The Oracle Paths

1203  No Room for Trust

Anyone with an ounce of common sense would have sensed that this demand was fishy—not to mention Jake, who knew for sure that Cho Min Ho had a mole in the enemy camp. This stipulation was specifically designed to keep him from controlling the circumstances of each duel, preventing him from strategizing ahead.

It was a clever idea, as expected from their adversary, but unfortunately not without flaws. Ultimately, the Kingʼs Idol Alliance and the Myrtharian Nerds were part of the same Mirror Universe. If they purposely threw their matches, their performance would be seen as sabotage against their own side, or at the very least as friendly fire by the Oracle System, and their Ordeal rating would take a hit.

Otherwise, if Jake and Cho Min Ho could just duke it out directly, they wouldʼve put an end to these childish games ages ago. For now, the leader of the Kingʼs Idol Alliance had the right to decide at least nine of the nineteen matches not including Jake. Among the three team battles worth three points each, each of them would choose the participants for one, with the last one involving members mutually agreed upon by both factions.

Luckily, the agreement didnʼt specify how theyʼd split up the match assignments, and since the Cho Min Ho present was just a pathetic shapeshifter, heʼd be at Jakeʼs mercy. In truth, neither of the two Soulmancer Kings was truly prepared for such a series of duels, and it called for urgent adjustments. The Radiant Conclave and the few Players scattered within their army were also caught off guard.

Within minutes, each faction scrambled to contact the Players deployed elsewhere, sometimes in secret locations. Cho Min Ho, who had discreetly moved most of the Kingʼs Idol Alliance members to the south, was promptly alerted.

ʼWhat do we do?ʼ asked the doppelgänger posing as him. Like any good Doppelgänger, his impersonation of the Korean was spot-on, mimicking his aloof demeanor and unshakable confidence with finesse.

”No need to fret. Proceed as if youʼre aiming to win with what you have. Itʼs no big deal if you lose. The outcome of these fights doesnʼt matter,” the original instructed from the other end of the line after a brief pause. It was a twist not entirely unexpected, but one he hadnʼt placed much hope in either. ”However, if you can, drag things out. When itʼs Jakeʼs turn to fight, youʼll realize these duels were utterly pointless.”

The telepathic exchange between the copy and the original, if intercepted by a spy, might have been mistaken for a regular internal monologue—just a tad schizophrenic. When the shapeshifter ended the communication, the real Cho Min Ho knitted his brow as if pondering something, then commanded in a detached tone,

”Onward to Lustris. Try to keep up.” Without waiting for their reaction, he turned and blurred toward the capital, disappearing once again into the dense forest from which he had emerged a few minutes earlier.

The Players assembled in a tight group behind him wore gloomy expressions, but none dared to chicken out. Like the rest, Amy and Lee Yoon clenched their pearly teeth and set off at a brisk pace, each stride launching them dozens of meters ahead without a sound.

With the hundreds of thousands of Players gone and the clearing empty, Natan gave Harrkesh a nod before rocketing off after the army, taking up the rear. As for the albino Nosk, he signaled to his squad, whose members had been handpicked, and in a few superhuman strides vanished in the opposite direction.

As for Jake, he had to tweak his plans as well. Not by much, but better safe than sorry.

The team battles were under control, but when it came to beast fights, he wasnʼt as confident, especially if Titans were fielded against them. Abyssal Revenants werenʼt classified as beasts—the Radiant Conclave had made that clear—and he wasnʼt in a position to deploy them anyway due to personal reasons. Not because he doubted the might of Bones or Chillmire, but because he needed them elsewhere.

Chillmire had been sent north to subdue the horde of monsters that had escaped from the membrane; his presence alone was worth any army. As for Bones, Jake might have casually hinted to his Snitch Ring that some unsavory characters might try to swipe a certain relic amidst the chaos. Dusken needed to stay guarded regardless.

The absent Myrtharian Nerds were in the same boat, each tasked with duties that made them irreplaceable. Some served as decoys, others as bait, and many had to watch over or defend all sorts of critical locations.

They were all extra contingencies, preempting enemy schemes that might or might not materialize, including the unpredictable and unlikely. When it came to being wary and paranoid, Jake hadnʼt met his equal, and his guiding principle was to assume his opponents were at least as smart as he was.

A few minutes later, Asfrid approached and confirmed with a serious expression, ”Itʼs done. Unless something goes wrong, theyʼll be here.”

08:30

”I take it youʼve already sorted out the matchups,” the phony Cho Min Ho laughed, sauntering casually with his hands in his pockets, taking his sweet time.

In his mind, it was a different scene altogether. Having replicated his leaderʼs abilities, he had a clearer grasp of the heaven-defying nature of those powers. In the Koreanʼs hands, they were unbeatable, but in his own... better not to push his luck.

Being this close to an Oracle Knight, the man could off him in a heartbeat if he so desired. Loyal and dutiful doppelgänger or not, he wasnʼt eager to kick the bucket.

”Weʼll proceed with one duel each, except for the mixed team battle,” Jake declared bluntly. ”Depending on how things go, I reserve the right to adjust the order.”

”Figures,” the shapeshifter shook his head, maintaining a smug grin. ”So, who goes first?”

Jake, Will, and Asfrid shared a meaningful look before he responded calmly, ”The first will be mixed; you take care of the second, my guys will handle the third. Any objections?”

The lookalike merely gave an affable smile, brushing off the dig. ”I see you donʼt trust us. With just five low-level recruits to pick from, itʼd be tough to rig the outcome even if I wanted to—which I absolutely donʼt, for the record.”

”You in or not?” Esya snapped sharply, fixing him with a fiery glare.

”...Fine, I accept. Give me a few minutes to select a few promising candidates.”

The fact was, he had never bothered with this expendable riffraff meant to be sacrificed. With Cho Min Ho pulling the strings, he hadnʼt even needed to fight formally in a squad. Therefore, he turned straight to Zelorian Quen and Kang Jun, who themselves turned to Great General Radahn, Sheanu, and Master Firentz.

”No Vorzhul Rider in my legion is below the Paladin level,” Radahn stated indifferently.

”Iʼm only familiar with the Soulmancers whoʼve been with me for a long time,” Master Firentz apologized with a sigh. Moreover, the Protectors were a defense-specialized army, rarely engaging on the front lines.

”My Wargod Raiders are all battle-hardened fighters or ex-bandits,” Sheanu admitted hesitantly. ”I can select a few hard-nosed ones whoʼve shown their mettle among the new recruits.”

”Do it,” the shapeshifter commanded firmly.

By contrast, the selection of their leaderʼs rival was a no-brainer. Facing him, Ekho, Claire, Thonzo, Scelacabe, and Jashuzen had ”bravely” stepped forward. Well, most of them. The ex-alcoholic hadnʼt anticipated being dragged into a life-or-death battle so suddenly.

Watching him, Jake couldnʼt help but feel sympathy. The Soul Clones of the former Soulmancer King obviously had no fear of a simple bloody skirmish, but poor Ekho hadnʼt signed up for this...

If he hadnʼt just barely hit the Pulsar stage and had blind trust in the gear heʼd crafted, heʼd never have dared to join them in their insanity.

Then again, it was exactly because of this that Jake had no intention of holding him back. With their weapons and armor... even if the opposing squad consisted of Vitalists, they could still grind them down, making them quit.