent.

One could say it was unfair for those indirectly implicated, but just like them, there was no other choice. To fight or do nothing and be a puppet.

The plan quickly went into motion as soon as they finished talking with the book, or the World Consciousness. The timing of refining its core had to wait, and for that, they needed to acquire one more card.

Rise and Kamille quietly left the ruined world after Rise gave Zarilan and his father permission to proceed with preparing for the war. In the first stage, their presence would not be needed yet.

After traveling for an hour, they returned to the place where the noble who imprisoned Rise had been before. Located here was a direct teleportation gate towards the unknown noble territory.

The two stood before the gate and, for a while, stared at it. Soon, they decisively entered the gate. To win this war, they could not ignore the noble side.

During the plot, or records, nobles were an indispensable part. They were part of everything. Rise even called nobles "lackeys" of the author, being one of their convenient antagonists.

However, after understanding the reality of this world, it became clear that nobles were not merely lackeys of the author; they were integral to the system, just as Espers and Guides represented humanity’s trend. They were not created by the so-called author at all.

Even so, after countless years of meddling, nobles were gradually tainted by the will, just like Epsilon. Then why were they here?

There was only one reason.

Kamille’s noble identity.

It was merely an instant; Rise barely felt the space around him change. The teleportation gate was far more stable than he had thought.

In the blink of an eye, the other side of the gate greeted the two of them. Rise’s gaze quickly roamed around him, tilting his head.

"This isn’t what I imagined..." Rise smiled, glancing at Kamille. "I thought we’d be surrounded by nobles immediately."

While his tone sounded like he was joking, Rise was truly vigilant and prepared to take action anytime. After all, they were about to enter the unknown enemy territory.

"I’m not surprised. I couldn’t sense any presence on the other side earlier." Kamille shrugged, and a playful smile tugged at his lips when he saw Rise narrow his eyes at him. "I apologize for not informing you."

Rise rolled his eyes at him and did not pursue the matter. Still, he did not forget to pinch Kamille’s broad chest to show his annoyance. Of course, the other only grinned at this action.

"This room..." Rise’s voice echoed in the enclosed room as he paused.

The other side of the gate was only a small room without any furniture in sight. There were only crystals embedded in the wall providing lighting at the side, which had already dimmed due to the passage of time.

Rise inhaled and smelled a faint scent of decay. It seemed it had been a while since this place was abandoned.

There was nothing to see there, and so he relaxed slightly.

"Where to go now?" Rise directly let Kamille lead, as always. Since this place was also noble’s turf.

Kamille was also not familiar with this place, but being a noble, it would be easier for him to integrate into the environment.

"Let’s find someone first."

Rise agreed, and the two left the room. As Kamille said, he had not felt any presence around the area. In fact, even a thousand meters from the room, they had not met anyone.

It was an empty village. Also, Rise could not feel the majesty the nobles often exuded by looking down on humans. The village houses were made of stone, though far more durable than their world; it still appeared backward.

Moreover, the environment was so quiet, and he did not even hear any noise from insects or monsters. Rise always thought that the place beyond the gate had lots of monsters because of the gates constantly spawning monsters.

Rise sat in one of the stone statues outside the gate. Their investigation remained fruitless.

"Should we speed up? We don’t have much time to slowly investigate the affairs on this side."

It was not just that he was impatient, but their time was limited. Their plan was to quickly subdue some nobles in their ranks. After all, in this war, once the will let the nobles enter the fray of his frenzied army... Their side’s winning chance dropped significantly.

Although winning the war was not really their plan and only a distraction until Kamille succeeded, they needed to buy time before that.

Losing so quickly was also dangerous. So, they needed nobles on their side too. While nobles were seen as powerful beings, they were not as united as humans thought they were.

The will surely had influence on them, but Kamille’s higher-ranking noble identity could also be used to subdue some. They did not need to be of higher rank. They only needed quantity.

In the noble hierarchy, those of lower rank, like a baron, could not resist the orders of a higher rank. And in this world, barons and viscounts were the most numerous.

Kamille’s gaze penetrated towards the unknown, careful not to look at the places where he perceived higher-ranking nobles, thereby alerting the enemy. Rise noticed this and also fell silent.

Minutes passed, and Kamille remained stationary, with Rise just waiting by his side. He wondered if the war had already started on the other side.

Before they left, a fissure appeared on the ruined world. Since their world was stronger, it was easier for the will to crack an entrance to force their way in. Not to mention it was very familiar in their presence.

"This world..." Kamille suddenly spoke, snapping Rise from his thoughts.

"What is it?"

Kamille glanced at him. "This place doesn’t seem to be the world beyond the gate."

Rise blinked, surprised. For a moment, he processed what Kamille meant by that. Soon, his face turned solemn.

"Did you mean we’re in the wrong world?"

Was that asshole tricked by then, and did his precious teleportation gate not lead to the world beyond the gates at all?

Kamille had seen through his thoughts and quickly explained.

"No, we are at the right place. It’s only that this world isn’t the real origin. I’m not sure, but the tug I feel from my own soul doesn’t come from here."

Kamille had already told Rise about that call that seemed to come from the depths of his soul. Both of them thought it had come beyond the gates.

"Then... Do we need to find it?"

Kamille shook his head.

"Since we’re already here, I can confirm one thing. The call had nothing to do with my noble origins." Kamille immediately denied Rise’s suggestion. "That call can wait. We’ll proceed with the plan."

Kamille breathed deeply and looked far ahead with a dark expression.

"We need to act quickly. That side has the same intention as us."