Disc 2: Land of Castles and the Lion. Ch. 9: Database

Golden Shogun rose from his throne without uttering a word—a gesture his elite guard immediately recognized as the signal to punish the intruders. The first to launch himself forward was the Man in the Center, now fully degenerated into a beast like the rest of the Rose Horde, with only one goal in mind: to reclaim the BEP. Relying solely on brute strength, he managed to take on two sword-wielding guards.

Next to act was Western Land Slave, who charged straight at Golden Shogun. The Lion didn’t flinch, letting her strike him—only for her to discover the real surprise: the Emperor’s skin withstood her blows. Not only that, despite her supernatural strength, she felt the sting of bruised knuckles.

That only enraged her more. But this time, The Commentator intervened, emitting a blinding light from his fingertip that momentarily blinded the fierce woman. Five guards rushed her, but even sightless, she managed to dodge and counter their attacks with feral precision.

Now Golden Shogun turned his focus to Common Day, who desperately needed a distraction to free both Satis and the BEP. The Dark Lady fired arrows from a distance while the rest of the fighters engaged the royal guard. Common Day tried contributing ranged fire too, but despite months of practice, it was clear he was nowhere near the others’ level. It simply wasn’t enough time.

As the battle descended into chaos, the Lion let out a roar:

“Jnum warned me about you—and about the darkness you carry in your heart. There’s no need to hide it. I know your only weapon is to sully your enemies, but that ends today.”

Eme-chan and Floating Man reacted instantly to the mention of the name ‘Jnum’, and the latter shouted, “Apostate!”—but the Lion’s voice overpowered him:

“The world will live on—and believe me, it’ll live just fine without you and your kind. You think you’ll change something? You’re nothing but filth.”

More royal guards poured into the machine hall, where the birth of a new god was about to unfold. But then the Lion gave a new signal. He stripped off his clothing—and all doubts were confirmed: his entire body was covered in gold. He grabbed a dagger and tried to stab himself—only for the blade to shatter into fragments.

“Today we hold the Mind, the Spirit, and the Body that will once again feed the Trinity. Live a few minutes longer—just long enough to witness true faith!”

This is not working, damn!

But then he had an idea. Though his physical speed had long diminished, he could still feel his mind racing a mile a minute. In an instant, he issued rapid orders to his team—and everyone began firing at the steam-powered machines.

Just as he predicted, more and more water outlets began to burst open. Neither the Lion nor The Commentator seemed particularly alarmed; to them, the machines were merely decorative—the transfer process required only a power source and the chosen subjects.

However, Eme-chan and Ms. South White immediately understood his intent. They were the first to step aside. Western Land Slave, still blind, started laughing—the sound of rushing water told her everything she needed to know. She charged again, this time at the nearest machine she could sense.

Golden Shogun remained standing in the center of the room, completely unafraid for his life. But The Commentator was beginning to grasp the shifting tide. Before he could warn his Emperor, Ms. South White emerged from the shadows behind him. She plunged a syringe into his neck before being shoved back by the guards—but she’d done it: the adviser could no longer emit light, nor speak.

The siege team was now on the counteroffensive, and the shift enraged the Lion once more. He let out a guttural roar that made the golden walls tremble. Everyone—guards included—froze in place. But Common Day’s plan was already underway.

He bit the nearest guard and struck another with his bow. He was headed straight for Golden Shogun, who made no attempt to flee. Dark Lady let loose a final volley of arrows, and the steam machines finally collapsed, unleashing a devastating flood.

There was no escape. They were far below ground level.

Common Day and Golden Shogun began a brutal fistfight in the center of the room, relying on nothing but their bare hands. Though the Lion was clearly stronger, he didn’t seem particularly bright—by now, the water was already waist-deep for both of them.

He delivered a final blow with his bow, causing Golden Shogun to stumble. Confident in his own durability, the Emperor tried to rise again—but he couldn’t. He began to sink deeper and deeper, dragged down by the sheer weight of his golden skin.

Summoning every last ounce of strength, Common Day strangled him like he had never strangled anyone before. He had never put so much effort into anything in his entire life—and he never would again. Everything he had ever achieved led to that single moment: the face of Golden Shogun, the Lion, the Neo Imperator, now gasping for life, drowning in the very gold that covered his body.

No one could believe what they were seeing. That sickly young man was killing, right before their eyes, the one who had been seen as the pinnacle of humanity. But perhaps the most astonishing thing for everyone present—friend and foe alike—was the laughter.

It wasn’t laughter born of malice, or hatred, or even dark satisfaction. It was a childlike laugh, silly and innocent, the kind of laugh you’d hear in a park full of children.

After a bit more struggling, the lifeless body of Golden Shogun lay beneath the rising water, too heavy to float.

For a moment, the entire world seemed to fall silent. But the flood continued. Western Land Slave, now able to see again, rushed to rescue Common Day.

“Satis,” he managed to say.

The fierce warrior looked momentarily confused, but quickly understood he meant Rowdy Deer. Without hesitation, she swam to the far end of the chamber and began pulling the three unconscious bodies to safety. By this point, all the royal guards had fled, and only a handful of the assault team remained to finish the rescue operation.

Western Land Slave couldn’t carry all three bodies through the rising waters. Common Day, though exhausted, felt a strange sense of peace being close to Satis again—even if they were submerged in an ever-deepening lake.

It was Black Tongue and his team who ultimately saved them all. All except Man in the Center, who clung desperately to the BEP, the two of them disappearing beneath the surface, lost in the flooded chamber. No further word ever came of them. With everyone working together, Ms. South White managed to rig up a new pulley system to haul out the last of the survivors.

Once outside the butcher shop, Common Day saw that the militia had captured The Commentator and other members of the fleeing army. No one made any move to recover Golden Shogun’s body.

The mission had been a success.